JPCatholic Partners with Voyage Comics on Animated Christmas Special

John Paul the Great Catholic University is partnering with Voyage Comics to give JPCatholic students hands-on experience working on a new animated Christmas special, Fr. Otto’s Christmas.

Beginning this fall, several JPCatholic students are participating in the project through Applied Studio Practices, a course led by Professor Max Hulburt. Through the partnership, students will contribute to the production for both academic credit and professional experience, working alongside an expanding team of industry professionals, alumni, and collaborators.

The project already has over a dozen alumni involved in the development and pre-production, including Kateri Esposito ‘25, who was hired to direct the film following the success of her senior capstone The Heartbeat of the Sea. Fr. Otto’s Christmas is based on the comic series created by Joshua Masterson, known as “The Catholic Cartoonist.” Masterson began creating the comic at the age of 19 and has since published the series through Voyage Comics. The publisher has released annual collections of the comic, which follows the adventures of a Catholic priest and the people in his parish.

The animated special will follow Fr. Otto as he tries to balance his priestly responsibilities with his own personal hopes and dreams, eager to surprise his parish with a heartfelt Christmas gift. Meanwhile, neighborhood kids Berty and Tessa are determined to get their hands on the coolest toy in town before Christmas.

“Joshua Masterson, through his work on The Catholic Cartoon, has created a world that invites us to return to simple, childlike wonder,” said Esposito. “I’m so excited to be a part of bringing his characters to a new medium with this project, and can’t wait for everyone to experience a classic Christmas special with Fr. Otto and his parish!”

From Comic Strip to Christmas Special

Masterson originally approached Voyage Comics about publishing his comics several years ago. In addition to the printed collections, he has continued to share new installments of Fr. Otto online, building an audience of over 150k.

More recently, Masterson began exploring animation as another way to bring the characters to life. He pitched the concept for an animated Christmas special inspired by classic holiday television specials such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Voyage Comics saw an opportunity to expand its storytelling into a new medium.

The project began taking shape in early 2026. The team raised funds to develop a proof of concept, while also starting pre-production on the full special.

JPCatholic Students and Alumni Join the Production

Since then, over a dozen JPCatholic alumni and students have already joined Kateri on the production in various capacities. Luca Hoang ‘24, as Director of Production at Voyage Comics, is playing a pivotal role as co-producer on the special. Nicholas Gresch ‘25, as Assistant Director of Business Operations, also serves a producing role.

“This is an opportunity for Voyage Comics to position itself not just as a comic book publisher, but rather an entertainment company,” said Hoang. “And with our focus on creative projects that communicate truth, beauty, and goodness to inspire heroic virtue, JPCatholic alumni are such a natural fit to join the team.”

Other contributors include Theo Pashley ‘26 as music composer; Mary Wenner ‘22 as casting director; Joshua Martin ‘24, Clareanne Ysmael ‘25, Nieves Hippler ‘26, and Aaron Cantu ‘26 as storyboard artists; Patrick Schloss ‘24 as color designer; Keyana Harrod ‘23, Cynthia Barboza ‘23, and Corrina Borjon ‘25 as background artists; Nori Griffith ‘23, Maggie Wagner ‘26 and junior Joe Schlenz as animators. Jaden Doyle ‘24, Matthew Rechen ‘25, and Lisa Ruiter ‘26 have already been cast as voice actors, alongside talent like Catholic filmmaker Jim Morlino.

Prof. Hulburt’s Applied Studio Practices course now provides an official platform for current students to earn academic credit while helping on the special. Several students are working on animating a short montage scene this fall, with additional assignments expected in future quarters as production continues into 2027. This October, many of the lead creatives will be meeting at JPCatholic to hold production meetings and utilize the university’s studio for voice acting recording.

In addition, Voyage Comics has formalized a partnership with the University beyond Fr. Otto’s Christmas. JPCatholic students and alumni will be given first look at future internship and job openings, creating opportunities for graduates to pursue creative work with an organization grounded in a shared Catholic mission.

“I'm excited to be working with Voyage Comics on this project,” said Prof. Hulburt. “We first connected through my Visual Arts Career Strategies course, where they showed real interest in developing and hiring our students, and this collaboration grew directly out of that relationship. It's a great opportunity for our animation students and alumni to contribute to a large-scale project that could become an annual tradition for many families. I'm especially proud of Kateri for earning the director role, and it's been a pleasure working with her again.”

The special is currently expected to be released in the Christmas 2027 season. To learn more and to support the project, visit Voyage Comics.