Patterns of Episcopal Leadership

Patterns of Episcopal Leadership, edited by Gerald P Fogarty, SJ, 249 pages

 

The first in the six volume Makers of the Catholic Community series, tracing the development of the Catholic Church in the United States from 1789 to 1989, Patterns of Episcopal Leadership studies the lives and personalities of selected American bishops from John Carroll of Baltimore (first Catholic bishop in the US, ordained in 1789) to John Patrick Cardinal Cody of Chicago (died in 1982).  The influence of Cody's successor, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, is felt strongly in this book, as his mentor, Bishop Paul Hallinan of Atlanta, is profiled as the archetype of the postconciliar bishop, even as Cody is quietly criticized.

 

Unfortunately, this book's lack of a strong unifying theme is ultimately unsatisfying.  The biographical essays are too long for encyclopedic reference, too short for real understanding.  There's nothing positively wrong with this book, but it lacks insight and impact.