How PTSD Impacted the Catholic Church with Jeff von Arx, SJ

04/14/21 • 49 min

When you think about the Catholic Church, you may be tempted to think in terms that are outside of history – the Church is more or less the same since Jesus’ time, right? The continuity is supposed to be obvious, untouchable. Of course, that’s impossible. No matter how much we may try to preserve something, the steady march of time, those slow and plodding changes to society and culture as well as those unforeseen events, inevitably impact even the most resilient of institutions. Today’s episode is a deep dive into one of those perhaps unforeseen events that upended Catholicism – and in particular, the Papacy – as we know it. In fact, how we understand both Catholicism and the Papacy today traces directly to this moment in history. Today's guest, Fr. Jeffrey von Arx, SJ, is a Visiting Professor of the History of Christianity at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and the Superior and Director of the John LaFarge Jesuit House of Studies at Harvard University. Fr. von Arx guides us through the years spanning the French Revolution through the First Vatican Council and beyond, and reflects on how a near-death experience for the Papacy following the French Revolution led to what he believes is an experience of PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder – in the Church, and shares what he sees as the outcome of this institutional PTSD. It’s hard to fathom a time when the papacy almost ceased to exist – particularly in the wake of papacies like John Paul II’s and Francis’. And yet, as Fr. von Arx notes, the Papacy as we know it today didn’t have to be this way – and in fact was really close to not existing at all. The Jesuits play a role in this story, too, having suffered their own near-death experience during this same era. And, though it’s tempting to think of this historical deep-dive as unrelated to our own lives, what happened to the Catholic Church between the French Revolution and the First Vatican Council has impacted how we Catholics today experience of faith, our culture and our traditions – not to mention how we interact in society, in politics and in art. Read more from Fr. von Arx: https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/post-traumatic-church https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/09/24/root-china-vatican-agreement-napoleon

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Why Catholicism Infuses the Rock Songs of The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn

The Hold Steady plays big, loud rock 'n' roll that sounds like the best bar band you’ve ever heard. But if you listen carefully to the lyrics, you’ll hear moving, funny, heartbreaking stories about broken people sinning, falling and reaching for redemption. You’ll hear references to saints and churches and Catholicism and parties. Lots and lots of parties. Today's guest is the songwriter behind The Hold Steady, Craig Finn. Finn, who has been called our greatest Catholic storyteller since Flannery O’Connor, grew up in a Catholic family and graduated from Boston College. He talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about the Catholic themes in his songs, his time at BC, and the Hold Steady’s fabulous new record "Open Door Policy." The Hold Steady: https://theholdsteady.net/ Craig Finn: https://craigfinn.net/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.

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Faith and Prophetic Witness with NETWORK Lobby Director Mary J. Novak

Our guest this week is Mary J. Novak. She's the new executive director of NETWORK Lobby, a DC-based social justice advocacy organization formed by a coalition of Catholic nuns. While not a nun herself, Novak embodies a faith that does justice—the kind of roll-your-sleeves up and get to work attitude that Ignatian spirituality encourages. Novak’s career has traversed the intersections of spirituality and justice. As a lawyer she worked on environmental rights litigation and a death penalty appeal case. She was the founding board chair of Catholic Mobilizing Network, which is working to abolish the death penalty at the state and federal level. And most recently, she served as the associate director of Ignatian Formation at Georgetown’s Law School. Novak is animated by her faith. You can tell that her optimism and rugged determination spring from her belief in a God of justice. She talked with guest host MegAnne Liebsch about how her spirituality keeps her firmly grounded when it feels like our social and political landscape is tugging us in conflicting directions. And she offered some advice for how Catholics can get involved—and stay involved—with Catholic social justice movements. Learn about NETWORK's Build Anew Agenda: https://networklobby.org/buildanew/ Support the For the People Act (H.R. 1): https://networklobby.org/forthepeopleact Watch NETWORK's Immigration Policy Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETJlM0zZ_QU