A Critical Look at the Traditions of the Catholic Mass "Critical Mass" by Kathleen M.
Henry, captures the fidelity and the disenchantment, the dedication and the disillusionment that has emerged within the Catholic Church for over nine decades.
Henry uses fictional accounts of intertwined stories of people's lives to expose the impact of the church's unyielding dictates and traditions which are so firmly entrenched within the doctrines of the Catholic Church and the Mass.
During a time in which the world has experienced two world wars, multiple economic crisis's, political power struggles, and scandals within the church, tradition has established a pattern of Papal pronouncements inconsistent with world view and often prejudiced in the eyes of four fictional Catholic women representative of differing time periods.
Ms.
Henry effectively uses time sequences and flashbacks as spot lights to set the stage for her message while juggling a complex plot.
Henry's premise is haunting, her characters believable.
I find it disappointing when a devoted, steadfast follower of Christ becomes so distressed and cynical by the accouterments of religion that they lose heart and denounce their faith.
Henry's fictional account of this tragedy closely parallels reality.
I became so hopelessly engaged in empathy with the characters and the drama of the narrative that felt I was reading a poignant biographical account of real people.
Kathleen Henry as a community ordained priest is certain to receive acclaim as well as criticism for her book "Critical Mass.
" Her work is thought provoking, articulate, and intellectually stimulating.
She has presented the Roman Catholic Church a powerful challenge to re-examine and re-access the deeply engrained traditions, inequities, and unrealistic expectations of their religion of outmoded dogma.
iUniverse, Inc.
, 978-0595524129 As Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
Henry, captures the fidelity and the disenchantment, the dedication and the disillusionment that has emerged within the Catholic Church for over nine decades.
Henry uses fictional accounts of intertwined stories of people's lives to expose the impact of the church's unyielding dictates and traditions which are so firmly entrenched within the doctrines of the Catholic Church and the Mass.
During a time in which the world has experienced two world wars, multiple economic crisis's, political power struggles, and scandals within the church, tradition has established a pattern of Papal pronouncements inconsistent with world view and often prejudiced in the eyes of four fictional Catholic women representative of differing time periods.
Ms.
Henry effectively uses time sequences and flashbacks as spot lights to set the stage for her message while juggling a complex plot.
Henry's premise is haunting, her characters believable.
I find it disappointing when a devoted, steadfast follower of Christ becomes so distressed and cynical by the accouterments of religion that they lose heart and denounce their faith.
Henry's fictional account of this tragedy closely parallels reality.
I became so hopelessly engaged in empathy with the characters and the drama of the narrative that felt I was reading a poignant biographical account of real people.
Kathleen Henry as a community ordained priest is certain to receive acclaim as well as criticism for her book "Critical Mass.
" Her work is thought provoking, articulate, and intellectually stimulating.
She has presented the Roman Catholic Church a powerful challenge to re-examine and re-access the deeply engrained traditions, inequities, and unrealistic expectations of their religion of outmoded dogma.
iUniverse, Inc.
, 978-0595524129 As Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
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