Faithful Departed - The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture

 Our Description

 

 

 

"Some in the Church dismiss the abuse scandal as “old news.” It isn’t. To understand the scandal’s still-unaddressed causes and grasp the magnitude of its aftershocks, Phil Lawler’s unflinching account is essential reading."

George Neumayr
Editor, Catholic World Report

 

"Faithful Departed is a compelling pathology report of the dereliction of duty of bishops in Boston. It calls to accountability any man who dares to accept the call to Holy Orders. The historical facts alone will sting consciences. Lawler’s masterful analysis is sobering and provides an urgent incentive for authentic renewal."

Rev. Jerry Pokorsky
Co-Founder, Adoremus

 

 General Description:

The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture, traces the rise and fall of the Catholic Church as a cultural dynamo in Boston, showing how the Massachusetts experience set a pattern that has echoed throughout the United States as religious institutions have lost social influence in the face of rising secularization. The collapse of Catholicism in Boston became painfully apparent in 2002, with the full explosion of the sex-abuse crisis.

But Lawler brings an insider’s knowledge and a journalist’s sense of drama to show that the sex-abuse scandal was neither the cause nor the beginning of Catholicism’s decline in Boston. In fact, the scandal was itself a symptom of corruption that was already well advanced. Full of colorful anecdote and gripping social history, The Faithful Departed will be of interest not only to Catholics and to those acquainted with Boston’s rich political tradition, but to anyone concerned about the interplay between religious faith and public policy. The demise of Catholic influence in Massachusetts is an especially vivid example of a secularizing trend that is visible throughout the United States.

This new book will be released on February 28, 2008

Clerical Scandals Addressed Squarely and Fairly

While offending priests committed the original sexual abuse crimes, their wrongdoing mushroomed into a scandal because bishops failed to curtail their activity and rein in the culture that fomented it. That’s Phil Lawler’s basic thesis, and, regrettably, he has ample evidence to substantiate it. His focus is on the Archdiocese of Boston, the epicenter of the abuse crisis that exploded in 2002, but his analysis sadly has application for many bishops and dioceses nationwide.

As a native of the Boston area and a veteran Catholic journalist who once edited the archdiocesan paper, The Boston Pilot, under Cardinal Bernard Law, Lawler is well-qualified to address this subject matter. While the inclusion of footnotes would have benefited the book and its readers, no one can argue credibly that Lawler doesn’t cover his journalistic bases.

The author makes his case that, even amidst rather challenging and changing times in U.S. culture, too many bishops faile Full Review...

 Other Customers Also Purchased

Theology Of The Body Explained

Large Print Shorter Christian Prayer

Latin - Spanish Tridentine Booklet Missal

 Browse For Similar Items In

• Catholic Books > History Books > Recent Events (1900 - )
• Catholic Books >

Related Articles

1. St. Anthony of Padua 02/26/2009

2. St. Jude Thaddeus 12/02/2008

3. A Resource Guide to Books by Pope Benedict XVI 11/25/2008

4. Christ the King Sunday 11/20/2008

5. Learn About the Church Fathers 11/13/2008

6. The Faith Database - A Resource for Every Catholic 10/17/2008

7. St. Teresa of Avila 10/14/2008

8. In Remembrance of Pope John Paul II 10/13/2008

9. The Anniversary of Vatican Council II 10/10/2008

10. Respect Life Sunday 10/03/2008