The Commonweal Podcast: Recent Episodes
Commonweal Magazine
Conversations at the intersection of politics, religion, and culture: Commonweal Magazine editor Dominic Preziosi hosts The Commonweal Podcast, a regular compendium of in-depth interviews, discussions, and profiles presented by Commonweal’s editors and contributors.
John McPhee is widely regarded as America’s most prolific nonfiction author. Over a career spanning seven decades, McPhee has written more than thirty books, elucidating everything from shipping and boatbuilding to geology, engineering, and aviation. On this episode, McPhee joins contributing writer Tony Domestico to discuss his latest book, Tabula Rasa, Vol. I, a series of short vignettes about “desk drawer projects”—pieces that McPhee started, but never finished. McPhee stresses that when it comes to good writing, authorial ego must be put aside. Instead, it’s the work—the writing process and the humble attention to the subject—that matters. For further reading:
Dominic Preziosi on whether parking explains the world
Morten Høi Jensen on the writing life of Martin Amis
The latest from Tony Domestico’s books column
Religious life stands in radical opposition to much of modern culture. But what is it, exactly? On this episode, philosopher Zena Hitz speaks with senior editor Matt Boudway about her new book on religious life—a crucial part of the Catholic Church, and one that remains poorly understood. Religious life is not primarily about what you give up, Hitz explains. Rather, it’s a way of orienting your whole self around a single purpose: loving God, and serving God’s people. For further reading:
Zena Hitz on renunciation and happiness
Jonathan Malesic visits a desert monastery
Regina Munch farms with lay Catholics
The border is a place, but it is also a metaphor: for our complicated personal identities and political allegiances, and for the moral claims made on us by those born on the other side. On this episode, interpreter and activist Alejandra Oliva, author of Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration, shares insights from her work with asylum seekers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Plus, in anticipation of Commonweal’s upcoming centennial, Nicole-Ann Lobo offers a short reflection on the Christian socialism of the late Dominican priest Herbert McCabe. For further reading:
A photo essay featuring asylum seekers in Piedras Negras
A dispatch from Casa Alitas in Tucson
Herbert McCabe’s essay on priesthood and revolution
Though you’ve probably never heard of him, book editor Eugene Exman (1900–1975) exerted tremendous influence on the shape of American religion in the twentieth century. On this episode, special projects editor Miles Doyle speaks with Stephen Prothero, author of the new Exman biography God the Bestseller: How One Editor Transformed American Religion One Book at a Time. Prothero explains how Exman’s relationships with religious leaders like Dorothy Day, Harold Thurman, and Martin Luther King, Jr. helped shift American religious discourse away from denominational boundaries and toward a more personal, individual experience of God. For further reading:
Dorothy Day’s collected writing for Commonweal
Gary Dorrien on Martin Luther King’s theological mentors
Gordon Marino reviews a biography of William James
What should philosophy do? Despite record numbers of practitioners, today the discipline is in crisis, awash in abstraction and increasingly isolated—even within the academy.
But there’s a way out, argues veteran philosopher Philip Kitcher. It starts with attending to the ordinary concerns of human life, then illuminating them with clear, rigorous thought.
On this episode, Kitcher speaks with Commonweal features editor Alex Stern about Kitcher’s most recent book, What’s the Use of Philosophy?
Plus, in anticipation of Commonweal’s centennial in 2024, we’re featuring a special segment by contributor Kate Lucky on author Marilynne Robinson’s understanding of “true community.”
For further reading:
A collection of pieces by Gary Gutting
Alex Stern on Walter Benjamin and democracy
Marilynne Robinson on imagination & community
At first glance, John West’s Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery is an unconventional memoir about addiction and the healing power of community.
But it also addresses the challenges of belief today, when almost everything—the nation, religious institutions, the environment—appears on the verge of collapse.
On this episode, West speaks with associate editor Griffin Oleynick about the paradoxes of autobiographical narrative, grief and loss, and the power of art. For further reading:
Mollie Wilson O’Reilly on Mary Karr’s Lit
Matthew Sitman interviews Marilynne Robinson
Terry Eagleton on the philosophy of Wittgenstein
In the aftermath of the midterm elections, political experts and the media are once again trying to make sense of the choices that Latino voters made at the ballot box.
On this episode, editor Dominic Preziosi is joined by Eli Valentin, a contributing columnist at Gotham Gazette and frequent political analyst for Univision New York, who says that much of that analysis misses the mark.
Valentin doesn’t just highlight the myths about Latino voters that need debunking. As a former pastor attuned to how beliefs shape elections, he suggests that a new “political pastoral theological agenda” could help many more voters, not just Latinos, think differently about their decisions at the polls.
For further reading:
“Sweet Home Hialeah,” César J. Baldelomar
“The Complicated Case of Hispanic Voters,” Brandon Sanchez
“Who Will Save the Bronx,” Eileen Markey
Women who cross the border to perform care work for American families—cleaning their homes, running their errands, and raising their kids—number among the most hidden and undervalued laborers in our society. Too often, their voices go unheard.
On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Regina Munch speaks with Elizabeth Cummins Muñoz, a lecturer at Rice University and author of Mothercoin: The Stories of Immigrant Nannies.
Cummins Muñoz points out that while these workers don't see themselves as “victims,” the conflict between providing care and being paid to do it—sometimes at the expense of one's own family—can be devastating.
For further reading:
“The Empowerment Trap,” Emma McDonald
“Putting Ourselves Together Again,” Rebecca Bratten Weiss
“The Feminist Wife,” Kate Lucky
It’s no secret that access to affordable housing in America is increasingly out of reach. Activists in the growing YIMBY (“Yes In My Back Yard”) movement believe they have a solution: build more of everything.
On this episode, associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with Max Holleran, a sociologist at the University of Melbourne in Australia and author of Yes to the City: Millennials and the Fight for Affordable Housing, a detailed study of the YIMBYs.
The YIMBYs’ push for new construction, Holleran argues, won’t entirely solve the problem of housing affordability. To do that, we must not only re-invest in alternatives like community land trusts, but also continue fighting for higher wages and greater income equality.
For further reading:
“Making the Rent,” The Editors
“The Bay Area’s Infinite Loop,” Kaya Oakes
“Poverty and Profit in the American City,” Frank Pasquale
It’s no secret that the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Less well known, though, is what actually takes place within prison walls.
On this episode, Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi speaks with veteran journalist Bill Keller, founder of the Marshall Project and author of the new book What’s Prison For? Punishment and Rehabilitation in the Age of Mass Incarceration.
Having spent years immersed in prisons as a reporter and teacher, Keller offers a blunt indictment of our broken prison system, while also pointing out real possibilities for reform.
For further reading:
“The Purposes of Punishment,” Derek Jeffreys
“Carceral Aesthetics,” Griffin Oleynick
“Waking the Giants,” Regina Munch
For many Catholic women experiencing infertility, the Church has not been a welcoming, listening place—and that’s something that needs to change.
On this episode, associate editor Regina Munch speaks with Emma McDonald, a doctoral candidate at Boston College who has researched the issue extensively through a series of ethnographic interviews with Catholic women, doctors, and clinicians.
McDonald argues that synodal dialogue alone is inadequate for confronting the Church’s culture of silence around infertility. What’s need is real structural reform based on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
For further reading:
“Listening to the Laity,” Emma McDonald
“Finding Our Way,” Ellen Koneck
“Making Pregnancy Safer,” Jessica Keating Floyd
Ancient monks entered the desert wilds of Egypt and the Holy Land in search of solitude and silence. What they found instead was a rich sonic landscape replete with melody, cacophony, and deep spiritual resonance. On this episode, associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with Kim Haines-Eitzen, professor of religious studies at Cornell, about her new book, Sonorous Desert: What Deep Listening Taught Early Christian Monks—And What It Can Teach Us.
Haines-Eitzen’s project, which includes field recordings made in the deserts of the Middle East and the American Southwest, shows us how the ancient monks’ attentiveness to sound can help us slow down and better connect with ourselves and our communities.
For further reading:
“Taming the Demon,” Jonathan Malesic
“Silence in the City,” Kaya Oakes
“Opening to the World,” Luke Timothy Johnson
Intractable racism, increasing inequality, and intensifying climate change—for author and environmental activist Bill McKibben, these are some of the legacies wrought by the growth of American suburbs during the past forty years.
On this episode, McKibben joins Commonweal associate editor Griffin Oleynick to speak about his new memoir, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon, which identifies the 1970s as the pivotal decade that marked a definitive shift toward individualism.
Our problems are real, but not insurmountable, McKibben argues. Our situation can be improved by organizing for change, and reclaiming American symbols of patriotism, faith, and fairness.
For further reading:
“Tears & Ashes,” Vincent Miller
“Beyond Growth,” Max Foley-Keene
“At Our Mercy,” Elizabeth Johnson
For most of its history, the Catholic Church clung to a deep skepticism concerning the legitimacy of democracy.
But that all changed during the twentieth century, explains Notre Dame historian and longtime Commonweal contributor John McGreevy.
On this episode McGreevy talks with Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi about how that unlikely shift occurred, and offers suggestions for how the Church can help bolster our wavering faith in democracy today.
For further reading:
“‘Natural Enemies’ No More,” John McGreevy
“Sturzo in Exile,” Massimo Faggioli
“Radical, Moderate, & Necessary,” E.J. Dionne, Jr.
One quality of a Catholic poet is a heightened capacity to see—not just into the future, but into the past as well.
On this episode, poet Paul Mariani speaks with Commonweal contributor Anthony Domestico about his latest collection, All That Will Be New.
Their discussion touches on a number of topics, including Mariani’s working-class upbringing in New York City, his love of the American idiom of William Carlos Williams, and the spirituality embedded in visual art.
For further reading:
“Broken Beauty,” Paul Mariani
“Inscape, Instress & Distress,” Anthony Domestico
“Elegy for Our 130-Year-Old Catalpa,” Paul Mariani
In the American Church today, few figures are as outspoken about the need for Catholics to treat LGBTQ people with love, respect, and compassion as Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin.
Martin is also the subject of a new documentary, Building a Bridge, which offers a close look at Martin’s LGBTQ ministry—from its origins after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando in 2016, to Martin’s meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2019.
On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Griffin Oleynick speaks with Fr. Martin and filmmaker Evan Mascagni about the film.
For further reading:
“Still Beloved,” Robert Fieseler
‘Gender, Sex, and Other Nonsense,” Dan Walden
‘Necessary Affirmation,’ Jason Steidl
‘Facing Down the Wolf,’ James Alison
Few living writers speak as eloquently and incisively about the terrible contradictions of armed conflict as Marine Corps veteran and award-winning author Phil Klay.
On this episode, Klay joins Commonweal senior editor Matt Boudway to discuss his new book Uncertain Ground: Citizenship in an Age of Endless War, a collection of essays, journalism, and other nonfiction written over the past ten years.
Their conversation touches on a number of topics, including war and religious faith, the complex reintegration of returning soldiers, and the deceptive political rhetoric that surrounds and shrouds modern combat.
For further reading:
“A Whip of Cords,” Phil Klay
“War & Penance,” Philip G. Porter
“The Paradoxes of Deterrence,” Bernard G. Prusak
It’s been just over a week since Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion appearing to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to the press.
On this episode, Commonweal editor-at-large Mollie Wilson O’Reilly and theologian Natalia Imperatori-Lee share their initial reactions to the news.
In addition to pointing out the potentially damaging consequences of reversing Roe, they also highlight the complex realities of women’s reproductive health, discuss their experiences as mothers, and identify what a true “culture of life” might look like.
For further reading:
“When Abortion Isn’t Abortion,” Mollie Wilson O’Reilly
“When Timing Is Paramount,” Peter Steinfels
“My Two Abortions,” Anonymous
On April 19, Mallory McMorrow, Democratic State Senator of Michigan, delivered a speech in the chamber of the Michigan State Capitol. It instantly struck a chord on social media, and has since been viewed by millions of people throughout the world.
Pushing back forcefully against a Republican colleague’s accusations of “grooming and sexualizing children” as well as defending her support of LGBTQ people, McMorrow cited her Christian faith—and in particular her Catholic upbringing—as an inspiration for her political outlook and her insistence on taking the side of the marginalized.
On this episode, McMorrow speaks with Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi about what went into writing that speech, what she hopes listeners will take from it, and what role she hopes a renewed, nuanced understanding of faith might yet play in public life.
For further reading:
‘Let Church Be Church Again,’ Sr. Carol Keehan, DC
‘American Politics & Social Catholicism,’ E.J. Dionne, Jr.
‘Civic Virtue & the Common Good,’ Bishop Robert W. McElroy, John T. McGreevy, Cathleen Kaveny, and Matthew Sitman
As the #MeToo movement was unfolding, Washington Post columnist Christine Emba began asking questions about the broader health of American sexual culture.
On this episode, Emba speaks with Commonweal contributing writer and Christianity Today editor Kate Lucky about the findings presented in her new book, Rethinking Sex: A Provocation.
Our contemporary understanding of sexual consent, Emba argues, is not enough to ground our sexual ethics. For that, we need to recuperate traditional virtues like patience, care, and restraint.
For further reading:
‘Finding Our Way,’ Ellen B. Koneck
‘The Feminist Wife,’ Kate Lucky
‘Clearing the Field,’ B.D. McClay
While the humanitarian costs of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to make headlines, the war also reveals contemporary religious concerns around global Orthodoxy and Vatican diplomacy.
On this episode, we speak with two guests: George Demacopoulos, professor of Orthodox Christian Studies at Fordham University, and Paul Elie, New Yorker staff writer and longtime Commonweal contributor.
Demacopoulos frames the fiery rhetoric of Moscow’s Patriarch Kirill, who has called the invasion a “holy war,” while Elie takes Pope Francis to task for not denouncing Vladimir Putin more forcefully.
For further reading:
‘From Complacency to Clear Condemnation,’ George Demacopoulos
‘The Pope, the Patriarchs, and the Battle to Save Ukraine,’ Paul Elie in the New Yorker
‘Clarity & Consequences,’ The Editors
It’s been three weeks since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky continues to plead for Western aid, the situation in his country is deteriorating as the Russian army bombards cities, hospitals, evacuation routes, and other civilian targets. How did we get here? And which historical parallels can shed light on what’s happening now in Ukraine? On this special episode, historian John Connelly, professor of history at UC Berkeley and an expert on east central Europe, shares his insights. For further reading:
“What Makes Ukraine Different,” John Connelly
“Putin’s Apocalyptic Goals,” Piotr H. Kosicki
“The Orthodox Response to Putin’s Invasion,” George E. Demacopoulos
Why haven’t Catholic colleges and universities in the United States more urgently engaged Pope Francis’s repeated calls to practice “synodality”?
After all, these centers of intellectual development and social change are crucial in getting younger Catholics to care about the future of the Church.
On this episode, we’re featuring a series of conversations with three experts on the current state of the synod and American Catholic higher education: Massimo Faggioli of Villanova University, Micah Kiel of St. Ambrose University, and Amirah Orozco of Dominican University.
For further reading
‘Unexcused Absence,’ Massimo Faggioli
‘Catholic Colleges & the Synod,’ Micah Kiel
‘Learning from Las Hermanas,’ Amirah Orozco
‘Speak Boldly, Listen Carefully,’ Austen Ivereigh
Shortly before the death of her father, New Yorker staff writer Kathryn Schulz met the woman she would marry. These opposite experiences prompted Schulz to reflect on the ways in which they’re joined.
On this episode, Schulz joins Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico for a wide-ranging conversation about her new memoir, Lost & Found.
Our humanity, Schulz argues, guarantees that we’ll eventually lose the ones we love. But it’s their very finitude that makes them worth loving.
What do scholars do, exactly? Which virtues does a life of scholarship require?
On this episode, longtime Commonweal contributor and renowned New Testament scholar Luke Timothy Johnson speaks with editor Dominic Preziosi about his lifelong intellectual journey.
One of the keys to being a good scholar (and a good Christian) Johnson argues, isn’t simply discipline and fortitude, but imagination and humility.
Read more from Luke Timothy Johnson
“Opening to the World”
“How a Monk Learns Mercy”
“The Commonweal Catholic”
Since the pandemic began, large numbers of Americans working in diverse fields have reported increased levels of burnout and exhaustion.
But the phenomenon of burnout is nothing new, argues frequent Commonweal contributor Jonathan Malesic. The problem has been with us for decades, a consequence of the increasingly blurry lines between our professional and personal lives.
On this episode, Malesic speaks with Commonweal managing editor Katie Daniels about his new book The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives. If we want to combat burnout, he says, we first need to agree on a definition.
Read Jonathan Malesic’s Commonweal essays here:
A Burnt-Out Case
Taming the Demon
Drinking Alone
The pandemic has forced many of us to rethink our answers to some of life’s deepest questions: How should we treat other people? Should we practice a religion? Does it matter what we believe? What would make our lives meaningful?
Thankfully, we’re not alone. Virtue ethics, as Notre Dame’s Meghan Sullivan and Paul Blaschko contend, offers a method for reasoning about, and gaining new insights into, these age-old questions.
On this episode, Sullivan and Blaschko join Commonweal assistant editor Griffin Oleynick to discuss insights from their new book The Good Life Method: Reasoning through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning, based on their popular course at Notre Dame.
For further reading:
“Inside the Seminary,” Paul Blaschko
“The Problem with Lazarus,” Meghan Sullivan
“Highbrow Self-Help,” Charles McNamara
“Should Philosophy Retire?”, George Scialabba
It’s our favorite time of year here on the Commonweal Podcast.
On this special episode, we revisit four of our best interviews from 2021:
Phil Klay elucidates the complexities of modern warfare. Rita Ferrone explains how Catholic tradition evolves. Alice McDermott tells us what made her decide to become a writer. And Susannah Heschel describes how the spiritual legacy of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, can help us fight for social justice today.
Listen to the full-length interviews here: · ‘War Without End,’ with Phil Klay · ‘The Rite Stuff,’ with Rita Ferrone · ‘Life Sentences,’ with Alice McDermott · ‘Friend of God,’ with Susannah Heschel
When the first pandemic lockdowns began back in March 2020, acclaimed novelist Yiyun Li took to social media with a modest proposal: a communal reading of Leo Tolstoy’s masterpiece War & Peace, complemented by daily reflections and live conversation on Twitter.
Li’s invitation met with a hearty response from readers around the world: hundreds participated in the online book club. Some of their comments, along with Li’s reflections, were published earlier this fall in Tolstoy Together: 85 Days of War & Peace. On this episode, Li joins Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico for a wide-ranging conversation about the project, the pleasures of reading together, and why Tolstoy still matters.
For further reading: · “2021 Books in Review,” Anthony Domestico · “Bracing for Impact,” Cassandra Nelson · “The Zen of Tolstoy,” Christopher Bram
In 1940, a group of armed, anti-Semitic Catholic militants were arrested by the FBI in Brooklyn and charged with plotting to overthrow the U.S. government.
All were members of the Christian Front, a radical rightwing group inspired by Catholic theology and galvanized by the preaching of notorious “radio priest” Fr. Charles Coughlin.
On this episode, we speak with Charles Gallagher, a historian at Boston College and author of the new book The Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten Story of the Christian Front. Gallagher doesn’t just fill a major gap in our understanding of the history of Christian extremism. He tells a story about faith curdling into violence, one that holds important lessons for us today.
For further reading: - “On Anti-Semitism,” Jacques Maritain - “Hitler’s Gospel,” John Connelly - “From Trotsky to Soros,” James J. Sheehan
The November issue of Commonweal featured a special package of stories on Catholic religious communities in the broadest sense of the term, including religious orders, secular institutes, lay ecclesial movements, pious houses, and houses of hospitality.
Despite the variety of communities surveyed, some key themes emerged: the difficulty of adapting to new circumstances, the relationship of community to place, and a sense of hope in the face of precariousness and uncertainty.
On this special podcast episode, we’re joined by editors and writers—including Paul Elie and Kaya Oakes—who helped put that issue together.
Even as political leaders gather in Glasgow to discuss global solutions to climate change, why is it that the most basic facts of climate science still aren’t being taught in classrooms here at home?
On this episode, Commonweal assistant managing editor Isa Simon speaks with Katie Worth, an investigative reporter and author of the forthcoming book Miseducation: How Climate Change Is Taught in America. The problem, as Worth sees it, is that climate change is too often framed as a “debate” rather than an established fact. Her reporting tells the story of how financial and political interests got us here, and what we can do to change it.
The murder of eleven Jews at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue three years ago in October 2018 was the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.
On this episode, journalist Mark Oppenheimer, author of the new book Squirrel Hill: The Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting and The Soul of a Neighborhood, joins Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi for a wide-ranging discussion of the aftermath of that event.
Oppenheimer focuses not on the shooting and the gunman, but rather on the century-old currents of Judaism in Pittsburgh, the variety of religious beliefs and practices visible after the attack, and the resilience of Squirrel Hill.
For further reading: - ‘Death at the Tree of Life,’ Wesley Hill - ‘From Trotsky to Soros,’ James J. Sheehan - ‘The Author and the Expert,’ Tzvi Novick
Six weeks after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, can we really say that America is no longer a country at war?
On this episode, we’re featuring two reflections—one political, the other philosophical—on America’s “forever war.”
Longtime Commonweal contributor and historian Andrew J. Bacevich explains the little-understood Carter Doctrine, and why it needs to go, while fiction writer and Marine Corps veteran Phil Klay asks whether war can ever be considered “humane.”
Both are in conversation with Commonweal senior editor Matt Boudway.
For further reading - “The Forever War Continues,” Andrew J. Bacevich - “Sops to Humanity,” Phil Klay - “An Unwinnable War,” The Editors
Our modern food system and its reliance on industrial farming practices has caused considerable harm in rural communities, breaking up family farms and scarring the environment. That’s a shame, argues journalist Gracy Olmstead, because the legacy of these small farms, and the communities they nurture, could help make life in America fairer and more meaningful.
On this episode, Olmstead joins Commonweal managing editor Katie Daniels for a wide-ranging discussion of her recent book, Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of Places We’ve Left Behind.
For further reading · Yours, Mine, or Ours, by Gracy Olmstead · How Progressives Can Win in Rural America, by Luke Mayville · Seams of Resentment, by Danny R. Kuhn
This July, Pope Francis largely rescinded permission for priests to celebrate the so-called “Extraordinary Form” of the Roman Rite, also known as the Tridentine Mass. The move generated considerable controversy, especially among Catholics in the United States.
On this episode, longtime Commonweal contributing writer Rita Ferrone draws on her extensive knowledge of liturgical history to explain the logic—and in her view, the wisdom—of Francis’s decision.
For further reading: · “A Living Catholic Tradition,” by Rita Ferrone · “The Limits of ‘Traditionis Custodes,’” by Massimo Faggioli · “The Liturgy Wars,” by Paul Baumann
For National Book Award winner Alice McDermott, being a writer is a lot like being a believer. You get used to uncertainty, and become comfortable living in the dark.
On this episode McDermott, a frequent Commonweal contributor, shares a career’s worth of insights on the art of fiction with managing editor Katie Daniels.
She also recounts the moment when she realized she would be a writer, and discusses what a lifetime of working with words has taught her.
For further reading: · Things, Alice McDermott · Confessions of a Reluctant Catholic, Alice McDermott · Nothing to be Done, Mollie Wilson O’Reilly
Commonweal editor-at-large Molly Wilson O’Reilly addresses the U.S. bishops’ misguided approach to President Biden and communion, their missteps in responding to the presidency of Donald Trump, and missed opportunities in ministering to American Catholics during the pandemic. For further reading: · The Real Threat to American Catholicism, Mollie Wilson O’Reilly · Pastors, not Prophets, The Editors · There Ought to Be a Law, Matthew Boudway
Both priest and poet have one vocation: to love.
Few know that as well as Spencer Reece—an accomplished poet, former chaplain to the Episcopal Bishop of Madrid, and now the leader of a diverse parish in Queens, NY.
In conversation with Commonweal contributing writer Anthony Domestico, in this episode Reece speaks about his new memoir, The Secret Gospel of Mark.
For further reading: · Celebration & Lamentation, Anthony Domestico · Uncommon Prayers, Spencer Reece
The life and thought of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972) exerted a profound impact on the history of American religion and social activism.
The subject of a new PBS documentary, Spiritual Audacity, Heschel offered prophetic insights into the nature of God, the meaning of justice, and the necessity of Jewish-Christian dialogue.
On this episode, we discuss the rabbi’s legacy with two guests: Martin Doblmeier, who directed the film, and Professor Susannah Heschel, Rabbi Heschel’s daughter.
For further reading: • ‘Getting Past Supersessionism,’ The Editors • ‘The Call of Transcendence,’ Mary C. Boys • ‘Enough Bromides,’ Thomas Albert Howard
Three months into the Biden presidency, with pandemic restrictions at last beginning to ease, author and New Yorker contributor Paul Elie joins us to talk about the state of American Catholicism today.
In conversation with editor Dominic Preziosi, Elie addresses Joe Biden’s political strategy, the Church’s stance on LGBT unions and women’s ordination, and the legacy of the abuse crisis.
He also highlights the enduring resilience of lay Catholics, who continue to live out their faith in changing and challenging circumstances.
For further reading: - Is the Vatican Finally Ready to Get Serious About Women in the Church? - The Vatican’s Giant Step Backward on Same-Sex Unions - Can Joe Biden Save American Catholicism from the Far Right?
Though often invisible, Islamophobia is still alive in the United States today, from bullying in schools to political scapegoating to violence at houses of worship.
On this episode, we speak with Jordan Denari Duffner, a doctoral student at Georgetown University and author of the new book Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination.
Talking with contributing writer Paul Moses, Denari Duffner explains how Islam nourishes her own faith, and calls on Christians to become better acquainted with their Muslim neighbors.
For further reading: · ‘Enough Bromides,’ Thomas Albert Howard · ‘In the Steps of Father Abraham,’ Paul Moses · ‘No One is a Stranger,’ Jordan Denari Duffner
Nearly one hundred days into Joe Biden’s presidency, the new administration is rethinking American foreign policy on a number of fronts—including relations with Iran.
On this episode, assistant editor Regina Munch speaks with John Ghazvinian, Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present.
Ghazvinian explains that while most Americans are used to thinking of Iran as an adversary, that hasn’t always been the case. A deeper knowledge of the rich history between the two countries would go a long way toward improving diplomatic relations today.
For further reading: - The Paradox of Deterrence, Bernard G. Prusak - A Better Way, The Editors - Christian Iran, Christopher Thornton
Kirstin Valdez Quade’s debut novel The Five Wounds tells the story of a year in the life of a Mexican-American family, chronicling their struggles as they confront teenage pregnancy, unemployment, and addiction.
On this episode, Valdez Quade speaks with Commonweal managing editor Katie Daniels about the value of vulnerability, the religious history of the American southwest, and the importance of empathy in fiction. For further reading: · Hope for Suffering Souls, Valerie Sayers · To Look Closely Is to Love, Kirstin Valdez Quade · Writing into Uncertainty, Dominic Preziosi
PS: “The problem in life is that we need so many epiphanies—one is not enough.”—Kirstin Valdez Quade
Ep. 54 – ‘Tell Me Your Story’
Maria Hinojosa’s nearly thirty-year career as a journalist includes reporting for PBS, CNN, and NPR, as well as anchoring and producing the Peabody Award–winning radio program Latino USA.
She’s also the founder of Futuro Media, an independent nonprofit that provides a platform for people often overlooked by mainstream journalism.
On this episode, Hinojosa speaks with assistant editor Regina Munch about her career in media, her recent memoir, Once I Was You, and her work informing readers and listeners about the changing cultural and political landscape in America.
For further reading: · Refounding Chicago, Milton Javier Bravo · No Longer Peripheral, César J. Baldelomar · Welcoming the Stranger, The Editors
Can we “converse” with God? Why can prayer be so difficult, sometimes even impossible? And is there a right way to do it?
On this episode Fr. James Martin, author of a new book on prayer, shares his thoughts on these questions, but he also takes on a bigger one: why do humans pray at all?
For further reading: · Spring Cleaning, Katherine Lucky · Perpetual Lent, Claudia Avila Cosnahan · Lenten Reflections, a collection
At the start of spring training, with opening day a little more than a month away, it’s time to talk about baseball.
On this episode, theologian Carmen Nanko-Fernández, whose work focuses on the surprising connections between religion, politics, and popular culture, helps us do just that.
Baseball, Nanko-Fernández explains, is much more than a game. That’s especially true along the U.S.-Mexico border, where sports, race, immigration, labor, and politics are all intertwined.
For further reading: · Béisbol, Baseball, & ‘Bad Hombres,’ Carmen Nanko-Fernández · Quit Trying to ‘Fix’ Baseball, Gregory K. Hillis · More than Cricket, Rand Richards Cooper
How does great fiction work? Which techniques enable readers to lose themselves in plots and connect with characters?
On this episode, celebrated novelist and short story writer George Saunders shares the lessons he’s learned from Russian masters like Chekhov and Tolstoy.
The best literary works, Saunders tells Commonweal literary editor Anthony Domestico, are much more than something beautiful or entertaining. Like the liturgy, they’re also a way of loving.
For further reading: · A Kindly Presence of Mind, Anthony Domestico · A Moralist with an Ear, John Garvey · Near Occasion, Dominic Preziosi
What kind of Catholic is Joe Biden? And what prospects does his presidency hold for the bitterly divided U.S. Church?
On this episode, Commonweal associate editor Matt Sitman speaks with contributing writer Massimo Faggioli about his new book, Joe Biden and Catholicism in the United States. This political moment, Faggioli argues, is different from any other. With public institutions in decline and democracy’s survival no longer assured, Biden’s challenge—like that of Pope Francis—is to unite a center than may no longer exist.
For further reading: · Lots of Politics, Little Legitimacy, Massimo Faggioli · The One Missing Fact, Paul Moses · The New Integralists, Timothy Troutner
Can private corporations provide public goods? Can capitalism contribute to movements for social justice?
In her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, Georgetown history professor Marcia Chatelain notes that big companies like McDonald's historically have failed to deliver the social benefits they’d promised.
And as racism and white supremacy remain potent forces in American life—and in the Catholic Church—we should harness our power to care for one another, rather than our power as consumers, to bring real change.
For further reading: · Three Cheers for Socialism, David Bentley Hart · Authentically Black, Truly Catholic, Tia Noelle Pratt · Many and One, Vinson Cunningham
In an interview with Commonweal last spring, Pope Francis called on Catholics to meet “this time of great uncertainty” with creativity and grace.
On this special end-of-year episode, we’re revisiting four of our favorite conversations with Catholics who’ve inspired us to do just that:
- Susan Bigelow Reynolds on changing parish realities - Stephen Hough on accepting his own sexuality - Fr. Bryan Massingale on racism and white supremacy - Ellen Koneck on the spiritual lives of Gen Z We hope you’ll enjoy hearing from them again as much as we have.
Among the things Donald Trump’s presidency will be remembered for is the cruelty of its policies and actions on immigration.
While the incoming Biden administration intends to reverse these measures, we should hardly be complacent. The U.S. immigration system is expressly designed to keep people out.
On this episode, Commonweal contributing writer Paul Moses speaks with attorney and law professor Michael Kagan, author of The Battle to Stay in America: Immigration’s Hidden Front Line, about the illogic of U.S. immigration law, the need for solidarity, and the prospects for reform.
For further reading: - Collateral Damage, by Paul Moses - Trapped at the Border, by Joseph Sorrentino - Progressives Have an Immigration Problem, by Tom Deignan
Sr. Simone Campbell, best known as the executive director of the NETWORK social justice lobby and organizer of the Nuns on the Bus tours, has been involved in political advocacy on behalf of the poor and marginalized for decades. Less familiar, though, are the contemplative practices that ground Sr. Simone’s work—and that she describes in her new book, Hunger for Hope: Prophetic Communities, Contemplation, and the Common Good. Speaking with Commonweal assistant editor Regina Munch, Sr. Simone talks about how the courage to confront our own brokenness can bring about personal and political healing in this fractured moment. For further reading: - Is There a Religious Left? by Kaya Oakes - American Politics and Social Catholicism by E.J. Dionne, Jr. - Griever-in-Chief by Paul Moses & Michael Connor
We all know the story of the “nones,” and the dire statistics about the decline of religious affiliation among young people. But these data hardly tell the whole story.
On this episode, managing editor Katie Daniels speaks with Ellen Koneck, herself a former Commonweal staffer and now head writer and editor at Springtide Research Institute. Their new report, The State of Religion and Young People, invites us to think differently about the religious practices and spiritual aspirations of Gen Z.
Sure, young people are skeptical of institutions and have lower levels of trust in traditional kinds of authority. But they’re also more open than ever to relationships that offer wisdom and support—and that’s exactly where religious leaders can meet them.
For further reading - Further Adrift, Peter Steinfels - Finding Our Way, Ellen Koneck - Under Pressure, John Thornton, Jr.
Could rural America become a hotbed of progressive politics? Luke Mayville, co-founder of the grassroots movement Reclaim Idaho and a lecturer of political philosophy at Boise State University’s Honors College, certainly thinks so. His conviction comes from firsthand experience. In 2018, Mayville helped Idaho become the only predominantly rural state in America to approve Medicaid expansion in a statewide referendum. On this episode, he talks with associate editor Matt Sitman about that campaign, arguing that if we want to pass more progressive legislation, we should put our energies into on-the-ground organizing and local persuasion.
For further reading · Do Something Big, Luke Mayville · Drinking Alone, Jonathan Malesic · Democracy in America?, The Commonweal Editors
We are at a perilous moment in American history, and public Catholicism must rise to the task.
So says E. J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post columnist and Commonweal contributor. He joins Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi to discuss why American Catholicism needs to put aside culture-war rhetoric and return to its rich tradition of social thought—characterized by what he calls “radical moderation”—and how such ideas could play out in the upcoming election and beyond. Suggestions for further reading: · Radical, Moderate, and Necessary, E.J. Dionne Jr. · The Faith of Amy Coney Barrett, Matthew Sitman · Canons & the Candidate, Nicholas P. Cafardi
Modern warfare has become an intensely scattered, depersonalized affair. Violence still rages and traumas proliferate, but often remotely, the carnage hidden from public view. So what’s the best way to write about it? How to convey the horror of armed conflict today?
Few writers do that as well as Phil Klay, who won the National Book Award for his 2014 short story collection, Redeployment, which is based on his experiences as a marine during the Iraq War. His debut novel, Missionaries, expands those insights through the interlocking stories of four characters living in Colombia, Yemen, and the United States.
In conversation with Commonweal critic Anthony Domestico, Klay shares insights into the ways that globalization, capitalism, and technological advances have made warfare both more deadly and less noticeable. A committed Catholic, Klay also discusses the sacramental worldview that undergirds his fiction, in which even death is “charged with the grandeur of God.”
For years, Black churches have worked tirelessly to advance the cause of racial justice in America. In many ways, their white counterparts have done the opposite.
White Christians are not simply complicit in racism and white supremacy, argues scholar Robert P. Jones. They’re actually culpable. Without their deliberate consent, white supremacy in America could never have been built.
That’s a shocking assertion. But citing historical evidence and contemporary survey data, Jones, in conversation with assistant editor Regina Munch, maps the long road white Christians must travel if they hope to ever atone for their sins.
On August third one year ago, a 21-year-old white man from Allen, Texas, drove across the state to a Wal-Mart in El Paso, alongside the Mexican border, where he shot and killed 23 people and injured 23 others, the majority of them Mexican and Mexican-Americans.
The El Paso matanza, or massacre, is considered to be the deadliest anti-Latino attack in U.S. history, and one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
On this two-part episode, we talk with several people from El Paso about that day, about what has transpired in the year that has passed, about how life has and hasn’t changed along the border—politically, culturally, and spiritually.
In part two, we’re joined by Dylan Corbett and Marisa Limón Garza of the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, and by Bishop Mark Seitz of the El Paso Diocese.
For further reading:
Night Will Be No More, Bishop Mark Seitz
Confronting White Supremacy, John Gehring
Injustice at the Border, a collection of Commonweal pieces
Links:
The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States
Hope Border Institute
Black Catholic Theological Symposium
On August third one year ago, a 21-year-old white man from Allen, Texas, drove across the state to a Wal-Mart in El Paso, alongside the Mexican border, where he shot and killed 23 people and injured 23 others, the majority of them Mexican and Mexican-Americans.
The El Paso matanza, or massacre, is considered to be the deadliest anti-Latino attack in U.S. history, and one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
On this two-part episode, we talk with several people from El Paso about that day, about what has transpired in the year that has passed, about how life has and hasn’t changed along the border—politically, culturally, and spiritually.
In part one, we’re joined by Monsignor Arturo Bañuelas, a priest in the diocese of El Paso, and Professor Neomi DeAnda, the current president of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States. Look for part two soon.
For further reading:
Night Will Be No More, Bishop Mark Seitz
Confronting White Supremacy, John Gehring
Injustice at the Border, a collection of Commonweal pieces
Links:
The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States
Hope Border Institute
Black Catholic Theological Symposium
While we may experience moments of clarity and insight in our spiritual lives, more often we face struggles as we try to shed old habits and find new ways of thinking about God.
On this episode, poet Christian Wiman joins us to read and discuss several poems from his new collection, Survival Is a Style. He also shares insights he’s gleaned from his own grappling with faith and doubt, explaining how poetry not only delights us, but helps us become free.
For further reading: · ‘Eight Distillations,” Christian Wiman · Issues of Blood, Christian Wiman · Goaded by Doubt, Paul K. Johnston
Classical pianist and composer Stephen Hough is known as one of the world’s greatest musical performers. He’s also a polymathic writer, with a new book called Rough Ideas. It collects two decades’ worth of short, witty, and perceptive essays, on everything from Lou Reed and Thomas Aquinas to bioethics, sacramentality, and the challenges of living as a gay Catholic. He joins Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi for a discussion about his writing, his art, and his new life during the coronavirus quarantine.
Summer’s here, and we’re reading new books from three writers: Molly McCully Brown, Marie Mutsuki Mockett, and Amy Jo Burns.
Their work falls into different genres: memoir, first-person reporting, and fiction. But they’re linked by an abiding interest in God, communal religious practice, and the strangeness of American life at the margins.
They speak with managing editor Kate Lucky, who also reflects on her time at Commonweal, a place where she has found not just intellectual and literary fellowship but a true sense of community and of “being known.”
For further reading, three Commonweal pieces, all by Kate Lucky:
Wonderfully Made
The Last Shakers
The Feminist Wife
Since the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis nearly two weeks ago, American cities have seen protests over racism and police brutality on an unprecedented scale.
On this episode we speak with Fr. Bryan Massingale, author of Racial Justice and the Catholic Church and professor of theology at Fordham University in New York. Racism persists in America and the church, Massingale contends, because racist policies and structures benefit white people—and white people assent to it through a kind of perverse “liturgy.”
Massingale also tells us what Americans shocked at Floyd’s death, particularly white bystanders, need now: the virtue of courage, motivated by righteous anger. We must move beyond the mere conviction that racism is wrong, and actually begin dismantling it.
For further reading:
Police Brutality & Protest, The Editors
A Sign of Contradiction, Gregory K. Hillis
King & His Mentors, Gary Dorrien
Donald Trump’s election provoked backlash from many people of faith, with religious leaders taking a highly visible role in protesting the administration’s policies. But does the so-called “religious left” really exist?
Indeed, argues religion reporter Jack Jenkins. His new book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country traces the inspiration, dreams, and demands of the clergy and activists that make up this growing “coalition of coalitions.”
Jenkins speaks with Commonweal associate editor Matt Sitman about how the religious left differs from the religious right, the growing influence of Rev. William Barber, and what the Democratic party might do to court religious voters in the upcoming 2020 election.
For further reading · From Catholic Worker to DSA, Gary Dorrien · Reading Buttigieg, James T. Kloppenberg · Three Cheers for Socialism, David Bentley Hart · American Paganism, David Albertson
Even as New York City shows signs of progress, the toll of the coronavirus crisis over the past two months has been high. Hundreds of thousands have been infected, and more than half of the city’s residents say they know someone who’s died from COVID-19.
On this episode, we hear from three different people who’ve been dealing with the impact of the pandemic in New York City: Paul Saunders, a cardiothoracic surgeon in a Brooklyn hospital; Zach Presutti, SJ, founder of a nonprofit serving the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated in the greater New York area; and Fr. Robert Imbelli, a priest living in a retirement community in the Bronx.
Together, they offer a portrait of a city under duress—shaken and afflicted, but not without hope.
Further reading:
Privileged & Vulnerable, Fr. Robert Imbelli
Distance, not Desertion, B.D. McClay
The Coronavirus: A Collection, The Editors
Held in close quarters in crowded detention facilities, prisoners have been disproportionately harmed by the spread of the novel coronavirus. Now they’re turning to the criminal justice system for help.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has taken the lead in responding. He belongs to a new crop of “progressive DAs” fighting to end mass incarceration in favor of fairness, rehabilitation, and community.
In this episode Krasner talks with us about the concrete steps his office has taken so far, and the legal philosophy undergirding them.
In this second special episode on the American parish today, we talk with three writers about their concrete proposals for creating more vibrant, hope-filled parish communities.
Their suggestions are simple: let more people, including women, preach; reach out to LGBTQ Catholics, and learn from their journeys; and finally, help young families and finally, help parents with restless young children in tow make it through Mass by shortening homilies—no more than five minutes please
Plus, the Commonweal staff share thoughts about what our readers most want in parishes: robust social justice ministries, prayerful liturgies, and a sense of home.
Related:
Teaching & Preaching, Natalia M. Imperatori-Lee
Necessary Affirmation, Jason Steidl
Just Five Minutes, Mollie Wilson O’Reilly
The American Parish, By the Numbers
When it comes to the state of the Catholic parish, we tend to focus on the bad news: declining vocations to the priesthood, dwindling congregation sizes, even parochial mergers and closures. For the people in the pews, it’s easy to feel like the Catholic church today is dying.
But that’s not the whole story, and of course as Catholics, we believe in resurrection. On this episode we hear from two of the most knowledgeable, hopeful voices in the American church: Susan Bigelow Reynolds, an expert theologian who studies “lived ecclesiology” at the parochial level, and Fr. Hector Madrigal, pastor of the multi-ethnic and multi-lingual St. Joseph’s Church in Amarillo, Texas.
Together they urge us not to be afraid, suggesting that there’s never been a better time than now to begin the ‘heart’ work of power sharing and ecclesial integration.
And don’t miss the next episode of the Commonweal Podcast, when we’ll be joined by three leading lay Catholics who tell us what parishes could do to be more welcoming to aspiring preachers, families, and LGBTQ Catholics.
Related:
Way Stations for a Pilgrim Church, by Susan Bigelow Reynolds
Look Who’s Here, by Brett C. Hoover
The ‘Heart’ Work, an Interview with Fr. Hector Madrigal
The American Parish Today, By the Numbers
The spread of the coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life across the globe, with major outbreaks occurring in countries like China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, and now the United States. But Hong Kong, an island close to mainland China, has managed to limit the spread of the disease, even as it experiences one of the largest and most sustained mass protest movements in history. In this episode, China expert and social historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author of the new book Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink, joins us for a discussion about what we can learn from the protests. And our spring intern Emily King, herself a Hong Kong native, gives us a feel for the city and explains what the protests mean for young people today. For further reading:
Nicole Ann Lobo, Revolution of Our Times
Nicholas Haggerty, What I Saw During the Protests
The Editors, Desperate Times
How should we understand the current split between so-called “progressives” and “moderates” in the Democratic Party? In the middle of an uncertain primary campaign, where can they find compromise and unity? Longtime Commonweal columnist and political scientist E.J. Dionne, Jr. joins associate editor Matthew Sitman for a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to be a Democrat today. Pointing to Catholic social thought, and in particular the notion of human dignity, Dionne makes the case that there’s a lot both wings of the party can agree on for improving people’s lives. Plus, Phil Klay, winner of the National Book Award for his collection ‘Redeployment’ and co-host of the podcast ‘Manifesto!’ sits down with senior editor Matthew Boudway to talk about the “enfant terrible” of the contemporary French literary scene, Michel Houellebecq.
Though we live in a secular age, we sure seem to like reading about faith.
Poet and reporter Eliza Griswold, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for her book ‘Amity and Prosperity’ and author of the new poetry collection ‘If Men, Then,’ explains how both genres have helped her tell stories that transcend her ego. She talks with us about writing poetry, reporting from conflict zones, and what the secular media get wrong about religious belief today.
Plus, Dominic Preziosi and Matthew Sitman report on the state of the Democratic Primary so far, offering a few prognostications and underscoring the stakes of the 2020 presidential election.
What do billionaires like Betsy DeVos know about running schools?
Absolutely nothing, argues public education expert Diane Ravitch. Since the 1980s, wealthy privatizers have passed themselves off as education “reformers.” But the data reveal that they weaken outcomes for students and thrust public-school teachers into poverty.
Thankfully, there’s hope: in her new book Slaying Goliath Ravitch points to the growing resistance: parents, teachers’ unions, and progressive politicians working together to save the public sphere from the wealthy.
Plus, the editors discuss Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life, a “simple” film that plumbs the depth of Austrian Catholic martyr Franz Jägerstätter’s decision to refuse to sign an oath of loyalty to Adolph Hitler in 1943.
Does capitalism make us bad Christians?
Eugene McCarraher thinks so. His new book, The Enchantments of Mammon, explains how money came to replace God in the modern era, seducing us with false promises of profit maximization. But he hasn’t given up hope. We can reverse our “misenchantment” and return to real abundance: beloved community in a world charged with the glory of God.
Plus, the Commonweal staff gathers for a conversation about “popes on film,” weighing in on The Two Popes, The New Pope, and that infamous pontifical hand-slap.
Proudly LGBT, and proudly Catholic? Many believers are both.
In this episode, journalist Michael O’Loughlin joins associate editor Matt Sitman for a behind-the-scenes conversation about his new podcast series “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS & the Catholic Church,” out now from our friends at America Media.
They discuss the urgency of documenting an understudied period of church history, when priests, nuns, and cardinals in cities like New York and San Francisco responded to the AIDS crisis during the 1980s.
Plus, assistant editors Regina Munch and Griffin Oleynick preview the new “Comment” section of the January issue, praising the rise of “progressive DAs” and decrying the Trump administration’s recent cuts to food stamps.
What is a home? And what happens when old patterns of life break down?
In his new book Savage Gods, British writer and former environmental activist Paul Kingsnorth wrestles with these questions. Contemporary threats to nature, he argues, are indicative of a deeper problem: the crisis of culture and language in the West. He joins Commonweal books columnist Anthony Domestico for a wide-ranging conversation on everything from the writings of Annie Dillard to the practice of Zen Buddhism.
Plus, December at Commonweal means one thing: the publication of our annual Christmas Critics feature. The staff joins Dominic to talk about their favorite books this year.
Native Californian (and Catholic writer) Kaya Oakes stopped by our offices a few weeks ago. She spoke with associate editor Matt Sitman about what it’s like to live, think, and write from her perch at the other end of the country. Noting the utopian thrust of California culture, Oakes explains how religion and spirituality continue to lurk beneath the surface of her state’s supposedly laid-back, secular ethos. Plus, Dominic talks with managing editor Kate Lucky about her new feature on the last living Shakers, now online (and forthcoming in the December issue).
Conversion is never neat and tidy. We like to think of “the new life” as a radical break from the past. But in reality the threads of our prior lives—both good and bad—are woven into our present. Few know this as well as Megan Phelps-Roper, author of the new memoir Unfollow, and a former member of the now-infamous Westboro Baptist Church. She talks with us about her formative early years in that community, as well as her faith journey since, in which she’s discovered spiritual freedom and a growing comfort with uncertainty.
Plus, Dominic and the Commonweal staff chat about the new Fall Books issue, which features a profile of Catholic poet Fanny Howe.
Political power doesn’t just “happen.” It has to be built.
In this episode we speak with Benjamin Francis-Fallon about his new book, The Rise of the Latino Vote. Tracing the decades-long process of organizing among hispanic immigrant communities in the U.S., Francis-Fallon rebuts the myth of Latino voters as the country’s “sleeping giant.” They constitute not a unified political bloc, but a variegated coalition with a diverse array of concrete interests. It’s the grassroots, not the top, that matters.
And members of the Commonweal staff speak about what they witnessed last weekend in El Paso, Texas. There, they participated in the Jornada por la Justicia, a national teach-in and binational action against racism and xenophobia, organized by the Catholic Latinx Leadership Coalition and Hope Border Institute.
Is Catholicism compatible with representative democracy? A twentieth-century Italian priest, Don Luigi Sturzo, certainly thought so. As populism threatens democratic norms across the globe, Massimo Faggioli tells us how Sturzo’s anti-fascist Popular Party empowered lay Catholics to respectfully challenge the hierarchical church as they asserted their right to engage meaningfully in public life. Plus, we speak with Dr. Mike Lovell, president of Marquette University in Milwaukee, about the challenges facing Catholic higher education today: shifting demographics and cost structures, a changing curriculum, and addressing trauma and the mental-health needs of students.
In this episode, we speak with Fr. Anthony Andreassi, principal of Regis High School, the historic Jesuit institution in Manhattan. Fr. Andreassi talks about the school's early twentieth century roots before discussing the challenges faced by Catholic educators today: not just soaring costs and falling enrollment, but also dealing with uncomfortable questions about gender, economic privilege, and the increasingly fractious American culture wars. Plus, our own Matt Sitman critiques the duplicitous rhetoric of ‘national conservatism,’ a growing movement among conservative intellectuals to systematize the disruptive politics of the Trump presidency.
Each day we find ourselves awash in a sea of information. Our social media feeds, newspapers, and cable news bring stories of fresh catastrophe, clouding our memory and our judgment. Fake news might be easy to spot, but where can real wisdom be found? In this episode, we speak with award-winning author Barry Lopez, whose magisterial new book, Horizon, came out earlier this year. A longtime travel writer, Lopez has spent decades living with indigenous peoples. He issues a cautionary word about the dangers of capitalism and climate change, but also points toward the powers of human cooperation and communion with the divine as authentic sources of hope. Plus, our staff explains big changes coming to your mailbox: we've redesigned the print magazine, we're excited to tell you all about what you can look forward to in the new sleeker, longer, monthly Commonweal.
Summer's closing days are upon us. As temperatures cool and the days grow shorter, it's also the best time to hit the beach (or a nice shady grove) with a stack of books. In this episode, Commonweal editors and writers discuss what they've been reading this summer, touching on everything from David Hockney and Robert Caro to Jia Tolentino and Rick Steves. Plus, we speak with Mexican actress Gabriela Cartol, the star of one of this summer's best films, "The Chambermaid." It’s set entirely in a sleek high-rise hotel, and Cartol’s performance is a revelation, lending emotional poignancy and spiritual warmth to the cold world of capitalist exploitation in modern-day Mexico City.
There are some things we'd rather not remember: old wounds, moral lapses, humiliating failures. But there are also things we have a duty to never forget, like historical traumas and present injustices. Cultural critic Lewis Hyde explores this tension—how the hard work of "forgetting" can pave the way to healing and regeneration, touching on Buddhist philosophy, St. Augustine, and Marcel Proust. Plus, the editors challenge the US Bishops to stop mincing words and take concrete action on immigration.
We all want change: in our inner lives, in our friendships, in our politics. But what's the best way to get there? Less, as they say, is often more. In this episode, we introduce a new, leaner format. The editors weigh in on the crowded 2020 Democratic primary field. And California-based writer, teacher, and digital artist Jenny Odell explains the merits of doing nothing, arguing that contemplative leisure holds the key to meaningful activity.
This month, we delve into courtroom dramas and sanctuary spaces. Writer Casey Cep explores our growing fascination with true crime, and reveals Harper Lee's struggle with writer's block. Activist Felix Cepeda roots the sanctuary church movement in the history of Catholic civil disobedience. Plus, the editors discuss HBO's Chernobyl.
Novelist Alice McDermott, a self-described “contrarian Catholic,” speaks about her forays into op-ed writing. Pulitzer-prize winning author Paul Harding expatiates on his love of Karl Barth and the literary qualities of the Bible. Mockingbird Ministries’ David Zahl diagnoses our modern spiritual malaise and our foolhardy quest for “enoughness.”
Alice Quinn is the executive director of the Poetry Society of America, and is on the faculty of the graduate school of Columbia University. She was also the longtime poetry editor of the New Yorker magazine. Here she speaks with our associate editor Matthew Sitman about her work and her life in poetry, including her instrumental role in the beloved program that brought poetry to the New York City subways.
The poet Carolyn Forche is also an editor, translator and human-rights activist. Her most recent book is What You Have Heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness and Resistance. Nicole-Ann Lobo, the Commonweal Garvey Writing Fellow, recently spoke with Carolyn about the memoir, about her experiences during the war in El Salvador, and about what it was like to meet, and receive Communion from, St. Oscar Romero. You can read Nicole-Ann and Carolyn's full interview here.
On this episode, we’re marking National Poetry month by featuring conversations with three wonderful writers. Our associate editor Matthew Sitman talks with Alice Quinn about her work and her time as poetry editor with the New Yorker magazine. Our literary editor Anthony Domestico speaks with Shane McCrae, whose collection "The Gilded Auction Block" has just been published. And Nicole-Ann Lobo, our Garvey Writing Fellow, sits down with the poet and human rights activist Carolyn Forché, to discuss her most recent book "What You Have heard Is True: A Memoir of Witness & Resistance". And make sure to stick around until the end, when our senior editor Matthew Boudway steps in with a special reading of a poem by Les Murray.
Eula Biss is artist-in-residence in the English Department at Northwestern University, where she also teaches creative writing. She’s the author of On Immunity: An Inoculation, which was named one of the 10 Best Books of 2014 by the New York Times Book Review, and of Notes from No Man's Land, a collection of essays that won the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism in 2010. Eula spoke with Commonweal’s assistant editor Griffin Oleynick about the spiritual challenges of racism, the meaning of “whiteness,” and the craft of non-fiction writing.
On this episode, Catholic journalist and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh talks with senior editor Matthew Boudway about the Vatican’s February summit on clerical sex abuse. Eula Biss, author of On Immunity: An Inoculation and No Man’s Land: American Essays, speaks with assistant editor Griffin Oleynick about the spiritual challenges of racism, the meaning of “whiteness,” and the craft of non-fiction writing. Boston College professor Hosffman Ospino explains how new generations of Latino Americans are reshaping notions about “cultural Catholicism” in the U.S. And novelist Kathryn Davis talks with literary editor Anthony Domestico about metaphor, mystery, and pilgrimage in her novel, The Silk Road.
Last winter, we sat down for a conversation with Fran Lebowitz, the writer, speaker, wit, and archetypal New York personality. Here you'll hear an excerpt from that interview, which lasted for more than two hours, in which we discuss the Trump presidency, #MeToo, former President Obama, the contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, and the rapidity of change in New York City.
Dominic Preziosi sat down with Commonweal contributor Massimo Faggioli to get his thoughts about the upcoming bishops’ summit on clerical sex abuse, which gets underway at the Vatican on February 21. Contributor, Paul Moses, speaks with Marie Collins, a former member of Pope Francis's papal commission on clergy sexual abuse, about her experiences and insights on the issue. Associate editor, Matthew Sitman, interviews New Yorker staff writer Vinson Cunningham, and associate publisher Meaghan Ritchey and assistant editor Griffin Oleynick discuss the paintings of Swedish abstractionist Hilma af Klint, whose work is now on exhibit at New York’s Guggenheim Museum.
Peter Steinfels discusses the PA Grand Jury Report, a document he contends is "inaccurate, unfair, and fundamentally misleading" in its characterization of how church officials handled allegations of abuse there. Allan Lichtman, author of The Embattled Vote in America, discusses the complicated history of voting rights in the United States and how the Constitution is actually responsible for many of our current problems. And Commonweal literary columnist Tony Domestico interviews poet Danielle Chapman about everything from metaphysics to John Ashbery to Tennessee and Chicago, with Danielle's poetry read throughout the conversation.
Senior editor Matthew Boudway introduces special feature "Why We Came. Why We Left. Why We Stayed" — with essays by converts, practicing cradle Catholics, and lapsed or ex-Catholics. We speak with three of our contributors: Ross Douthat, Helene Stapinski, and Dorothy Fortenberry. Four editors discuss the books they read in 2018 and recommend to you in our annual Christmas Critics roundup. Plus, a reading of Cassandra Nelson's new essay about the lifeline that the liturgical calendar provides.
Reporter Dan Barry spent more than a decade crisscrossing the United States, chronicling ordinary lives and extraordinary moments for his column in the New York Times, This Land. About a hundred of these standalone dispatches have now been collected in a hardcover book of the same name. Dominic Preziosi talked to Dan about the book and also about the importance of journalism, local and otherwise, and what it’s like to be called an “enemy of the people” by the president of the United States.
The poems in Katie Ford’s fourth collection, If You Have to Go, implore their audience—the divine and the human—for attention, for revelation, and, perhaps above all, for companionship. Our literary columnist Anthony Domestico spoke with Katie recently about the poems in the book, including the sonnet sequence at its heart. It’s a great conversation—and hearing Katie read her work, as you will—really provides a sense of what poetry can do.
Dominic Preziosi and John Gehring wrap-up November's US Bishop's meetings in Baltimore. Our literary columnist Anthony Domestico interviews poet Katie Ford about her new collection If You Have to Go. Dominic Preziosi chats with longtime New York Times writer Dan Barry about his collection of reported essays, This Land. And senior editor Matthew Boudway moderates an exchange on cultural appropriation between contributor Rand Richards Cooper and intern Nicole-Ann Lobo
Meghan O'Gieblyn is the author of Interior States, a new collection of essays on topics like living in what some call "flyover country," contemporary Christian music, and the concept of "hell" and how it is marketed to the masses. Her collection is being hailed by writers such as Lorrie Moore and Daphne Merken; here, Meghan talks about her work and background with managing editor Katherine Lucky.
Emily Ruskovich's debut novel Idaho received wide acclaim in 2017, named a New York Times Editor's Choice Book and The Idaho Book of the Year. Here, she talks with Commonweal contributor Tony Domestico, who described Idaho as "a wondrous novel about the enchanting and terrifying wonders of experience: unexplained and unexplainable actions, the ways in which love can pivot to hate and back again, the strangeness of memory and loss and mercy."
This episode features a conversation between Meghan O'Gieblyn and Katherine Lucky, a pair of young writers whose essays on the life of faith are already receiving acclaim. Editor Dominic Preziosi and Assistant Editor Griffin Oleynick discuss his coverage from the 2018 Synod on Young People at the Vatican. Contributor Anthony Domestico talks to Emily Ruskovich about her 2017 debut novel. And Derek Jeffreys discusses his new book, America's Jails: The Search for Human Dignity in an Age of Mass Incarceration.
Commonweal editor Dominic Preziosi talks with managing editor Katherine Lucky about the power of female rage in this political moment.
Staffers Griffin Oleynick, Nicole-Ann Lobo, and Meaghan Ritchey chat about the recently closed David Wojnarowicz retrospective at The Whitney Museum. Wojnarowicz was a multi-media artist working in NYC from the 1970s through 1992 when he died of AIDS-related complications. According to the exhibition's catalog, his work "documents and illuminates a desperate period of American history...his rightful place is also among the raging and haunting iconoclastic voices."
Julian Revie is a composer of sacred at St. Thomas More, the Catholic Chapel at Yale University. His Composition "Kyrie"—which you can hear in the segment— won the Francesco Siciliani Prize in 2016. In this segment, you'll hear him and assistant editor Griffin Oleynick discuss the process of musical composition, sacred art-making as a vocation, and even the theology behind "Kyrie," the musical setting of the penitential rite at the beginning of the Catholic Mass.
Senior editor Matthew Boudway and Dr. Alan Jacobs discuss Jacobs' new book The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis, in which he recounts how thinkers like Jacques Maritain, T.S. Eliot, Simone Weil, C.S. Lewis, and W.H. Auden understood that their soon-to-be victorious nations weren't culturally or morally prepared for their power and success. Their work sought to articulate a sober critique of their own culture and and outline a plan for spiritual regeneration in a post-war world.
Contributing Editor Paul Moses speaks with Donald Kerwin, the Director of the Center for Migration Studies, about the Trump administration's immigration policies. Moses and Kerwin reflect on these policies in light of Catholic teaching, contextualizing the Holy Family as a refugee family with migrant histories in scripture.
The editors discuss their editorial "Injudicious," on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, subsequent Senate Judiciary hearings with Dr. Ford, and Kavanaugh's conduct therein.
In our third episode, the editors of Commonweal discuss Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court and the subsequent hearing with Dr. Blasey Ford. Contributing writer Paul Moses chats about U.S. immigration policy with Donald Kerwin, Director of the Center for Migration Studies. Senior editor Matthew Boudway and Alan Jacobs discuss his new book, The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis. Assistant editor Griffin Oleynick and Julian Revie, a composer of sacred music at St. Thomas More, the Catholic Chapel at Yale, have a wide-ranging conversation about liturgical music. And Commonweal staffers discuss the David Wojnarowicsz retrospective at The Whitney Museum of American Art.
In our second installment, the Commonweal staff discusses the shape of future podcasts. Matthew Boudway talks with theologian Paul J. Griffiths about Roger Scruton’s latest book and Brexit. Griffin Oleynick sits down with Christine Emba to talk about the issues raised in "A Moral Economy—Faith and the Free Market in an Age of Inequality," a conversation between Cardinal Tobin and Jeffrey Sachs. And Matthew Sitman speaks with Cole Stangler about the populist turn in French politics.
Matthew Sitman interviews Cole Stangler about the recent state of French politics, and what it might suggest about the American political situation.
Griffin Oleynick interviews Christine Emba of the Washington Post about ethics and economics in light of Catholic moral and social teachings.
Matthew Boudway interviews Paul Griffiths about his recent review of Roger Scruton's Where We Are: The State of Britain Now.
Commonweal editors Dominic Preziosi, Matthew Sitman, and Griffin Oleynick speak with Executive Producer Meaghan Ritchey about this new project - why we're doing it, and what we hope the experience will be for you, our listeners.
In our pilot episode, editor Dominic Preziosi interviews Massimo Faggioli and Kathleen Sprows Cummings about recent developments in the sex-abuse crisis, Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell discuss Jonah Goldberg's book Suicide of the West, Anthony Domestico interviews Micheal O'Siadhail about his book The Five Quintets, and several Commonweal staff discuss the recent Alberto Giacometti exhibit at The Guggenheim.
Commonweal staffers discuss the work of Alberto Giacometti, who was recently the subject of a major show at the Guggenheim Museum.
Anthony Domestico interviews poet Michael O'Siadhail, whose book The Five Quintets was published by Baylor University Press in 2018.
Associate Editor Matthew Sitman interviews Sam Adler-Bell, Senior Policy Associate at the Century Foundation, about Jonah Goldberg's Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy.
Editor Dominic Preziosi chats with Commonweal contributor and Villanova Prof. Massimo Faggioli about the controversy raised by the "testimony" of former Nuncio Carlo Mario Viganò and why Francis's response to his allegations is, perhaps, the right one.
Editor Dominic Preziosi talks with Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at Notre Dame, about revelations of sexual abuse and cover-up in six Pennsylvania dioceses and what meaningful reform would require.