Being Catholic Now: Prominent Americans Talk About Change in the Church and the Quest for Meaning
From Publishers Weekly
Sheer star power should draw a broad range of readers to this volume of 37 interviews, in which Catholics from diverse fields reflect on their church. Kennedy, daughter of the late Robert Kennedy, invited luminaries from politics, entertainment, media and the church itself to talk about their Catholic origins, current beliefs and what they would do if they could be pope for a year. Writer Anna Quindlen would ordain women and lift the ban on artificial birth control. Comedian Bill Maher, who confesses to hating religion, would end the church, while Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, former archbishop of Washington, D.C., would resign right away and get a good guy in there. Other interviewees include Cokie Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Allouisa May Thames, Thomas Monaghan and Douglas Brinkley. In the preface, Kennedy adds her own views, explaining why she remains a Catholic despite differences with the church on issues like abortion and homosexuality. The collection makes for interesting reading, though at times the interviews, which consist wholly of the subjects’ responses, seem disjointed and rambling without the context of questions. (Sept.) “”
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From The Washington Post
From The Washington Post’s Book World/washingtonpost.com In Finnegans Wake, James Joyce refers (cryptically, of course) to Catholicism as “Here Comes Everybody,” but since the 1960s it’s been more like, “Where’d They Go?” Kerry Kennedy’s collection of 37 interviews, Being Catholic Now, is one answer: They’re still here, more or less. And it is often less rather than more, as Kennedy includes the likes of bestselling author Frank McCourt and religion-razing Bill Maher, who ruefully, or gleefully, would qualify as ex-Catholics or even anti-Catholics, if only Holy Mother Church could let them go, or vice-versa. “Maybe I was damaged by it for a long time — we all were,” McCourt says of Catholicism, “but I can make use of it and that’s the gift.” Balancing such diffidence are other Catholics, from the pious to the powerful, who raise objections even as they pledge fealty to the church. This critical stance, especially from lay people, is a hallmark of Catholicism since the Second Vatican Council. Bill O’Reilly donates “a lot of money” to the church but blasts bishops who “screwed it up.” Former pizza magnate and Catholic traditionalist Tom Monaghan loves the church but regrets sending his kids to parochial schools “because they tend to undermine the faith.” Celebrities offer more heft than expected (though some ordinary souls, especially sexual abuse survivor Dan McNevin, provide the real ballast), with actors Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen leading the pack. Dan Aykroyd is nearly off the Catholic reservation (and never mind that he is Canadian), but without his Catholic boyhood “The Blues Brothers” movie wouldn’t exist. The unifying theme of all the interviews is a once-formidable Catholic culture that left a mark as indelible as any sacrament, pushing Catholics to contend with a church that has betrayed or consoled them, or both. The contributors who firmly believe and deeply question give the book its poignancy, with the most affecting essay coming from Kennedy herself; she is one of Robert and Ethel Kennedy’s 11 children and a prayerful believer who struggles with the faith but refuses to abandon ship. (Andrew Sullivan, Peggy Noonan, Donna Brazile and E.J. Dionne Jr. also have noteworthy entries.) In the 4th century, Saint Ambrose spoke of the church as a “casta meretrix,” a chaste prostitute, for her indiscriminate welcome. A few decades ago, the Catholic convert Dorothy Day added, “She’s a whore, but she’s my mother.” The challenge today is that the Catholic culture that gave birth to Ambrose, Day and the folks in Kennedy’s book is threadbare to the point that it’s hard to imagine rounding up a similar cast for a sequel. Catholics today are more likely to see the church as a sainted virgin or duplicitous harlot rather than to contend with the paradoxes that are inherent in any major religion and vital to the creative tension at the heart of any culture worthy of the name.
Copyright 2008, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.
I was riveted by this book. I am a practicing Catholic struggling to make peace with some of the Church’s teaching. Kennedy presents her own journey, as well as those of other Catholics - practicing, non-practicing & somewhere in between.
The book’s contributors vary widely in their experiences, as we all do. This book is for all Catholics - and those interested in Catholicism. It is a great way to begin to understand how & why Catholics believe what they do & act as they do.
Don’t dismiss this book as anti-Catholic or pro-Catholic. Nothing could be further from the truth. The author presents many views, many journeys; and, the book challenges each of us to look at the Church and determine if it is truly following the teachings of Christ.
If you’re a devout, practicing Catholic, don’t be afraid to try reading this book. If you have left the Church, don’t be afraid to try reading this book. It may open your mind to a better understanding of others (and isn’t that one of the basic teachings of Christ?).
I read the book. It is especially insulting to read a review from someone who hasn’t even read the book. This is a terrific and timely book.
As a Catholic, I’ve grown tired of relentless monotone stereotyping of Catholics. Being Catholic Now has been needed for a long time. Kennedy brings a more honest look at the rich spectrum of Catholic experience. The book affirmed that my experience growing up Catholic, thoughtful, curious, open, and responsible (not guilty) was not an anomaly as so many would suggest. In fact, my experience seems normal. What a joy!
I don’t understand how someone (Bill Maher)who is an atheist and hates all religions is about “Being Catholic Now”. Doesn’t being Catholic mean that you at least believe certain things, and at most live by them consistently?
I guess Kerry is just interested in stories about people that have had some exposure to Catholicism, regardless of the effects of that exposure.
I would be interested in a book of devout Catholics who fully embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church, and what the fruits of that experience are. Does Catholicism work? What does it mean for Catholicism to work (what is the goal)? What does it look like in this age to be a wholly committed Catholic?
Stories about people who to varying degrees reject Catholicism doesn’t tell me a whole lot about the Catholic experience. I guess the point is to make people who don’t believe still feel included, for whatever that is worth.