The Radical Gospel of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton by Peter Feuerherd

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Radical Gospel of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton by Peter Feuerherd Daniel Cosacchi The Radical Gospel of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. By Peter Feuerherd . Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2019. 120 pp. $18.00. The Radical Gospel of Bishop Thomas Gumbleton . By Peter Feuerherd. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2019. 120 pp. $18.00. With the death of Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen in July 2018, no U.S. Catholic bishop had been in the episcopal office longer than Bishop Thomas Gumbleton. Yet, longevity is only one aspect of Gumbleton's life, which entered its ninety-first year on January 26, 2020. Other aspects, which Peter Feuerherd examines in this text, are part and parcel of what it means to live the life of a Christian. This book is the third such book from the publisher (Orbis Books) in recent years pertaining to radical bishops of the peace movement. Others who have been featured are Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen (A Still and Quiet Conscience, 2015) and Bishop Walter Sullivan (The Good Bishop, 2013). Unlike these two other fine volumes, "this book [on Gumbleton] is not a comprehensive biography" (6). Nevertheless, it produces substantive fare—biographical, historical, ecclesial, and prophetic—within its pages. Faithful readers of Gumbleton's weekly homilies in the National Catholic Reporter (author Feuerherd's employer) will not be surprised by much of what they read in these pages. As Feuerherd quoted Gumbleton's longtime friend, Father Norman Thomas, Gumbleton "never learned how to speak bishopese" (66). This manifests itself in a number of ways in Gumbleton's life. When headlines reported on his 2006 testimony before the Ohio House of Representatives, his active ministry in the Catholic Church was effectively ended for violation of "the communio Episcoporum, the 'communion of bishops'. … My 'crime' was to offer a different perspective [from the Michigan bishops]" (109). The truth is that Gumbleton frequently offered a different perspective than his brother bishops. Even though, by his own admission, he was late to embrace the civil rights movement, "his contribution of $500 to a group with a reputation for militancy earned him an entry in what would become a growing FBI file" (41). One of the most entertaining anecdotes of this volume was Feuerherd's recounting of how Daniel Berrigan was able to convince Gumbleton, through [End Page 91] accusatory rhetoric, to take part in actions of nonviolent civil disobedience in response to war. Gumbleton did not take kindly to the request: "It made me somewhat angry and upset. I thought I was being judged unfairly" (46). Nearly a half-century later, at Berrigan's funeral, Gumbleton was the sole member of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy who concelebrated the funeral liturgy of the famous peacemaker who had eventually become his close friend. Another conversion in Gumbleton's life was his work with the LGBTQ+ community. This conversion was initiated by Gumbleton's brother Dan announcing to the family that he was gay and by their mother's ensuing question: "Is Dan going to hell?" (91). In the years since Gumbleton was asked that heartbreaking question, he has been one of the only bishops whose ministry has been almost universally lauded by gay rights groups. But it is also a ministry for which Gumbleton has paid a price within the church, causing him becoming persona non grata in some dioceses. Perhaps because this book was so interesting, the reader may feel in need of more information. This reviewer, for one, wished the last chapter was augmented by answers to some key questions that remain. Two come to mind immediately, with respect to activities that Gumbleton has ceased. First, "ever since the 1990s, Gumbleton had grown increasingly disillusioned with the wider body of bishops. He no longer felt it was valuable to attend the annual meetings" (103). Many would disagree, and believe that Gumbleton's is precisely the voice the bishops most need to hear, especially at such a time as this, when faith in the episcopal leadership is so low. Second, Gumbleton has discontinued his civil disobedience, believing instead that "we have to come out with a new strategy" (105). It would have been fascinating to hear some of his ideas for what such a shift would...