Engrossing faith memoir mirrors the changing face of American Catholicism. Novelist and former priest Carroll (House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power, 2006, etc.) sets out to understand and explain the state of Catholicism from the 1940s to the present, using his personal story as a nexus. In his view, the latter half of the 20th century was marked by this revelation: "Catholics came to understand that they themselves-not their priests, bishops, and pope-are the Church." Many would question that assessment, or at least state that it is not a global truth, but the author makes a good case that the "unchanging" Roman Catholic Church can and does change through the sheer will of its adherents. He begins by sharing childhood memories of growing up an Irish-American Catholic in the '40s and '50s, a time when Mass was celebrated in Latin, Catholics and Protestants rarely mixed and the people in the pews had no power or say. Carroll interrupted his undergraduate career at Georgetown to join an overtly American order of priests, the Paulist Fathers. His years at seminary and as a priest coincided with the Second Vatican Council and with one of America's most turbulent periods, a parallel history that the author traces with powerful effect. Becoming personally disenchanted with church teachings on celibacy, contraception, etc., Carroll left the priesthood in 1974. His account of the following decades focuses on the controversial social and religious stances of Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), as well as the reaction to their policies by Carroll and other lay people. The author's prose is occasionally too weighty-"Kennedy'speroration was my conscription," "implicit contract of coresponsibility"-but overall the book is a page-turner and offers controversial insights on modern American Catholicism. A captivating look at the Church and a call for change from within its numbers. Author tour to New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Milwaukee
A personal examination of the Catholic faith, its leaders, and its complicated history by a National Book Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author.
James Carroll turns to the notion of practice-both as a way to learn and a means of improvement-as a lens for this thoughtful and frank look at what it means to be Catholic. He acknowledges the slow and steady transformation of the Church from its darker medieval roots to a more pluralist and inclusive institution, charting along the way stories of powerful Catholic leaders (Pope John XXIII, Thomas Merton, John F. Kennedy) and historical milestones like Vatican II.
These individuals and events represent progress for Carroll, a former priest, and as he considers the new meaning of belief in a world that is increasingly as secular as it is fundamentalist, he shows why the world needs a Church that is committed to faith and renewal.
“Carroll, a former Catholic priest who wrote of his conflict with his father over the Vietnam War in*An American Requiem, revisits and expands on that tension in this spiritual memoir infused with church history*.*.*. Readers who, like Carroll, remain Catholic but wrestle with their church's positions on moral issues will most appreciate his story.” -Publishers Weekly
“Thought-provoking.” -San Francisco Chronicle
“[An] engrossing faith memoir*.*.*. a page-turner.” -Kirkus Reviews
A personal examination of the Catholic faith, its leaders, and its complicated history by a National Book Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author.
James Carroll turns to the notion of practice-both as a way to learn and a means of improvement-as a lens for this thoughtful and frank look at what it means to be Catholic. He acknowledges the slow and steady transformation of the Church from its darker medieval roots to a more pluralist and inclusive institution, charting along the way stories of powerful Catholic leaders (Pope John XXIII, Thomas Merton, John F. Kennedy) and historical milestones like Vatican II.
These individuals and events represent progress for Carroll, a former priest, and as he considers the new meaning of belief in a world that is increasingly as secular as it is fundamentalist, he shows why the world needs a Church that is committed to faith and renewal.
“Carroll, a former Catholic priest who wrote of his conflict with his father over the Vietnam War in*An American Requiem, revisits and expands on that tension in this spiritual memoir infused with church history*.*.*. Readers who, like Carroll, remain Catholic but wrestle with their church's positions on moral issues will most appreciate his story.” -Publishers Weekly
“Thought-provoking.” -San Francisco Chronicle
“[An] engrossing faith memoir*.*.*. a page-turner.” -Kirkus Reviews
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940172562334 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Brilliance Audio |
| Publication date: | 04/01/2009 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Videos
