Profiles reveal tension between conscience and authority

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SALT LAKE CITY — "The task of remaining within the Church today is a difficult one for me," Catherine Wolff confesses in the introduction to the new collection of essays she edited. "I am continuously appalled by the behavior of many of those who claim authority over me and over the practice of my faith.... I yearn for other spiritual leaders."

Having grown up Catholic, Wolff was familiar with many stories of the saints. Rather than turn to them for direction, however, she asked modern-day Catholic writers – including her husband, Tobias Wolff –for essays about people who have inspired them. The result is "Not Less Than Everything: Catholic Writers on Heroes of Conscience from Joan of Arc to Oscar Romero" (HarperOne, 2013.)

Not all of those profiled are saints; some weren’t even Catholic. Nevertheless, "many of these official or unofficial saints have been in situations similar to our own in Church history," Wolff writes. "They have spoken or acted in ways that challenged the prevailing authorities, knowing they risked reputation, livelihood, sometimes their heads – all while remaining faithful. How did they do it? ... And most important, what can they teach us?"

The 26 essays in the book range from first-person accounts to pure biographies, with many familiar subjects but also some who many readers may never have heard of. Nevertheless, each of the subjects in some way struggled: Sister Corita Kent was seen as a "threat to order" and heavily censured by the Church hierarchy in the 1960s, Henry Bartel struggled as a missionary in China in the early part of the last century, several of the priests featured were rebuked for their stand against Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae."

The essays are arranged alphabetically by author. Many are inspiring; Wolff said she herself was particularly struck by the story of Mother Mary MacKillop, the Australian nun who in the late 1800s founded the order of Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart. After protesting the sexual abuse of children by a local priest, she was excommunicated by her local bishop for insubordination, although he revoked the punishment not long after. Mother MacKillop continued her work; she died in 1909 and was canonized in 2010.

"My lord, did she persevere!" Wolff said in a March 4 interview. "And I think that’s a real lesson, not only to people who feel as though they do have a point to make or a way to live that they think is fully in line with the Gospel, that they do need to persevere. But I also think that the Church needs to learn to – very cautiously and carefully – to accommodate dissent."

For devout Catholics, one of the most troubling essays in the book may be the first one, by Tom Beaudoin on Ignatius of Loyola. Beaudoin, associate professor of theology in the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University, acknowledges the positive impact Ignatius’ "Spiritual Exercises" and philosophy had on him, but "to keep growing, I had to leave, to twist away from the Catholic Church," he writes.

The other essayists were inspired by their subjects. Ann Patchett tells of accompanying Charles Strobel, a parish priest who founded an ecumenical ministry to the homeless in Tennessee.

Wolff said she, too, was very moved by Strobel’s story. "There are so many quiet people out there just plugging along... [He’s] living out the faith on the ground."

As a whole, the essays form an affirmation of the faith. They are stories of various people who, in many different ways throughout the history of the Church, were willing to say ‘I know that I’m right, and they’re telling me that I’m wrong, but I’m going to stay with the institution anyway.’

While editing the book, Wolff said, she realized that Catholics struggling within the institutional context of the Church "is really the tradition. It’s always been going on. I think at this point we need to learn more about that so that we can provide for a creative tension and a real respectful conversation in the Church."

Toward that end, Catherine Wolff and her husband, Tobias Wolff, have been among the panelists during discussions about the theme of the book. One of those panels is scheduled for March 19 in Salt Lake City.

The tension between authority and conscience plays out in many fields of life, not just the Church, Wolff said. "People are very eager to take this up and talk about the business community or the medical community or whatever. It’s very interesting how quickly it tends to translate for people. Our experience with panel is that people really want to talk about this and they don’t have a venue to do so in."

WHAT: Catherine Wolff and Tobias Wolff will lead a panel discussion on the theme: holding fast to faith/principles while at odds with the authority of the institution in which one is embedded. Other panelists include Margaret Battin, University of Utah philosophy professor; and Samuel Brown, author of "In Heaven as It Is on Earth: Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death."

WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, 7 p.m.

WHERE: The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 South 1500 East, SLC