Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

From the

Official News Magazine of the Diocese of Spokane

(From the July 3, 2008 edition of the Inland Register)

Santa Clara professor, novelist, and deacon Ron Hansen has a new and intriguing book out, titled Exiles. It is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux for $23 in hardcover.

Deacon Hansen has taken a fictionalized account of the dramatic wreck of the German steamship Deutschland in 1875 off the coast of England and interwoven that tale with the life story of the great British Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins. It is Father Hopkins who originally makes the story of five Religious Sisters traveling in exile from Bismarck’s Germany to work near St. Louis, famous in his monumental poem “The Wreck of the Deutschland.”

Early on we go back and forth from Father Hopkins’s seminary education in Wales to the story of five committed, yet very human, women Religious who are forced to leave their own country to work with orphans in Carondelet, Mo.

We learn of each woman’s background and what led her to the convent. And then we walk with them as they travel to Bremerhaven to board the North German Lloyd line’s ship Deutschland. Like the film Titanic and the book A Night to Remember, we learn all about the ship and the crew as the ship leaves port.

The story becomes dramatic as the ship runs aground off the coast of Kent during a tremendous storm. There we follow passengers and crew whom we have grown fond of as they face the horror of death by drowning in the ice-cold waters of December. We are with each of the Sisters as they prepare for death.

At the same time, we follow Father Hopkins into his own exiles as we watch him become a Jesuit and obediently move from place to place. His gift of writing poetry is not appreciated and it is only many years later that his extraordinary artistic talents become known to the world.

As I read his epic poem after reading Deacon Hansen’s gripping story I have to admit there is much I do not understand. But Exiles taught me of the courage and faithfulness of a young Jesuit and five missionary Sisters.

Exiles is a journey well worth taking.

A retired bishop from the Pacific Northwest several months ago recommended to some priests of our diocese a new book by Jesuit Father George B. Wilson. The book is titled Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood, published by Liturgical Press of Collegeville, Minn., in trade paperback for $19.95. I recently was able to borrow a copy of this thought-provoking and interesting book.

The first part of the book is built on the view from Vatican II Council that all of us by our baptism are priests of Jesus Christ. Clerical cultures can exist in many vocations where there are specific requirements that are controlled by the group; at times, there can be secrecy and protection for members of the group. The author specifically refers to doctors, lawyers, academics, police, the military, and clergy. There is always the danger of losing touch with those individuals whom members of the group are committed to serve. As Father Wilson centers particularly on Catholic priests and clericalism, he raises some thoughtful questions on concelebration and priest support groups such as Jesus Caritas.

The second part of the book focuses on the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse and possible ways for transformation in the Church in light of past failures. What follows is the best and fairest discussion I have read anywhere on what has happened and possible ways that people and priests can work together with solid protection for youth, and continuing dialogue among all the baptized priests of the Church for the good of the whole Church.

The author has numerous examples to make his critique and also to give flesh to his suggestions for the future. Here is a book that could be used by a parish study group. A chapter or section could be read and discussed as an introductory to each meeting of our Diocesan Pastoral Council, Presbyteral Council, or local parish pastoral councils. People will have varied views, so there will be lots to talk about.

Father Wilson has performed a very important service for the whole Church. Here is a book Catholics have been seeking.

Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister recently has written an extremely helpful and interesting book for anyone entering the older years of life or living life beyond, say, 60 years of age. The book is The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. It is published by BlueBridge, an imprint of United Tribes Media, New York, at $19.95.

There are around 40 chapters of around six pages each, on topics ranging from fear and joy to forgiveness and loneliness. Each chapter begins from a pithy quote from world personalities and writers, such as these from the Austrian novelist Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach to introduce the chapter on freedom: “Old age transfigures or fossilizes.” Introducing “Forgiveness” are Oliver Wendell Holmes’s words: “The young know the rules, the old know the exceptions.”

The main part of each chapter is filled with Sister Joan’s thought-provoking reflections. The depth of her reflections is all-encompassing. She is practical, refreshing, and challenging. Her book would work especially well as a chapter to be read and reflected on each day for 40 or so days. It becomes a living retreat. It also could be used as the foundation for short daily homilies.

At the end of each chapter there are two brief sentences that act as realistic summations of the theme of the chapter. After the section on loneliness, for example, Sister Joan has the following words: “A burden of these years is that we will hole up somewhere and mourn our age, our change in life, our losses. A blessing of these years is that we will make ourselves available to the world that is waiting for us, even now, even here.”

The Gift of Years is a gift for all who seek advice, help and encouragement on the journey of the later years of life.

The Inland Register’s own Mitch Finley has an informative book on the rosary available from The WORD Among Us Press for $11.95. The title is The Rosary Handbook: A Guide for Newcomers, Old-Timers and Those In Between.

Mitch begins his history of the rosary and explanation of the mysteries of the rosary with stories of his own connection to the rosary, beginning in the third grade at Saints Peter and Paul School in Grangeville, Idaho, and extending into the rosary’s importance during his time in the Navy.

The book also includes a section on the Pope John Paul II’s addition to the prayer, the Luminous Mysteries.

If you are looking for more than the small rosary booklet that just has the basic mysteries and an outline of how to say the rosary, The Rosary Handbook is just the book for you.

In the summer, television seems locked on so-called reality and game shows. And yet there is a very enjoyable alternative.

One interview show that covers a wide range of topics from politics and architecture to science and the arts is the Charlie Rose Show on public television. One interesting fact in our area is that if you are able to get KWSU from Pullman, which is channel 18 on Spokane cable, you are able to watch the show on its live feed at 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, rather than stay up until its regular 11 p.m. broadcast time. Also, Channel 7, KSPS, rebroadcasts the evening show at noon the following day. This flexibility makes Charlie Rose more available to more people. You may not watch every show you turn to because of the wide berth of topics. But Charlie, who always seems fair and has a wide spectrum of viewpoints on his show, is well worth checking out.

(Father Caswell is Ecumenical Relations Officer and Archivist for the Diocese of Spokane, and a frequent contributor to this publication.)