ASHES TO ASHES

Prelude: Back when The Da Vinci Code first came out, I noticed that many Catholics were reading this novel.Several of them, whom I interacted with on a frequent basis, seemed to take the premise of the novel rather seriously: that Jesus had an affair with Mary Magdalene and fostered children by her. One even told me it wouldn't be a problem for his faith life as a Catholic. The others seemed disturbed by what the book was promoting and I could see that it had shaken their faith. Needless to say, most Catholics are fairly ignorant of their faith these days. The religious education since the Council has been fairly awful overall, and has not instilled much in the way of real knowledge or truth about their faith. This incident seemed to exemplify how bad the situation really was. But it also illustrated one other important point. Catholics are hungry for something good to read but don't seem to know where to turn these days. Most go to their nearby secular bookstore (virtual or o...

I first came to know of Caryll Houselander as a seminarian in the 1970’s. I had heard from fellow seminarians that her classic work, The Reed of God , was a must read. For some reason I never managed to find the time or interest to open the book. But the opinion is was held in was so high that I gave a copy of it to my father-in-law who had a very strong devotion to Our Lady. Caryll Houselander was many things, an author, a mystic, and ordinary person trying to live out her faith, but she was not a scholar or particularly learned. Her popularity was high in the English speaking world of the 1940s and 50s. Born in Bath England in 1901, she eventually became a well known Catholic writer when her first book, This War Is the Passion , published in 1941, launched her literary career. Her unique vision was that of the suffering Christ and she articulated this in a way easily accessible to the readers of the time. This vision was infused by her mystical experiences which had begun after her...

Andre Dubus (pronounced “Da-buse”) (August 11, 1936 - February 24, 1999) is perhaps one of the least known of modern Catholic authors, yet one whose work many are unknowingly familiar with. Two films have been based upon and inspired by his short stories and one, I N THE BEDROOM (2001 starring Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek and Marissa Tomei), was nominated for five Academy Awards in 2001. He is often confused with his author son, Andre Dubus III, whose novel, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG , was also made into a motion picture starring Ben Kingsley. WE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (2004 starring Mark Ruffalo, Naomi Watts and Laura Dern) an examination of love, adultery and marriage and is based on the short stories by Dubus, WE DON’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE and ADULTERY. Some biographical information is necessary to understand this complex author who is not neatly or easily categorized. I call him a “Catholic” author as many of his stories deal with issues easily recognizable to Catholics, but also becau...