Book Talk on The Francis Effect with author John Gehring
March 10, 2021
7:00 to 8:30 p.m. (ET)
JustFaith Ministry
Please join JustFaith of Holy Family for a virtual conversation on “The Francis Effect” with author John Gehring.
The Francis Effect explores how a church once known as a towering force for social justice became known for a narrow agenda most closely aligned with one political party, and then looks at the opportunities for change in the "age of Francis." Gehring’s bracing critique of an out-of-touch hierarchy, pastoral style when it comes to divisive issues, and humble gestures rejecting the trappings of papal power have changed the conversation about the world's most powerful religious institution.
The first half of the book analyzes the key trends that shaped the Catholic Church over the past century, while the second half looks at the words and actions of Pope Francis, and what they mean for real change. Click here to purchase the book from the Holy Family Gift Shop and Bookstore.
This program will be offered online via the Zoom platform. Please register for this program through Zoom. After registering, you will be sent a confirmation email with a private link to use for joining our conversation on March 10.
There is no registration fee for this program.
John Gehring is the Catholic Program Director at Faith in Public Life. He is the author of The Francis Effect: A Radical Pope’s Challenge to the American Catholic Church. His analysis has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, CNN.com, Time, Politico, Crux, Commonweal, America, and the National Catholic Reporter. His television and radio appearances include MSNBC, Fox, Bloomberg, National Public Radio, and the BBC. A former associate director for media relations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Gehring has been a staff writer at The Catholic Review, The Frederick Gazette, and Education Week. He has contributed essays on Pope Francis and The Future of Catholicism in the United States: The Challenge of Becoming a Church for the Poor (University of San Francisco, Lane Center) and Voting and Holiness: Catholic Perspectives on Political Participation (Paulist Press). He is a contributing editor at Commonweal magazine and an adjunct professor of journalism at American University. Gehring is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s University in Maryland, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in New York City. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his children Sophie and Leo.
Just Faith Ministries was birthed in the effort to invite and prepare people of faith for the life-changing and world-changing call of the Gospel to help heal the world and, in so doing, experience a deeper faith, a more fulfilling life, and a community of care and vitality.” – Jack Jezreel, Founder
Formed in January 2015, the JustFaith group at Holy Family started with 15 individuals on a 27-week journey of study and discussion based on the JustFaith Ministries nationwide program, which is designed to gain an understanding of the root causes of many of our broken social systems in the US and abroad. Topics included poverty, racism, immigration and refugees, homelessness and more.
Since completing the program, the group has opened its arms to the broader faith community at Holy Family and volunteers in areas of poverty, racism, immigration, women’s mental health and prison reform. In addition to a variety of volunteer opportunities, the JustFaith group also hosts a variety of events throughout the year to raise public awareness about these issues.
We continue to welcome members of the Holy Family Faith Community to become involved in our Just Faith efforts in any manner they feel called. Please contact Charley Herbert or Karen Herbert for more information.