Synopses & Reviews
The journalist Jonathan Englert goes inside a seminary to follow five men who have left their careers and lives behind in pursuit of the priesthood.
There are now a record sixty-four million Catholics in the United States, yet the number of priests is plummeting so fast that hundreds of parishes nationwide are closing down. Against this turbulent backdrop, Englert charts the journey of five men toward the priesthood at a seminary that specializes in "second-career" priests -- men who come to their vocation later than their college years. We meet a divorced father and avid hunter from Wyoming, an ex-salesman and Marine with ADHD, a recently widowed father of four, a blind musician, and others. With wit and sometimes heartbreaking candor, they face the challenges of priestly life -- from the traditional hurdles of obedience and chastity to more modern travails, like the bad press let loose by recent sexual abuse scandals and the skepticism of their friends and families. For each man, these challenges are intensified by their past experiences as they sacrifice familiar comforts to answer their calling.
Englert is ideally qualified to write The Collar, both professionally, as a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism, and spiritually, as a convert to Catholicism who has walked the tortuous path of faith. His empathy with the spiritual journeys of the men he portrays recalls The Cloister Walk. His deft, evenhanded unveiling of a compelling, little-observed culture will resonate with both the faithful and the merely curious.
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Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church
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ve book, or an apologetic one, but it is one filled with empathy and wonder." --Samuel G. Freedman, author of
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"Englert is a sensitive eye-witness. His book is a needed eye-opener." --Leonard Gill, Memphis Flyer
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'\"This is not a naïve book, or an apologetic one, but it is one filled with empathy and wonder.\" --Samuel G. Freedman, author of "Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church"'
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"This is not a naïve book, or an apologetic one, but it is one filled with empathy and wonder." --Samuel G. Freedman, author of "Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church"
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'\"Gripping...Englert deftly illuminates a milieu foreign even to most Catholics.\" --Matthew Hay Brown'
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'\"As compelling as a good novel.\" --Andrew Hudgins'
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'\"An engaging look inside a Catholic seminary dispels many mysteries . . . Puts a human face on the word \'priest.\'\"'
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"This is not a nadve book, or an apologetic one, but it is one filled with empathy and wonder." --Samuel G. Freedman, author of Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church”
"Compassionate and eye-opening...it should be required reading for anyone thinking about becoming a priest." Publishers Weekly
"An engaging look inside a Catholic seminary dispels many mysteries . . . Puts a human face on the word 'priest.'" Kirkus Reviews
"Gripping...Englert deftly illuminates a milieu foreign even to most Catholics." --Matthew Hay Brown The Baltimore Sun
"As compelling as a good novel." --Andrew Hudgins News and Observer
"Wrenching and darkly humorous." --Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett The Seattle Times
"Englert is a sensitive eye-witness. His book is a needed eye-opener." --Leonard Gill, Memphis Flyer
Synopsis
What does it mean to take up Gods work? What motivates a man in these times to leave the secular for the spiritual life? In The Collar, Jonathan Englert finds the answers in the journey of five men toward the priesthood at Milwaukees Sacred Heart Seminary. Like many modern seminarians these men have chosen a second career” as priests. With unprecedented access to this closed world, Englert introduces us to a divorced father and avid hunter from Wyoming, an ex-salesman and Marine with ADHD, a recently widowed father of four, a blind musician, and a fifth-year pupil close to ordination. With wit and sometimes heartbreaking candor, they face the challenges of priestly life -- from the traditional hurdles of obedience and chastity to the modern day skepticism of their friends and families.
About the Author
JONATHAN ENGLERT, a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism, attended Fordham University School of Law and has written for the New York Times and Catholic Digest, among other publications. Before arriving at Milwaukee's Sacred Heart Seminary, where this book is set, Englert had access extended and then revoked by two different dioceses, in one case after more than a year of research and reporting. He is a convert to Catholicism and lives with his wife in New York City.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction 1 1 Orientation 6 2 Fall to Winter 68 3 Between Semesters 158 4 Winter to Spring 173 Epilogue 295 Authors Note and Acknowledgments 299