First published 2024
American Catholic life faces intense scrutiny from Rome, yet critics rarely engage directly with Catholics themselves. Charles Chaput takes a different approach. Over seventeen months, from December 2020 through May 2022, he conducts extensive interviews with 103 Catholics across the United States. His subjects include bishops, priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers, and laypeople from diverse backgrounds. They discuss the hidden pressures of episcopal leadership, the joys and struggles of priestly life, what makes dioceses succeed or fail, and how sex abuse scandals continue to affect the Church. Conversations range from problems in Catholic higher education to relationships with the Vatican, from the role of Catholics in secular academia to the experiences of immigrant families adjusting to American life. Parents of children with special needs share their stories of faith tested and strengthened. Despite current difficulties, Chaput discovers why countless American Catholics maintain their love for the Church and embrace their faith with genuine enthusiasm.
Genres: non-fiction, biography-memoir, church-history, academic, catholic, christian-living
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: interviews, personal-stories
Setting: United States
Period: December 2020 - May 2022
284 pages · Hardcover · Ignatius Press
Content warnings: abuse, sexual-assault