Giancarlo Bernini, Catholic Magician and speaker, discusses his unique career, his Catholic faith, and performs some tricks on-air!
Fr. Larry Rice asks Giancarlo to explain how magic as a performance and faith could work together. “I’m a big fan of people encountering God through art, the idea that people can find and experience God through truth, beauty, and goodness,” Giancarlo says. “Beauty is art, and we see that not just in the stained glass windows at church, but in all sorts of entertainment. Magic is interesting because it’s an illusion. It’s designed to be presented theatrically for the sake of entertaining others. Illusions are all about discerning what’s true and what’s not. Theater is about presenting something in a beautiful way, and entertainment is about doing something good for someone else. So, those three transcendentals are found in magic. Part of what I’m trying to do is show people that no matter what you’re doing, you can find a way to bring the Holy Spirit into it.”
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Giancarlo shares that he became fascinated by the idea of magic as a child after his dad showed him a card trick. “I was at my grandpa’s house playing in the backyard, and my dad came out with a deck of cards and said he wanted to show me something. He did a trick where four aces appeared on top of the deck. That was the first time I experienced the thing I saw in the movies right in front of me, and I wanted to learn it, so that’s what I did.”
Giancarlo explains how he incorporates faith into his performances. “If I’m at a Catholic conference, I’ll tie the performance into the theme of the conference. One theme was the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus. So I did some magic, but also shared with the audience the importance of seeking truth, not just when you’re watching a magician, but also in every aspect of your life, just as those disciples were.”
Listen to hear Giancarlo perform a few tricks on air with Brett and a radio fan!