Why I Am Still a Catholic

What draws—and binds—thoughtful, educated people to a Church so often criticized by outsiders (and even members) as "authoritarian" or "out of step with the times?" This collection of personal accounts answers that question in diverse, fascinating, and deeply moving ways.

Novelist William Kienzle discusses his years in the seminary, explaining why he eventually left the priesthood—but not the Church. Kathleen Howley reveals how God replaced alcohol in her life, and why the traditional Latin Mass holds so much more appeal than the folk Masses of her youth. Former baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn compares his feelings for the Church with his lifelong belief in "team loyalty." Jon Hassler vividly recalls two very different childhood friends—and the attractions of both evil and goodness.

These writers, and numerous others, offer a remarkable portrait of today's Catholic Church, creating a new understanding of how its presence has endured for nearly two thousand years, and why it continues to thrive.Preface

Remembering Churches
Jon Hassler

Dreams and Visions, Fits and Starts
Susan Dodd

Anchored in the Church
Maria Shriver

Now, They Were Really Tough!
Mark Bavaro

A Twitch Upon the Thread
Kathleen Howley

A Diplomat's Journey
Nicholas Burns

Sacraments
Andre Dubus

The Rock-Solid Nuns
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend

His Way, Truth, and Life
Mary Cunningham Agee

A God-Given Talent for a Child's Game
Bob Cousy

Bowie Kuhn's Confessions
Bowie Kuhn

My Faith and I
William E. Simon

Born with Desire
Mario Andretti

Testimonies
William Bentley Ball

As Well As I Could
Fr. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C

Roots and Reform
William X. Kienzle

I Like Being Catholic
Fr. Andrew M. Greeley

A Woman's Place
Mary Ann Glendon

Confessions of a Semi-Pelagian
John E. Coons

On Having Green Hair
Michael Novak

A Life of Privilege
Roger McCaffrey

The Making of a Rebel Catholic
William A. Donohue

A Safe Place: Upon Entering the Catholic Church at the Two-Minute Warning
Dr. Bernard Nathanson

Why Are You a Catholic?
Walker Percy

A Peddler's Words
William McGurn

About the Contributors
About the Editors