A Mother's Influence

Shelly Henley Kelly interviewed the creator and several cast members from The Chosen about the lasting role their mothers played in shaping their faith.

Any mother will tell you, parenting is exhausting. Being responsible for the formation and care of another human being requires 18+ years of self-sacrifice sustained by hope and trust, per child. We do our best to develop them in the faith, family values, and lessons we hold dear from our own upbringing.  

As the years pass our children grow and mature. Some leave home. Some remain home. Some grow in faith and virtues. Some seek their own path that takes them away. Still, there comes a point in every mother’s life when we wonder: Did I do enough?  

Earlier this year, Dallas Jenkins and various cast members from the popular series The Chosen sat down with Catholic Mom to discuss the lasting role their mothers played in shaping their faith, values, and identity. Their words offer a glimpse into what we, as mothers, don’t often see: the fruits of our never-ending work.  

Unsurprisingly they speak of love, connection, and support. 

The Family That Prays Together … 

Actor Jonathan Roumie, who carries the weight of portraying Jesus on The Chosen, credits his parents with his strong faith:

“They lived out the faith to its fullest themselves. They participated. They participated at Mass and the sacraments.”

His mother taught him how to pray, and he still cherishes the memory of saying prayers bedside with his grandmother visiting from Ireland. 

Raised in a vibrant Greek Orthodox family, George Xanthis, (John) treasures his faith, noting:

“I would love for those to be the values that a lot of people take out of it, which is family and togetherness and sense of community and culture.”  

When mothers instill the core values of Christianity, such as love, compassion, and living out Jesus' teachings, they help their children understand how to actually live Jesus’ radical love in the world. Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene) teared up when sharing:

“My parents always reminded me of who Jesus was and the difficult things it takes to actually be Christian, to actually live his message to love your enemies, turn the other cheek, take care of the people who are on the outskirts of society, who are rejected, who were despised. To love is really, really hard and takes tremendous courage in this world. I just remember them always reminding me of that love. It's about love.” 

… STAYS TOGETHER 

Creating a home that openly prays and talks about the power of faith binds us to one another through generations. Actor Shahar Isaac, an Israeli Jew, who portrays Saint Peter on the show brought up this connection when speaking about his mother’s influence. 

“I really love how it's connected to my mother and my grandmother and my great-great-great grandmother. I think it's a pretty magical thing to be able to share something through the generations that … makes it feel like you're part of one big family.”  

The Chosen founder, Dallas Jenkins pointed out that incorporating faith in ordinary everyday ways shapes our children in ways we may not even see.

“My mom was really a tough but loving and gentle woman whose faith was a key part of her life. And so I think that discipline and that love is what kind of kept me on the path towards Christ and with Christ throughout my upbringing.” 

Providing Loving Support 

Unconditional love, prayers, and encouragement help our children pursue their dreams. They need to know you love and believe in them, no matter what.   

Paras Patel, who portrays Matthew, found inspiration to be a hard worker by observing his immigrant parents in action.

“I always had very supporting parents that did show me love.”

As a result of the show’s success, he recently took his parents to India, sharing that “it was the most amazing experience for them. To see the pride in their eyes.” 

Elizabeth Tabish’s parents watched her struggle for years as an actress, yet were supportive and believed in her. 

"There's been just this incredible and insane support for us to follow our dreams.”   

Noah James, (Andrew) points out that a parents love is unconditional, not results oriented.

“They have supported me and loved me through all of it. ... So they're very happy for me that I have this. ... But they are not result-oriented in their love for me. It is unconditional.” 

Impact of THE CHOSEN 

When asked how being involved in The Chosen affected his relationship with his parents, Noah thoughtfully said being on the show made him realize:

“The things that come up are really the life, the very deep life things. That's what the relationship with parents is about.” 

Sharah Isaac admits he brings family relationships into his role as Simon Peter, noting:

“The people that are important to you, like your family, find their way weaved into this work, you know, they find their way sometimes into the scenes with certain meanings.”   

For the past seven years, preparing for his role means Jonathan Roumie spends a lot of time reading Jesus’ words and pondering how Jesus would act, speak, and respond. In addition to a developing a deeper relationship with him personally, he says it’s influenced how he views relationships with others, including his parents.

“I think it's given me an opportunity to learn what it means to ... give people grace when they need it because I've been given so much grace, and I would hope that that has extended to my parents, especially for all the things that they sacrificed for our family growing up. I try to give back to them in the way that I know that they need.”  

Even The Chosen show creator says his work on this project has impacted his parents, changing their relationship.

“I think that's actually drawn us closer together. … And I feel like my closeness with my parents is as strong as it's ever been.”   

Take heart, moms. You make a difference. For those days when you feel unseen, unheard, unappreciated, your work in the vineyards of parenting yields good fruit. 

The Chosen Season 5 arrives exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in three parts beginning June 15, followed by its release on The Chosen app in late September. 

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Copyright 2025 Shelly Henley Kelly
Images: Canva