The New Men: Inside the Vatican's Elite School for American Priests

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: As an agnostic --> athiest, I was intrigued by the question, "Why would anyone become a priest?" This book gives a brief glimpse into the possible answers, all of which are very personal and unique.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: Brian Murphy does an fine job in taking an even handed approach to reporting to the story of five men who are discerning the priesthood in the seminary at North American College in Rome.

Formerly the U.S.'s premiere seminary for the 'designated for greatness seminarians' -- also historically considered "the West Point of Seminaries", North American is only in this decade getting back on its feet after nearly twenty years of turmoil following the changes which came after Vatican Council II.

Murphy is a fair writer in that he tells the story of each seminarian on their quest for the priesthood or the answer to whether they are truly able to accept the priesthood on its terms and to a large extent the book also looks at each of the five seminarians as they are viewed through the Rector's eyes.

Murphy eschews the political landmines that even affect his characters and this is where I have to question how even his reporting was. How could he not be appalled by some of the ecclesiastical politics that a few of these seminarians were subjected to. Murphy's failure to trespass 'the don't event go there'hierarchical terrain (or in some cases -- tyranny) might be another author's future challenge -- if actually given a fair opportunity to look. Murphy should have at least drawn some conclusions to his year of following these seminarians. However, short of this criticism, a highly readable and clear portrait of priestly formation and the process of discernment at this time in the Catholic Church's history.

An engaging read. Interesting to those who follow Catholic Church politics.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Different Look at the Formation of Catholic Priests
Review: Brian Murphy's THE NEW MEN is a unique look at preparation of Catholic priests. The author, raised a Catholic, but has been somewhat a lapsed Catholic as an adult, looked at men preparing to be priests. He found young men who were far more interesting than he expected and found in them a faith that was more alive than he suspected. While the subject matter of the book is not all that original, his choice of seminarians is intriguing. Murphy selected candidates preparing for priesthood at the North American College in Rome. Candidates live at the North American College and study at various institutions in Rome. The seminarians in the book reflect the variety of vocations in many American seminaries. Some are raised in traditional Catholic families; others have made discoveries about faith that led them to pursue priesthood. Each has a love for the Church and aspires to serve God as a priest. While none of the candidates is an example of perfection, none of the candidates exemplify what we find in books about Seminarians by Donald Cozzens or the drivel found in Michael Rose's book. Each candidate is a solid person who has left behind great opportunities, girlfriends, and a promising future. We discover that these young men with great gifts also have the same struggles as anyone else. What makes the book fascinating is that w may be reading early snippets of the lives of future leaders of the Church.

I am going to have to admit, when I first read this book a few years ago, I was somewhat cynical about it. While I was impressed with many of the personal issues the seminarians dealt with, it did at time strike me as corporate training for leadership in the Church. While I know that the Church needs competent leaders, the book sometimes seemed to be a Wall Street approach to preparing for priesthood rather than a gospel based approach. That was pre-scandal, however. As I look at this book today, knowing that the scandal has highlighted many of the failures of the Church's leaders, and knowing that many people fear for the future of the Church, this book does give us glimpses into the lives and training of some young men who could very well be leaders ion the Church in the future, and it does give us reason to hope.


Rating:
Summary: A fascinating look at the growth of vocations
Review: I found Murphy's book an interesting and in many ways inspiring read. The struggles of the individual seminarians who are profiled here are gripping. Even more compelling is the manner in which these men, of varied backgrounds, approached their prayer lives and developed their own approaches to the challenges of celibacy, the loss of their old lives, etc. I heartily recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Inside the Vatican's "West Point" for new priests
Review: The North American College in Rome is the most prestigious seminary for future priests from the US. I expected the book would focus on the North American College as an organization, but rather it describes six new seminarians during the 1995-96 academic year, going into a great deal of detail about their backgrounds and their spiritual journeys while at the College.

It's as though the six came from central casting - the introverted Asian immigrant, the ex-fighter pilot, the homesick farm kid from the prairies, the high-living New Orleans lawyer, and a pair of identical twins. These are a conservative bunch, both in the sense of US politics as well as in terms of accepting traditional church doctrine. Most of them are constantly wrestling with their "calling" - essentially their turmoil over renouncing sex forever - and the endless pages devoted to their inner ruminations do get tedious after awhile. Despite its flaws, I found the book entertaining to read.

I was surprised that two of the six seminarians had ongoing romantic relationships back in the US. The saddest part was when one of the seminarians tells his girlfriend over the phone that it's over, while she genuinely thought his enrollment in seminary was a passing fling. Otherwise, there is nothing here remotely scandalous or shocking.