Ministry Issue
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Ministry Issue The New, Lay Face of Missionaries by Vincent Gragnani Accessible Holiness by William J. O’Malley A Partner for the Pastor by Thomas P. Sweetser LITERARY WAR ERUPTED some “the forum where new titles are taken months ago. Dubbed the “battle seriously as works of art and argument….” America of the book reviews,” it pits book The National Book Critics Circle’s Published by Jesuits of the United States critics of print against electronic campaign to restore (and even expand) Amedia/bloggers in a virtual slugfest. The print coverage is being waged with vigor. Editor in Chief issue is as much the quality of book N.B.C.C.’s site “Critical Mass” posts Drew Christiansen, S.J. reviews as space and quantity. That I have comments from concerned readers almost to report on it is a sad commentary about daily. Managing Editor print media coverage—of works not only Last year, more than 125,000 new Robert C. Collins, S.J. by well-known writers but by lesser books were born (and this year it is high- known, upcoming writers, about whom er). But only a small fraction of them Business Manager readers would know little were it not for receive attention. Newspapers that have Lisa Pope the occasional nod by a columnist who not eliminated reviews altogether have pays attention to what the small presses merged them into other sections of the Editorial Director are up to. paper (such as an opinion page) or moved Karen Sue Smith Newspaper priorities have shifted them to another day. The Chicago markedly. The book section, simply put, Tribune, for example, is publishing its Online Editor does not generate revenue. So some book reviews in the Saturday edition—so Maurice Timothy Reidy papers have begun scaling back on cover- they now reach even fewer readers. The Associate Editors age, shrinking and in some cases eliminat- publishing industry’s major venues for ing it altogether. In apportioning space book coverage include Publishers Weekly, Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J. for book news, as opposed, say, to sensa- Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and Library George M. Anderson, S.J. tional features, there will always be dispar- Journal, the first two of which collectively Dennis M. Linehan, S.J. ity. But at what cost? At a time when we review close to 10,000 adult and children’s should be promoting cultural literacy, this books a year. Unfortunately, these trade James Martin, S.J. trend of shun- magazines James P. McDermott, S.J. ning books and are unavail- readers is all the able to most Literary Editor more disturbing. Of Many Things general read- Patricia A. Kossmann Since review- ers and con- ers’ pay scales (in the general press) often sumers. Poetry Editor vary, that influences print coverage to In working through a shifting land- James S. Torrens, S.J. some extent. Ditto for independent liter- scape of diverse and evolving outlets, con- ary journals. As for America, our book versation is vital. If the shared goal is one Assistant Editor section, which covers both general-inter- of service to readers (as it should be) pro- Francis W. Turnbull, S.J. est and religious categories, introduces vided by qualified reviewers, the reviewers our readers to about 200 book titles each and literary critics must remain commit- Design and Production year. ted. Serious readers will not usually be Stephanie Ratcliffe When The Atlanta Journal- wooed by a handful of gossipy, self-serv- Constitution recently eliminated its book ing book “commentators.” Advertising review editor, shouts of protest arose from No one denies the Internet is here to Julia Sosa the National Book Critics Circle. Recent stay, and members of the N.B.C.C. cutbacks have occurred at other national applaud the electronic opportunities for newspapers as well, including The Los intelligent dialogue. The editor of Library 106 West 56th Street Angeles Times, The Raleigh News and Journal, Francine Fialkoff, noted in New York, NY 10019-3803 Observer and The Chicago Tribune. This “Critical Mass” this spring that “the Ph: 212-581-4640; Fax: 212-399-3596. shrinking coverage gives opportunity to venues for discussion may be changing, E-mail: [email protected]; bloggers and online “reviewers” to pick up but the need for them all remains. [email protected]. the slack. And they do. Whatever the outcome at the Atlanta- Web site: www.americamagazine.org. Michael Dirda, a Pulitzer Prize-win- Journal Constitution and elsewhere,” she Customer Service: 1-800-627-9533. ning book critic for The Washington Post concludes, “the N.B.C.C. campaign to © 2007 America Press, Inc. commented in April on N.B.C.C.’s Web save book sections in newspapers is a win- site: “If you were an author, would you win for us all.” want your book reviewed in The Still, we as a nation and especially we Washington Post and the New York print journalists and editors have a moral Review of Books, or on a website written obligation to foster literacy and promote by someone who uses the moniker intelligent reading. Maybe “the battle of Cover Joe Sherman, M.D., is pictured in a NovelGobbler or Biogafriend?” While the books” should be a unified rally of rural area near Cochabamba, Bolivia, that remark is a bit over the top, literary this nation’s readers, writers, publishers where he and his wife serve with critics would agree with Dirda’s overall and literati—a people’s “campaign,” so to Maryknoll Lay Missioners. Photo cour- assessment of the book review section as speak. Patricia A. Kossmann tesy of Maryknoll. www.americamagazine.org Vol. 197 No. 3, Whole No. 4781 July 30 - August 6, 2007 Articles 25 The New, Lay Face of Missionaries 12 Vincent Gragnani As the number of priests and religious in ministry around the globe declines, the number of lay people doing mission work increases. Accessible Holiness 20 William J. O’Malley Jesus loves imperfect people. On that score, all of us qualify. Current Comment 4 20 Editorial Food Stamps 5 Signs of the Times 6 Life in the 00’s 9 Newark Remembers Terry Golway Of Other Things 25 A Partner for the Pastor Thomas P. Sweetser Faith in Focus 28 Our Mother’s Funeral Dennis M. Linehan Book Reviews 30 Nuns; The Permanent Diaconate; A Day Apart Poem 34 Job Bonnie Thurston Letters 37 The Word 38 The Rich Fool; Faith and Hope Daniel J. Harrington Current Comment notion he advanced that scientific advice is free from all Stiff Upper Lip taint of ideology is but the conventional wisdom of one The British are famous for their steadiness in the midst of party in the culture wars. From Leonardo da Vinci to crisis. Londoners had their finest hour as they endured the Robert Oppenheimer, scientists have won their fortunes blitz in 1940 with the proverbial stiff upper lip. Over the and their reputations in the military’s employ. past three decades they endured numerous terrorist bomb- As Peter Quinn explained in a recent Commonweal ings by the I.R.A. and the assassination of Lord Louis article (3/9), Darwinism spawned racism. Geneticists once Mountbatten, a patriarch of the royal family, without backed eugenic sterilization of the retarded, and demogra- panic. So it was no surprise that after two attempted phers have promoted compulsory population control for bombings in Trafalgar Square and a third at Glasgow the poor. Sound public policy involves values as well as the Airport in late June, in what is being called the doctors’ data that advocates present as scientific findings. Science plot, the Brits and the Scots went calmly about their busi- literacy requires knowing the difference. In the areas of ness. sexuality and reproduction, with which Dr. Carmona was What might have been a surprise for Americans particularly concerned, the intermingling of the two is addicted to the news as the theater of crisis was Prime unavoidable. Unfortunately, in postmodern American cul- Minister Gordon Brown’s first “Prime Minister’s Time” in ture, science policy is seldom informed by a searching phi- the House of Commons on July 2. Mr. Brown eschewed losophy, so setting the policy is left to hardball politics, playing to emotions stirred by the terror attempts to pre- whether of the judicial or executive variety. sent instead a detailed plan for updating British democra- cy. His plan would make the executive more accountable to Parliament and Parliament to the people, and would ask the people to be more responsible for their own affairs. He Vanishing Birds also invited Britain to adopt a bill of rights and a system of Many varieties of birds in the United States have been checks and balances that would curb government incursion falling in number over the past few decades. In a June into lives of its citizens. Americans—politicians, the public report, the Audubon Society pointed out that since 1967, and the media—have a lot to learn from Mr. Brown’s per- the total bird population has dropped by 67 percent. formance about how not to feed feelings of fright for the Certain individual species, the report notes, “nosedived as sake of heightened sensation. Following the recent series much as 80 percent.” Over the past half-century, farmland of attacks that may be linked to Al Qaeda, the prime min- birds like the meadowlark, for example, have suffered the ister refused to use the phrase “war on terror,” and he effects of suburban sprawl, industrial development, intensi- insists that fighting terrorism will be a matter of conven- fied farming practices and logging. Similarly, tundra- tional police, intelligence, community relations and diplo- breeding birds are experiencing the destruction of their matic work.