Ask Frank Xavier Panico if it’s cool to be an unabashed Christian, and you’ll get a resounding “YES!” In fact, Frank believes that the closer one gets to God, the more one’s uniqueness and beauty are brought to the surface, and the stronger one becomes . . . and that’s cool indeed. “It’s certainly not cool to be cruel to others and engage in destructive behavior,” Frank states.
A former Hollywood actor, scriptwriter and model, Frank returned to his home town of Port St. Lucie in 2005 to be closer to his aging parents. (Editor’s note: Mr. Panico’s mother passed away in late November 2013.) He continued writing scripts and formed a production company, Xs in the Sky Films, committed to producing films with a Christian message. With invaluable help from editor and narrator Aaron Speros, Panico’s current film venture is Lambs Among Wolves, an edgy and at times controversial documentary in which Panico tackles the provocative question of whether God, Satan, spiritual warfare and evil exist in the world. “Evil might sound harsh, but there is no better word for it,”Panico says.
Setting up his camera in various locales, from City Place to Stuart to Port St. Lucie, Panico randomly approached people and discovered no shortage of those willing to be interviewed on this thought-provoking issue.
Frank understands that he is walking a fine line between fanaticism and faith. “I don’t want to scare anyone or freak anybody out. I just want to be sure people are not naive about the dangerous evils around us.”
While acknowledging that there is no hardcore proof of Satan and that the existence of evil is hard to substantiate, Panico asserts that God’s help is all around us if we just look for it, citing the following example. In early 2010, preparing for a documentary on faith healing that he was about to undertake, Panico wrote to Pope Benedict, requesting an interview with him or an exorcism priest specializing in soul healing through faith . His church pastor tried to prepare him for disappointment, saying “Good luck with that!” But Frank didn’t give up hope despite not getting a timely reply. Forty-five days later, Father Jose Antonio Fortea, a priest specializing in demonic possession, exorcism and demonology from a Catholic perspective, visited several churches on the Treasure Coast during a lecture tour, and Frank had the opportunity to meet Father Fortea and ask pertinent questions on the subject of faith healing. Frank believes that his request to the Vatican was answered, albeit in a less direct way than he had expected.
Frank Panico is preparing for his next project, a documentary with the working title of Driving Out the Wicked. It will focus on people who were once involved in satanic cults, witchcraft or astral projection, have broken away and are now active Christians. If you have had such experiences and would like to be interviewed for the documentary, contact him at frankiepanico@aol.com. To learn more about Frank Panico, visit his website at www.xsintheskyfilms. com. Lambs Among Wolves can be viewed in its entirety at no cost by following the website’s YouTube link.
Tired of being stereotyped as foolish, old fashioned and not hip, Panico takes solace in his faith. “Being confident in your beliefs . . . now that’s cool.”
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