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A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop
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 memoir Weakland describes with poignant honesty his psychological, spiritual, and sexual growth. Candid and engaging, A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church offers a fascinating inside look at both Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II even as it tells the story of a life fully lived.
450 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 12, 2010
I found this book very difficult on a number of levels. Superficially, it may have been a little above my reading level. Meaning, I had to look up--and in one notable instance ask my grandmother about--something in nearly every chapter. For those of you without an awesome Nana: SJ means someone is a Jesuit, Tyrol is a state in Germany, ecumenism differs from interfaith because its purpose is to promote unity within Christian churches, and he always translates Chaucer's Aulde English immediately after the passage. I hope that helps, but you're on your own for all of the musicology. Obviously the Archbishop is an extremely erudite storyteller, which makes it very difficult for me to view him as an unreliable narrator. Because he is so smart, I have trouble not simply taking everything in the book as pure fact. Of course, this difficulty may also stem from my youthful indoctrination. While he is tied with "John Paul our Pope", I am fairly certain that the only people to beat him out on my lifetime total of prayers would be "all my family", "friends", and "the poor children".
Issues of his reliability tabled for the moment, this is the story of a Feminist, Social Justice Activist, and dedicated theologian who is labeled a dissident and marginalized by an authoritarian organization. In other words, he's my kind of guy. Because most of my news was filtered through my father at the time of Weakland's retirement, my initial understanding of his scandal was only "he had an affair with someone twenty years ago, it's nothing like Boston." That understanding hasn't changed much upon reading his own accounting, though it has deepened somewhat. To stress how good this man is at writing, he includes an original poem about loneliness that I enjoyed and felt enhanced the text.
Difficult as this book may be, it is a brilliant history and has broadened my understanding of the Catholic church in a number of ways.
Issues of his reliability tabled for the moment, this is the story of a Feminist, Social Justice Activist, and dedicated theologian who is labeled a dissident and marginalized by an authoritarian organization. In other words, he's my kind of guy. Because most of my news was filtered through my father at the time of Weakland's retirement, my initial understanding of his scandal was only "he had an affair with someone twenty years ago, it's nothing like Boston." That understanding hasn't changed much upon reading his own accounting, though it has deepened somewhat. To stress how good this man is at writing, he includes an original poem about loneliness that I enjoyed and felt enhanced the text.
Difficult as this book may be, it is a brilliant history and has broadened my understanding of the Catholic church in a number of ways.
January 6, 2010
This memoir is a fascinating history of the contemporary Catholic Church from the inside. Rembert Weakland is a talented musician (Ph.D Columbia, Julliard), a gifted, life-long student, Abbot Primate of the world-wide Benedictine Order, confidant of Pope Paul VI, and Archbishop of Milwaukee, where he was a leader in social justice, ecumenism, and interreligious matters on the national and international scenes.
In the height of the clergy sexual abuse scandals in the last decade, a homosexual encounter he had had twenty years before and the way he handled it is revealed on 'Good Morning America'. How Weakland comes to terms with this personal expose at age 75 is the touching story of a man like and unlike any other.
It is an inspiring story of courage and faith.
October 9, 2009
Being from Milwaukee and missing our former archbishop's pastoral leadership, I had to read this book. He deals with his horrid "loss of name" openly and honestly from the very beginning, but it is the rest of the book that reminds us that this was a truly wise and holy man who was not afraid to stand up for what he thought was right--namely the Church as Christ meant it to be. I love his style; even all the minute details were eye-opening and educational. I just wonder if those who reject him will allow themselves to read his story and open their hearts to the human being that has written it.
December 15, 2009
An insiders view of the Catholic church. If you are ambivalent about the church you may learn something about it.If you dislike the church it will reinforce your disdain. If you seek truth you will , at minimum , learn about it and then you will decide.If you have an open heart it will open it wider!
March 31, 2024
I grew up in the Roman Catholic faith. I went to a school with a church attached to it, and as soon as we reached second grade(around seven years old), we attended Mass every morning. I gradually learned about the Church and how the hierarchy worked. The Pope was at the zenith. He was the top banana. Lower on the totem pole were the Cardinals. They wore red and were a professional baseball team. Then came the Bishops. Aside from moving diagonally on Chess boards, Bishops oversaw cities.
Somewhere between Cardinals and Bishops, we had Archbishops. They were more influential than Bishops, though the Pope was the Bishop of Rome. It confused me at the time. Don't even get me started on Monseignors and Deacons. Growing up, the Pope was the same for over twenty years. We had a stained glass window of Pope John Paul II in the Church. As with the Pope, we had the same Archbishop for over twenty years, and his name was Rembert G. Weakland.
I don't remember hearing about Archbishop Weakland often, except at Mass. We didn't meet him. Eventually, his discretions came to light, and that, along with the rampant pedophilia among the priests, caused him to lose face and retire.
A Pilgrim In A Pilgrim Church is the story of Weakland's life. It discusses his childhood in Pennsylvania, his time in Rome, and his tenure as Archbishop. Weakland wrote the book in 2009.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
Somewhere between Cardinals and Bishops, we had Archbishops. They were more influential than Bishops, though the Pope was the Bishop of Rome. It confused me at the time. Don't even get me started on Monseignors and Deacons. Growing up, the Pope was the same for over twenty years. We had a stained glass window of Pope John Paul II in the Church. As with the Pope, we had the same Archbishop for over twenty years, and his name was Rembert G. Weakland.
I don't remember hearing about Archbishop Weakland often, except at Mass. We didn't meet him. Eventually, his discretions came to light, and that, along with the rampant pedophilia among the priests, caused him to lose face and retire.
A Pilgrim In A Pilgrim Church is the story of Weakland's life. It discusses his childhood in Pennsylvania, his time in Rome, and his tenure as Archbishop. Weakland wrote the book in 2009.
I enjoyed the book. Thanks for reading my review, and see you next time.
September 6, 2018
This is a very interesting autobiography especially for anyone in the Milwaukee archdiocese. It is also informative as to how the hierarchy of the Catholic Church works. It is a very empathetic look at the life of a Bishop in America who also has been head of the Benedictine Order of monks. It is written from such a personal viewpoint that it is enjoyable and easy to read despite dealing with the intricacies of Catholic church curia. A good inclusive book of history for the period as well.
May 5, 2023
Weakland must have been quite the golden child, elevated to abbott and abbott-primate so young. Excellent observations on the post-Vatican II church. Honest about own failings without breast-beating.
January 20, 2013
A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop by Rembert G. Weakland
I don’t do a lot of book reviews yet, but I decided to do one for Archbishop Weakland’s excellent autobiography. Intrigued by a recommendation (which is longer story and one that I may relate in about nine years or so), I read the whole thing, sentence by sentence, word for word.
Archbishop Weakland is an excellent writer with a clear and engaging writing style, making even the most detailed minutiae of life in a Benedictine monastery or in the Vatican accessible and interesting. His reflections are a no-holds-barred recollection of the significant events in his life. He spares himself no criticism while trying to explain just how everything fell into place in his life. Anyone would enjoy reading this book, but I want to recommend it to three specific groups:
If you consider yourself any kind of Catholic or if you are fascinated by the inner workings of the Vatican, perhaps after reading the Da Vinci Code, then you need to read this book, if only for the wealth of information contained in it. Buy it. It’s expensive, but worth every cent.
If you lived anywhere in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee while Archbishop Weakland was in office (1977-2002), then you will also find the many revelations fascinating. Buy this book.
To my writer friends: If you are a writer, even if you have no particular interest in or affection for religion, you should read this book. So many of our characters end up as little, one-dimensional, convenient stick figures. Archbishop Weakland is maddeningly complex, highly intelligent, well-educated, and insightful regarding many things and infuriatingly clueless and boneheaded stupid about others. He means well so often and yet blurts out the occasional tactless insult. He is fearless about standing up for what he believes and yet timidly gives in to a blackmailer’s demands. It is impossible to dislike him even while you are rolling your eyes at some of his obviously wrongheaded decisions. Once you have analyzed the contradictory archbishop, you will have enough material for at least ten new and different characters. Archbishop Weakland’s descriptions and analyses of the Vatican provide the best explanation for the survival of bureaucracies that I have ever read. Anyone who wants to have a bureaucracy as a character or a setting in a story needs to read this, if only to understand how a long-lived bureaucracy is a perpetual motion machine, one that sucks in its energy from the outside.
So, writer friends, go to your closest library (You’re a writer; therefore you are well aware of the help you can get from your local library) and beg them to acquire this book so that you can check it out. It’s too expensive for you to buy, but you would benefit from reading it.
My rating for the book: an obvious five stars. Take the (significant amount of) time to read it.
You won’t regret it!
I don’t do a lot of book reviews yet, but I decided to do one for Archbishop Weakland’s excellent autobiography. Intrigued by a recommendation (which is longer story and one that I may relate in about nine years or so), I read the whole thing, sentence by sentence, word for word.
Archbishop Weakland is an excellent writer with a clear and engaging writing style, making even the most detailed minutiae of life in a Benedictine monastery or in the Vatican accessible and interesting. His reflections are a no-holds-barred recollection of the significant events in his life. He spares himself no criticism while trying to explain just how everything fell into place in his life. Anyone would enjoy reading this book, but I want to recommend it to three specific groups:
If you consider yourself any kind of Catholic or if you are fascinated by the inner workings of the Vatican, perhaps after reading the Da Vinci Code, then you need to read this book, if only for the wealth of information contained in it. Buy it. It’s expensive, but worth every cent.
If you lived anywhere in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee while Archbishop Weakland was in office (1977-2002), then you will also find the many revelations fascinating. Buy this book.
To my writer friends: If you are a writer, even if you have no particular interest in or affection for religion, you should read this book. So many of our characters end up as little, one-dimensional, convenient stick figures. Archbishop Weakland is maddeningly complex, highly intelligent, well-educated, and insightful regarding many things and infuriatingly clueless and boneheaded stupid about others. He means well so often and yet blurts out the occasional tactless insult. He is fearless about standing up for what he believes and yet timidly gives in to a blackmailer’s demands. It is impossible to dislike him even while you are rolling your eyes at some of his obviously wrongheaded decisions. Once you have analyzed the contradictory archbishop, you will have enough material for at least ten new and different characters. Archbishop Weakland’s descriptions and analyses of the Vatican provide the best explanation for the survival of bureaucracies that I have ever read. Anyone who wants to have a bureaucracy as a character or a setting in a story needs to read this, if only to understand how a long-lived bureaucracy is a perpetual motion machine, one that sucks in its energy from the outside.
So, writer friends, go to your closest library (You’re a writer; therefore you are well aware of the help you can get from your local library) and beg them to acquire this book so that you can check it out. It’s too expensive for you to buy, but you would benefit from reading it.
My rating for the book: an obvious five stars. Take the (significant amount of) time to read it.
You won’t regret it!
July 4, 2010
This is a difficult book to review.
This book is difficult to review and probably appeals to a small audience.
If you want to learn how the hierarchy of the Catholic Church makes decisions you may want to read this book. Be forewarned that what you read may upset you, make you angry, inspire you, educate you, motivate you to work for change in the Church or drop out.
It is basically the autobiography by Rembert Weakland, former archbishop of Milwaukee. Born in the United States he rose quickly through his religious order. This required his traveling to seemingly every country in the world. He lived in Rome for several years and worked closely with the curia, hierarchy, bishops, cardinals and popes. He was excited about and very instrumental in helping with the reforms enacted with Vatican II. Like many Catholics, he was very disheartended by the reactionary curia and popes who began to ignore and dismantle many of the reforms of Vatican II before some of it could even be implemented.
I gave the book 5 stars because 70% of the book was so good. The other 30% I'd give 1 star. Unless the reader is interested in Weakland's family, childhood, schooling or music training, I would suggest skippping this part and pick up the story in the 1960's.
This book is difficult to review and probably appeals to a small audience.
If you want to learn how the hierarchy of the Catholic Church makes decisions you may want to read this book. Be forewarned that what you read may upset you, make you angry, inspire you, educate you, motivate you to work for change in the Church or drop out.
It is basically the autobiography by Rembert Weakland, former archbishop of Milwaukee. Born in the United States he rose quickly through his religious order. This required his traveling to seemingly every country in the world. He lived in Rome for several years and worked closely with the curia, hierarchy, bishops, cardinals and popes. He was excited about and very instrumental in helping with the reforms enacted with Vatican II. Like many Catholics, he was very disheartended by the reactionary curia and popes who began to ignore and dismantle many of the reforms of Vatican II before some of it could even be implemented.
I gave the book 5 stars because 70% of the book was so good. The other 30% I'd give 1 star. Unless the reader is interested in Weakland's family, childhood, schooling or music training, I would suggest skippping this part and pick up the story in the 1960's.
April 6, 2016
When this book first came out, someone whose opinion I respected at the time told me he had read it and found it completely self-serving. As a result, I didn't read it then but it kept appearing on bookstore shelves and capturing my attention. Having come over the years to question that reviewer's judgment in other areas, I decided to read it and am very glad I did.
This is a book everyone in leadership, regardless of the context, needs to read. I found it to be honest, compelling, and the product of decades of experience in leadership. Archbishop Weakland is unafraid to chronicle both his successes and his failures, and offers critical insights into both from both a leadership and a spiritual perspective. It's also an interesting look at the social history of the last half of the twentieth century in America that brought forth many memories from days gone by - and lessons, as well. Highly recommended.
This is a book everyone in leadership, regardless of the context, needs to read. I found it to be honest, compelling, and the product of decades of experience in leadership. Archbishop Weakland is unafraid to chronicle both his successes and his failures, and offers critical insights into both from both a leadership and a spiritual perspective. It's also an interesting look at the social history of the last half of the twentieth century in America that brought forth many memories from days gone by - and lessons, as well. Highly recommended.
October 9, 2009
Being from Milwaukee and missing our former archbishop's pastoral leadership, I had to read this book. He deals with his horrid "loss of name" openly and honestly from the very beginning, but it is the rest of the book that reminds us that this was a truly wise and holy man who was not afraid to stand up for what he thought was right--namely the Church as Christ meant it to be. I love his style; even all the minute details were eye-opening and educational. I just wonder if those who reject him will allow themselves to read his story and open their hearts to the human being that has written it.
August 4, 2009
Bishop Weakland is good writer when he is passionate about something; falls flat when he is not. His insider look at how the Roman Catholic Church went through the changes inspired by Vatican II and how the Church is sliding backwards since the '80's is very interesting. I would be very interested in reading other such works to complement A Pilgrim In a Pilgrim Church.
Read
October 22, 2016A very interesting insight into the Catholic Church, not quite what I expected, but enjoyable. Always educational to read a biography of a very different life. His take on the politics of the Vatican have informed my interpretation of the (often very poor) reporting on the Vatican in recent years. Another world, right here on our own.
October 23, 2012
This is one of the best books that I have ever read about the history between Vatican II and the early 2000's. The personal perspective of Weakland was invaluable to me. He has become my new hero! Actually, I have never had a hero before so this is a new experience for me.
December 17, 2009
Great insight into the hierarchy of the Church
July 21, 2010
If you ever wondered what happened to the reforms of the second Vatican council, read this version from Archbishop Weakland's point of view.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews