A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop [Hardcover]

Rembert G. Weakland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2009

For many people, the name of Archbishop Rembert Weakland brings to mind only connotations of scandal - the titillating tale of a prominent priest disgraced. But that whiff of dishonor barely begins to tell the whole story. In these pages Archbishop Weakland recounts his life from his childhood in rural Pennsylvania to his retirement from the archbishopric in 2002 at the age of 75, all in the context of the Church that he long served. Weakland takes readers with him to Rome, where he discovered the splendor of a whole new intellectual world, and then to New York for his extensive musical study at Julliard and Columbia University. From his early days in the priesthood to his struggles with pontiffs, Weakland details how he learned to become a leader and minister to his people and how his famously liberal beliefs affected his ministry. While he presents an honest account of the scandal he is so often recognized for, the complete picture beyond rumor and accusation may come as a surprise to many readers. Throughout his book Weakland describes with poignant honesty his psychological, spiritual, and sexual growth. Evocative and inspiring, A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church tells the story of a life fully lived.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Weakland resigned as Milwaukee archbishop in 2002 after revelations of a past homosexual relationship and a confidential payout, it was seen as another stunning episode in the unfolding clergy abuse scandal. It was especially painful to liberal Catholics who viewed Weakland as their champion. Weakland was publicly penitent, but other events that year—chief among them the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law in Boston—made Weakland's drama a footnote. With this frank and well-told memoir, that's no longer the case. A Benedictine monk, Weakland is up front about his homosexuality in a church that preferred to ignore gays, and about his failures in overseeing pedophile priests. But this is really the poignant journey of a soul, not a mea culpa about sex, with chapters on his hardscrabble boyhood and fascinating, and sometimes sobering, insights into the life of a bishop and the tensions between the American Catholic Church and the Vatican. At points the narrative has more than enough detail on the life of a globe-trotting abbot. But overall this is an invaluable historical record and a moving personal confession. (June)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 429 pages
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; 1ST edition (June 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802863825
• ISBN-13: 978-0802863829
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #568,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Honest Story, June 19, 2009

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Ann Marie (Buffalo, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop (Hardcover)

Archbishop Weakland is an extraordinary man who has lived a rich and interesting life. In the beginning of the book he states that he hopes that the good of his life can be judged along side his sin and failings, and in that I think he hits the right notes. I found the book exceedingly interesting as it followed the life of a man who was intimately involved in so much that has happened in the Church for the past 50 years. At times, I felt like a fly on the wall of events taking place in Rome, Washington, DC, Milwaukee, and around the world. Archbishop Weakland's outlines well how he came to believe what he believes, including his many "liberal" views. His explanation of how the Church changed during the papacy of John Paul II will anger some, but I found it provided insight for ways that I have experienced the Church changing over the years. I hope that the people who are choosing to comment on this book will read it cover to cover before continuing to comment on it. It probably won't make sense to those who have already decided that liberal is equal to bad, but for those who are interested in hearing the story of a Catholic struggling to serve his Church through a very interesting period of Church history, this book is for you.

31 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Vatican II Prelate looks at the Church, June 21, 2009

By 

Robert E. Leet "ipse dixit" (Santa Rosa, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop (Hardcover)

Archbishop Rembert Weakland sets out to give his appraisal of the Catholic Church which has been his life since birth over eighty years ago. On outset he relates his 'fall from grace' and subsequent "Resurrection". Namely his relationship with an adult gay man. The ready admission of this fall reveals a man not afraid to ready to admit failure. Of greater import, Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church portrays a man imbued with the values of the Second Vatican Council and had the courage to carry them forward both as Benedictine Abbot Primate and as Archbishop of Milwaukee. He reveals a Church governed by men often captivated by power and other men motivated and inspired by Scripture. In his last pages his appraisal of Pope John Paul II is to the point, a good man but imprisoned by personal world view which did not admit dissent and as result encouraged the emasculation of John XIII's Council by Curial officialdom.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You feel like you are there, December 13, 2010

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madeupname "madeupname" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop (Hardcover)

I don't know why, but I had been under the impression that this whole book would be about Weakland's sexual scandal, from Weakland's point of view. I guess I thought that because when the scandal broke was the first time I'd heard his name. The scandal is only described in detail in the Prologue. The rest of the book is another kind of page turner - an inside look at the church hierarchy from someone who started as a normal Catholic, and after a stellar Catholic education, an appointment as abbot primate of the Benedictines, and appointment as Archbishop, had the opportunity to see a lot and meet a lot of influential people, and finally have some influence himself. It was really interesting to me to learn a little bit about how a monastery works and how they view their own mission. I was left wishing the whole church worked more like that with an "abbot" figure at the head supporting the individual members instead of a diocesan bishop who is mainly a representative of the Vatican's viewpoints. My favorite parts were when Weakland described what it was like to meet with various curial and papal officials. His perspective is one you don't get very often these days, with all the talk of "John Paul the Great" already, but for me it seemed fascinating, honest, and important. He pinpoints a lot of changes in the church. His bias is obvious, but again, it's a bias that you don't get to hear often these days. As a Catholic who has seen vicious words exchanged between "orthodox" Catholics and "dissenters" and who has wondered why so many Catholics these days are young radicals who ally themselves with the religious right, this book was very informative. Highly recommended!!!!!