BOOK: The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston's Catholic Culture

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MarcoPolo said:
Has anyone read The Faithful Departed: The Collapse of Boston’s Catholic Culture by Phil Lawler?

I was curious…I submitted an article to him back in 2002 on this subject…they didn’t publish it, but he was encouraging to me as to what I wrote. :o

Anyone from Boston who can attest to any of this also?
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Hi,

My husband and I are currently reading this book. I grew up in the Archdiocese of Boston, was confirmed by Cardinal Cushing and have been fascinated by what Lawler is saying. I absolutely believe it. Catholics were discriminated against and wanted to assimilate; Catholic leaders played politics, watered down what they taught about Catholic doctrine, and much was lost in the process.

I personally know of three priests involved in the clergy sex scandal - two of them were in my parish at the same time, and the third was the officiant at my sister’s wedding (maybe that’s why it didn’t take!)

I’ll feel better qualified to comment when I’ve finished the book. It is eye opening and, sadly, right on the mark, as near as I can tell.
 
I recently saw some ordination statistics for Boston. I think they may have been from a review of that book.

When Cardinal Cushing took over they were ordaining 50 a year. He set a goal to be the first diocese to ordain 100 in a year. By the 60’s he had reached 80. Last year they ordained 5.
 
dixieagle said:
I’ll feel better qualified to comment when I’ve finished the book. It is eye opening and, sadly, right on the mark, as near as I can tell.
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Thanks Dixie…do let me know what you think when you finish it. Either post here or PM me. I have read a few of his articles in Catholic World Report, for which Lawler was (and maybe he still is) editor. He was always on-point. His email to me back then was very charitable and he seems quite intelligent. So it’s nice to hear what you said about his book. Thanks!
 
Bump.

Anyone read this yet?.. in light of the Pope’s recent comments, I thought it was a contemporary thread. 😃
 
I’m reading it now. Very good. Well researched and quite readable.
 
This is the first I have heard of it, but it sounds like it would be an interesting read.
Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B
 
I intend to pick it up this weekend and read it, I was looking at it in Borders last week.

I also grew up in the Archdiocese of Boston and attended 2 parochial High Schools in Boston in the late 70s and early 80s.
 
God save all here.

I was just wondering, since we have several Bostonians commenting here, what is your opinion of Cardinal O’Connell (Cardinal Cushing’s predecessor)? I admire his militancy and uncompromising zeal for the Church. Imagine the chutzpah of making a speech like “The Puritans Have Passed” in the middle of Boston! Do you favor his approach or that of Cardinal Cushing, who seemed to become more liberal and ecumenical as time went on? It seems to me that Cardinal O’Connell set the stage for Cardinal Cushing’s successes with vocations, whereas Cardinal Cushing’s reign was followed by the kind of decay referred to in the book. Do I have this wrong?
 
SanJudas said:
God save all here.

I was just wondering, since we have several Bostonians commenting here, what is your opinion of Cardinal O’Connell (Cardinal Cushing’s predecessor)? I admire his militancy and uncompromising zeal for the Church. Imagine the chutzpah of making a speech like “The Puritans Have Passed” in the middle of Boston! Do you favor his approach or that of Cardinal Cushing, who seemed to become more liberal and ecumenical as time went on? It seems to me that Cardinal O’Connell set the stage for Cardinal Cushing’s successes with vocations, whereas Cardinal Cushing’s reign was followed by the kind of decay referred to in the book. Do I have this wrong?
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I picked up the book last night and began reading. While I go through the book I’ll be pestering my parents to get their perspective. They are lifelong devout Catholics, they’ll have a good perspective.

From my experience growing up I’m not at all surprised by the implosion. All I can recall is Cardinal Medieros, he didn’t leave an impression on me either positive or negative. What I can tell you while I was growing up things in the archdiocise were crazy, really crazy (lax and liberal). This is part of the reason why I checked out from Catholicism until very recently.

I’ve recently returned to the Catholic Church and am happy to be back, saddened by the current state of affairs but hope to make a positive impact in the rebulding process. I would like to see a return to Absolute Truth.
 
whizkid43 said:
I’ve recently returned to the Catholic Church and am happy to be back, saddened by the current state of affairs but hope to make a positive impact in the rebulding process. I would like to see a return to Absolute Truth.
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Welcome back! The more the merrier who want to advance the Truth embodied in the Church!! 🙂
 
Ok I’ve now finished the book, I thought it was great, connected some neurons that I haven’t been to in a while, especially the chapter on busing. [The books needs one more round of editing].

I was one of those kids that transitioned from public to parochial schools when busing hit, I was in 6th grade at the time. In fact, in my neighborhood, anybody that had the means immediately transitioned to Catholic schools (so much for Cardial Medirois quota idea). At that time transitioning to Catholic schools was the only way to get an education, the Boston public schools were, and for the most part still are, a train wreck.

There was a lot of talk about the Boston Globe in the book, I personally feel nothing but contempt for the Boston Globe, The potrayal is pretty accurate. There’s a pretty conservative talk radio station here in Boston that attracts a lot of the Catholics, me being one of them that I hope organizes us into a unified voting block.

Right now we,Catholics in Archdiocise of Boston, need leadership. In my abscence from the Catholic Church I switched to an Evangelical Church, the Evangelical Churches in the Boston suburbs ae 50%+ former Catholics and these churches target Catholics as the “unchurched”.

There appears to be some programs on the horizon and I am hopeful that the siutuation improcves. I fully expect it will in time. This is not the first time in history the Catholic Church has had a crisis like this but it will prevail.

The last chapter was excellent and I’ll state again I am hopeful.
 
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