Virgin and Martyr

Virgin and Martyr uses the fictional story of a radicalized nun to trace the turbulent changes affecting the Catholic Church in America during the 60s and 70s. The product of an alcoholic family, Cathleen Curran seeks refuge in the cloister. However, life in the cloister proves to be every bit as turbulent as life on the outside. Virgin and Martyr follows Cathy as she is first abused by an authoritarian order locked in the past, set adrift by a church unsure of itself and then abused authoritarian leftists preaching liberation theology in Latin America. After her ambiguous death at the hands of a military junta, her memory and her inheritance become become a battleground between those who loved her and those would control her even after her death. The plot follows the efforts of Cathy's executor and one-time lover as he attempts to solve the mystery of her life and death and hold off the vultures seeking to get their hands on her money. Much of the story is told through letters written by Cathy to her cousin Blackie. The story contrasts Cathy's pinball-like trajectory through various forms of Catholic and post-Catholic extremism with Blackie's maturing faith as a seminarian and priest. Cathy is very much the example of what was done to the church, while Blackie exemplifies the Church's resilience and ageless strength. In many ways, this is a harsh book. The emotional abuse suffered by Cathy, and at times inflicted by her on her loved ones, is no less painful than her apparent dismemberment by chainsaw at the hands of right wing goons. However, the terrible suffering she endures is contrasted with the love shown by her relatives and friends who remain as constant in their faith is she is turbulent in hers. The characters vary from those drawn in intense detail with subtle shadings to one-dimensional villains who exist primarily to move the plot along. Virgin and Martyr was written by Father Greeley during one of his most prolific and innovative periods. This book stands the test of time compared to some of his more recent work. For a reader wanting to appreciate the pure genius which was once embodied by Father Greeley, this is a good place to start.

This was the first book I ever read by Andrew M. Greeley, and it might have been the best. In 1994 there was a certain teenaged satisfaction in reading a book that totally ticked off the prudes among my classmates in Catholic school, although with a few Greeley novels under my proverbial belt, I honestly can't see why so many Catholics get their knickers in a twist over what Greeley writes. This Chicago Irishman seems to genuinely revere his Church and uphold its institutions. True he may be slanted a bit toward the "progressive" wing of the Church, but I've never read him writing anything heretical or damaging to the institution. Annnnnyway, this novel is about Blackie Ryan, Greeley's alter-ego, a Chicago priest with a rapier wit, a keen eye for observation, and a brain the size of St. Peter's Basilica. Ryan solves mysteries and hears Confessions daily before brunch. Okay, I'm exaggerating for levity's sake, but the truth is, Ryan is a satisfyingly fun character in Greeley's simple little stories. Reading one of these books is a lot like eating chocolates or watching Desperate Housewives (not that I do that...welllll, the chocolate part, mebbe) meaning it gives some satisfaction and doesn't really hurt anyone. So in this novel, Ryan's cousin, the lovely `black Irish' Cathy has gone missing from her post at a South American convent, where a recent revolution has replaced the regime of a brutal leftist dictator with a democratic government. Ryan and an attorney friend (who is in love with Cathy) go to the nation (which was invented by Joseph Conrad for his thriller `Nostromo') and seek the truth about whether Cathy is truly dead. The bitter fact is that Cathy has lived an intense and tragic life, turning down a chance at love in order to fulfill her mother's vicarious dream of a life in holy orders. Cathy was reportedly tortured and murdered by the leftists fighters, who hate Christianity, but Ryan has his doubts: although these same doubts may be no more than wishful thinking that spares him from facing the terrible death of a beloved relative. Meanwhile, an unscrupulous Catholic social leader back in Chicago is capitalizing on Cathy's apparent murder in order to fund his own ends. This man is whipping up grassroots support among Chicago's Irish faithful to petition the Vatican to take up the case of Cathy's sainthood, based on her status as virgin and martyr (though one or both of those titles might be misplaced, as some inside the novel know). The story flashes back and forth from the pre-Vatican II world of Chicago's Catholic orthodoxy, to the Reagan years with their Central American intrigues against Marxist insurgents, and the eventual answer to whether the titular "Saint Cathy of Chicago, Virgin and Martyr" is truly dead is finally delivered on a silver platter. (Those who have read this novel will catch that pun.) All in all this is a fine light read that keeps you guessing till the end and along the way sketches a portrait of life a

This is one of the early Blackie Ryan stories. The main character is his cousin Cathy Collins and her beau(no other word quite fits)Nick Curran. In spite of being in love with Nick, she becomes a nun to please her rabidly religious mother(it doesn't please her, but then nothing does). After many twists and turns, she is reported missing in South America and is presumed dead after some horrific torture. Blackie and Nick are sure that she has survived however and are determined to find her before her inheritance is given away to the insane priest who sold her to her torturers.This novel answers alot of questions I had about Cathy Curran. Her time as a nun and tortures in SA are alluded to in many of the Blackie novels, but I was unable to find this book until recently. Great Book!

Since I wrote the review below (as [email protected]), my theological beliefs have undergone a radical change - and I do mean radical. To the point where I now think of Father Greeley, not as liberal, but as conservative. Go figure ... God works in mysterious ways Her wonders to perform. Yet this book, and Father Greeley himself, remain part of those wonders, in my opinion!

Let me say right up front that I'm not crazy about Father Greeley's theology -- he's way too liberal for my taste. I try really hard not to read his books but this one was hard to resist. It shows Father Greeley at his best (in my opinion) -- "Cath" is a wonderful, vulnerable character who struggles to find her true vocation during the turbulent 60's. As I said above, I really disagree with his "take" on what happened to the Church during that time -- but I can't deny the fact that this is an EXCELLENT novel by a writer at the top of his form!