Between the end of the Second World War in 1945 and the fall of the Romanian dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989, the regimes of the Soviet bloc pursued a policy of official atheism that entailed some degree of persecution for believers of every stripe throughout Eastern Europe.

The hour-long documentary "Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism" provides a poignant look at the devastating effects of this campaign on the region's women religious. Written and directed by Franciscan Sister Judith Ann Zielinski, the special will air on ABC stations and affiliates beginning Sunday, Sept. 13 (check local listings) as part of the "Vision & Values" series created by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission.

Using interviews with survivors, archival photographs and re-enactments, the program chronicles the various forms of affliction to which the sisters were subjected.

Milder governments, like those of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, nationalized Catholic schools and hospitals, and forcibly transported the religious who had staffed them to "concentration convents." The authorities calculated that the mixing together of various orders would create friction, while crowded, primitive living conditions would induce many to abandon their vocations.

Sometimes far harsher methods were employed in individual cases, as shown by the example of Slovak Holy Cross Sister Zdenka Schellingova, whose trial, martyrdom and eventual beatification are movingly related.

Under the harder-line rulers of Romania, Lithuania and Ukraine, the religious orders were dissolved outright and all visible signs of consecrated life, such as the wearing of a habit, were proscribed.

Participants recall the particularly ferocious hatred directed against Byzantine Catholics, whose liturgy and customs closely resemble those of the Orthodox Church. When intense efforts to convert the religious of these Eastern Catholic churches to the Orthodox faith failed, some were exiled to Siberia, others executed.

In addition to the courage so many of the sisters displayed, the documentary also details the ingenious methods they used to preserve their communities and to train novices in secret. And the upbeat conclusion outlines the revival of religious life since the collapse of the Soviet system.

"Interrupted Lives" was funded in part by the U.S. bishops' Catholic Communication Campaign and Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe. DVDs of this documentary are available by calling (800) 235-8722. ---CNS John Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.