No Guilty Bystander: The Extraordinary Life of Bishop Thomas J. Gumbleton

by Frank Fromherz, Suzanne Sattler

Thomas Gumbleton, retired Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, has long served as an outstanding voice and witness for peace and justice in the Catholic Church. From his early opposition to the Vietnam war, his work on the Bishops’ historic pastoral on nuclear weapons, to his peacemaking missions and solidarity with marginalized communities around the globe, and his promotion of reform and renewal in the church, he has offered a prophetic model of faithful discipleship.

336 pages, Paperback

Published June 29, 2023

Reviews

[William Weld-Wallis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book grew on me. It helps that Gumbleton is from Detroit, and I know many people in the book, know one of the authors, and have met him a few times. Amazing life. I did not know the story of how he lost his pastorship at St. Leo's because he stood up for victims of priest sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. The book shows the lack of compassion and complicity in oppressive political structures of the hierarchical church during his years of ministry. Pope Francis, late in his life, is a source of fresh air for him. I wonder if his life would have had a different trajectory if someone like Francis had been Pope in his time, and, therefore, would have encouraged so much of what he did.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have followed the life of Bishop Gumbleton pretty much my entire adult life with admiration. But this book with all its detail and context shows an super extraordinary man of "sainthood" material. However that is not anything he aspired to. He worked for justice and equality, and he challenged the Conference of Bishops to accept their responsibilities to live and teach and follow the Gospel. Sadly, most of them were more interested in greed, politics and reputation. Thank you God for the example of Tom Gumbleton.