The Catholic Imagination

by Andrew M. Greeley

Catholics live in an enchanted a world of statues and holy water, stained glass and votive candles, saints and religious medals, rosary beads and holy pictures. But these Catholic paraphernalia are merely hints of a deeper and more pervasive religious sensibility that inclines Catholics to see the Holy lurking in creation. The world of the Catholic is haunted by a sense that the objects, events, and persons of daily life are revelations of Grace. In this fascinating discussion of what is unique about the Catholic worldview and culture and what distinguishes it from Protestantism, Andrew Greeley--one of the most popular and prolific authors writing today--examines the religious imagination that shapes Catholics' lives.

In a lively and engaging narrative, Greeley discusses the central themes of Catholic Sacrament, Salvation, Community, Festival, Structure, Erotic Desire, and the Mother Love of God. Ranging widely from Bernini to Scorsese, Greeley distills these themes from the high arts of Catholic culture and Do these values really influence people's lives? Using international survey data, he shows the counterintuitive ways in which Catholics are defined. He goes on to root these behaviors in the Catholic imagination.

As he identifies and explores the fertile terrain of Catholic culture, Greeley illustrates the enduring power of particular stories, images, and orientations in shaping Catholics' lived experience. He challenges a host of assumptions about who Catholics are and makes a strong case for the vitality of the culture today. The Catholic imagination is sustained and passed on in relationships, the home, and the community, Greeley shows. Absorbing, compassionate, and deeply informed, this book provides an entirely new perspective on the nature and role of religion in daily life for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Theology, Catholic, Spirituality, Faith, Art

213 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Andrew Greeley was a Roman Catholic priest, sociologist, journalist, and author of 50 best-selling novels and more than 100 works of nonfiction. For decades, Greeley entertained readers with such popular characters as the mystery-solving priest Blackie Ryan and the fey, amateur sleuth Nuala Anne McGrail. His books typically center on Irish-American Roman Catholics living or working in Chicago.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/andrew...

Reviews

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first heard of this book after it was referenced in the Met Gala materials. I soon found out that Andrew Bolton only really quoted from the beginning of the introduction... but it was still an interesting read. Some of Greeley's argument is a bit of a stretch (particularly the "statistics he uses" to defend his thesis). But overall, the idea that the popular (not high) church has ingrained an enchanted imagination that sees the possibility of the divine all around is incredibly compelling. Greeley suggests that this "enchanted imagination" enables the unconscious development of art and social structures that reveal the nature of God about observation. I found it interesting to read in part because I agree with him that being raised Catholic marks you in a specific way in how you view the things around you. Whether it appears in the iterations he suggests is up for debate, but it's a quick and interesting read.

A few notes: His chapter on hierarchy was fascinating. I appreciated that he referred to God with a number of gender pronouns. He has a slightly bizarre chapter about sex and the Catholic imagination that was thought provoking (even if I didn't buy it). Finally, Greeley is writing in a different time; I wonder what he would think of the Pope Francis Catholic Church. I also don't think he anticipates the level of power social issues (for both conservatives and liberals) play a part in young people's dedication to Catholicism or the amount of harm that the clerical abuse cases would cause. So overall, an interesting read, but a little bit of a stretch and dated. I think if it attempted to be a little less timely it would have benefited the piece.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prior to his passing in May 2013, Andrew Greeley created a prolific legacy of books with incredible range: from serious spiritual fiction (The Cardinal Sins, White Smoke, etc.) through clever mysteries (Father, later Bishop, Blackie), 'science fiction' (the angel books),and sentimental Irish romance (Nuala McGrain et al).

The Catholic Imagination exhibits yet another side of a multi-talented author's ouevre. This is Greeley the conscientious and precise sociologist, culling data from a multitude of national surveys into digestible nuggets for the lay reader. Greeley not only knows his faith; he knows his statistics. His conclusions about Catholic people, Catholic life, and the Catholic imagination in this readable volume are reliable -- and may be surprising to many.

[Ed Parke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would be interested to see how this book might be written in these days after +Benedict XVI. Compelling take that a 'Catholic imagination' flows out of the Church's sacramental life and, consequently, from the everyday 'narrative' of living it. However, some of Fr Greeley's claims seem quite overstated. While clearly (to me anyway) arising from the turbid (polluted) waters of the post-Vatican 2 church, Fr Greeley goes refreshingly against the contemporary grain by critiquing the banality of modern liturgy and Christian artistic sensibility - which inspires little in the way of devotion, or engagement with culture, and consequently, very little that could appertain to a 'Catholic imagination' in the twenty-first century.

An interesting but not too stimulating book on a great topic.

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mentioned by many people in the arts, however I would only recommend it for people who are well- formed and with good critical skills. Greeley’s field is sociology and the impetus for this book comes from a survey of people from different religious backgrounds and their views including the arts. Of the sociology or statistics, I cannot comment for accuracy, I will here concern myself with the presuppositions and conclusions. To begin Greeley presents a distorted version of the Catholic theological principle that the sense of the faithful cannot really contradict the Magisterium. On this ground he supports things like contraception, ordination of women and other matters. On the other hand he upholds the tradition of transcendence in Sacred Music and architecture. No bongo masses for him. His compelling central argument is that the Liturgy is the root of Catholic imaginative powers, the more involved a Catholic is in the Liturgy ( attendance at mass included) the more open he is to the arts. This, I think, is worthy of exploration. Catholics are fed on images and metaphors and narratives from the cradle. (Who said: nothing exists in the intellect that did not exist in the senses first?) I find Greeley’s use of Catholic filmmakers to discuss community very enlightening. Maybe the Liturgy is communal because communion/relating is human. Greeley references a variety of modern Catholic artists which is fun, but I don’t always think he is correctly analyzing the works. His analysis of Bernini’s statue led to an interesting discussion on pornography around here. (I think limiting ecstasy to only the sexual context is reductionist) I think Greeley is a charitable and intuitive researcher but he is much too focused on how Catholics relate to each other and too little concerned with how we relate to God. Artists know that creativity is irrigated by limitations. I can be more creative in a monochromatic painting or in a haiku. Form forces one to recognize meaning. By trying to liberate Catholicism from the loving limits of the Church, Greeley is actually campaigning to limit its creative powers.

[Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pleasure to read. Father Greeley is a good author as well as a Roman Catholic priest and sociologist. He really captures the essence of the Catholic culture in all of its richness and diversity. Catholicism really is one of the great human achievements in religious imagination and experience. Greeley expresses well as to why that is the case. This is a good book for anyone who would want to have a greater understanding of Catholicism whether one is a Catholic or not.

[Angela9600 · Rating 1 out of 5]

While some of the ideas are ok, it is very clear why this book does not have an imprimatur in it. I will not be reading any further books by him.

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Greeley was a multi-talented priest, theologian, sociologist, and novelist. Towards the end of his life he wrote 'The Catholic Imagination.' According to Greeley (and David Tracy, to whom Greeley attributes the insight), Roman Catholics possess an "analogical imagination" whereas Protestants largely navigate the world with a "dialectical imagination;" Catholics see the world as enchanted, imbued with sacramental possibilities, whereas Protestants stress God's absence from the world, Catholic immanence vs. Protestant transcendence (Robert Orsi's more recent History and Presence (2016) explores similar themes, p. 5,8). Greeley explains:

Tracy noted that the classic works of Catholic theologians and artists tend to emphasize the presence of God in the world, while the classic works or Protestant theologians tend to emphasize the absence of God from the world. The Catholic writers stress the nearness of God and His creation, the Protestant writers the distance between God and His creation; the Protestants emphasize the risk of superstition and idolatry, the Catholics the dangers of a creation in which God is only marginally present. Or, to put the matter in different terms, Catholics tend to accentuate the immanence of God, Protestants the transcendence of God.

In this book, Greeley examines the Catholic imagination in its relation to time and place, sex and desire, the Virgin Mary, community, hierarchy, salvation, and socialization. He draws extensively upon the visual arts, film, and literature. As other reviewers have noted, the book comes across as uneven and the chapter on sex is strange if also inventive. I appreciated Greeley's examination of "high" and "popular" Catholic culture; the former is the "official," more educated strand of Catholicism that champions doctrine, papal encyclicals, councils, whereas the latter is more image and story-based, sometimes susceptible to superstition rather than dogma (p. 77-78). Having just re-read a Wendell Berry novel, I found Greeley's exposition of the urban neighbourhood and its vitality and centrality to immigrant Catholic groups like the Irish and the Italians interesting.

This is a classic, if flawed work. Greeley is fairly evenhanded though he occasionally betrays his more liberal leanings. About a quarter of a century old, one wonders if the (Western) Catholic imagination has changed at all, especially during the last three pontificates, especially as the sociological component of this book is heavily reliant on social surveys (though Greeley insists that the Catholic imagination continues to haunt those who forfeit Rome).

[Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fr. Greeley gave, in my opinion, a lot of good insights in the Catholic Imagination, but also a significant amount of hogwash and foul material unfitting for a priest (or anyone for that matter) to write. I think his identification of a Catholic imagination can be true on a societal level and for some people but in many ways I think this is extinct for modern cultural Catholics in America, since in many ways we've assimilated to Protestants. Perhaps it's just my generation, but nonetheless it seems overstated for a model with little predictive power. I think Fr. Greeley's discussion of eroticism/sexuality was inappropriate and it felt like it was largely his own opinions / assumptions superimposed on the art he cited. The most true section, in my opinion, was his examination of Catholic society and social teaching. Overall, a bizarre book with a lot of dangerous crap mixed in with the good content.

[Renée · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, very important to note that this book is incredibly dated. It was published in 2000. If he had only waited two years, I think Greeley’s thoughts on hierarchy and clergy would be very different. Or at least the research would show people were thinking about priests differently in 2002 than 2000 and they are especially thinking about hierarchy differently in 2023, that is for damn sure.

The way he discusses sex is not wrong, and the social emphasis placed on women’s sexual fulfillment may be correct, but it leaves a very funny taste in the literary mouth!

Greeley is intent on delineating the differences of Catholic imagination from Protestant imagination but he never notes the differences between economic imaginations. This is probably because all Catholics in the United States are Protestant Capitalists in their economic imagination. But such an imagination is an aberration from the past. And from other countries.

[Davis Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be a strange and uneven book. I'm not Catholic but have a deep respect for the Catholic intellectual and artistic tradition, and was hoping that this would help me to correlate their doctrine with their culture. It did a little bit, but Greeley approaches the topic from a very theologically liberal viewpoint using the techniques of sociology, and seemed a bit too obsessed with how sex and violence fit into the Catholic worldview, sometimes very clearly setting out to make readers uncomfortable. There definitely were some insightful passages with some relevant revelations for me, but I would imagine that most believers, Catholic or otherwise, would prefer a more orthodox scholar to dissect their imagination.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A more fleshed out version of some of the arguments in the Catholic Myth — I probably should have read this book first and the other perhaps not at all, but I wouldn’t have been made aware of Greeley if I’d not idly picked the older book up at a used bookstore and enjoyed it.

Some of Greeley’s ideas are a bit weird, but his basic description of the Catholic imagination feels pretty true.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

to be fair i abandoned it about 60 pages in and perhaps brilliance strikes afterwards but what unconvincing sloppy nonsense! the intro is poetic, the premise is interesting, but the execution makes no sense

[Eliza Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting take on the ‘catholic imagination’ in its various instantiations. Greeley is a sociologist by training and incorporates this perspective into his interpretation of various catholic arts and liturgies.

[Riley Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and vivid read!

[Robert McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

My whole life I’ve read and heard Protestants throw shade at Catholics. It’s strangely welcome to find the reverse argument.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Catholic Imagination" was written by Andrew Greeley and published by University of California Press in 2000. The book presents primary research on Catholic social and religious thought based on National Opinion Research Center (NORC) surveys to include General Social Surveys, International Survey, and Central Archives research, to mention a few. I found his discussions about high and popular traditions, sexual mores, and community/local belief influences helpful. His documentation is geared to a lay readership. (P)

[Sam Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, this is unusual one in my comps list on religion. The author is a Catholic priest and a sociologist and apparently taught at a few universities including mine, but this book is much more targeted at a lay audience than most of what I read. It was a very fast read, which was appropriate to the content. He had some survey data, but I thought that was not very convincing. More interesting was his depiction of the importance of distributed hierarchy in and through communities (particularly given my interest in Latin American citizenship) and his discussion of the (tangible) enchantment of Catholic imagination. My review is way more jargony than his book. In terms of my needs this was more like 2 stars, but I thought it might be a good read for other people I know who aren't academically interested in religion, in which case it is certainly a three star book.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been referenced a few times, so I decided to read it. I read it as part of trying to answer my on-going question, "Why have the arts and imagination, generally flourished, more in the hands of catholic artists and writers, than in protestant?"

Is there something in Protestantism that "blocks" artistic pursuit? Is there something in the nature of Catholicism that is more likely to engender the arts?

Greeley points to sacramental and enchanted worldview, the sense of community, heirarchy and Mary.

As a Protestant I found it somewhat uneven. The first point is the key one, I think. How does the sacramental and liturgical worship, engender artistic pursuit?

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greeley takes an interesting approach by using sociological data to analyze how Catholics think--in contrast to Protestants, in particular. His argument that Catholics' religious background infuses the way they encounter sacred places, art, community, and the church hierarchy is compelling, though I'd be interested to see how a non-Catholic would interpret the data. I'm also not sure if non-Catholics would find this argument interesting, though I did.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greeley is one of my favorite authors. As a priest/sociologist, in this book he examines the role of imagination in the Catholic rituals and community. I ofter tell my family, he is my priiest. If only I could find one like him in a nearby parish, I wouldn't consider myself a "semi-Catholic".

[Luis Grandson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been cut down by about half if Fr. Greeley had left out his own imaginations about Catholicism. The sociological work and discussion is interesting and connects in an impressive way the abstract Catholic sensibility to measurable survey data collected.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

helps one look at what it means to be a Catholic (or to have a Catholic imagination) in a new way. Would recommend it to anyone who's willing to re-examine their Catholic identity.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about why we crazy Catholics think the way we do.

[Rebecca Brink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely educational. If you don't understand Catholics, read this book.

[Kaily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due to his sociology background, Greeley is a little dry. Nonetheless, it's quite insightful with his use of statistics to make his point about the Catholic imagination concrete.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but very typical Andrew Greeley.