Guardian of America: The Life of James Martin Gillis, C.S.P. by Richard Gribble, C.S.C. (review)

330book reviews and ideals of the pioneers who have gone before us. While we have done well in liturgical renewal, there is still a great deal to be accomplished. Robert L.Tuzik Mount Prospect, Illinois Guardian ofAmerica: The Life offames Martin Gillis, C.S.P. By Richard Gribble , C.S.C. (NewYork; Mahwah, NewJersey: Paulist Press. 1998. Pp. iv, 368. $22.95 paperback.) To underscore his belief that the "art of biography" had fallen on hard times, the renowned biographer Lytton Strachey once observed that "we do not reflect that it is perhaps as difficult to write a good life as to live one." Father Richard Gribble's life ofJames Martin Gillis, C.S.P., ably demonstrates that, all difficulties notwithstanding, the art of biography is not dead, and still serves as a fine vehicle for iUuminating both the particular and the universal lessons of the past. In the chronicles of American Catholicism, the contribution of Gillis, surely one of the leading clergymen of his time and the outstanding representative of his Paulist community, has been insufficiently appreciated by historians. (Fittingly , the book was published by the Paulist Press.) Building upon and superseding the earlier biography written byJ. F. Finley C.S.R, forty years ago, Gribble set out to correct that oversight; he has succeeded admirably by writing a prodigiously researched and balanced account of Gillis' life, properly rooted in the rich soil of the American religious landscape during the critical middle years of the twentieth century. Thoroughly analyzing the conflicted life of his subject in all of its facets— missionary, journalist and editor of the Catholic World, syndicated newspaper columnist, and charismatic preacher (in both the traditional pulpit and as a featured speaker on the "Catholic Hour" radio broadcasts)—Father Gribble succinctly summarizes the essential James Martin Gillis as a Paulist priest who "voiced his tightly held convictions in his perceived role as GUARDIAN OF AMERICA." Always controversial and conservative, Gillis projected his personal tensions and demons onto an American society in desperate need of religion. The key to understanding Gillis—and much ofAmerican Catholic history during the tumultuous times of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War—is to be found in his dualistic world view. This dualistic lens was one shared by many of his famous, or infamous, Catholic contemporaries and fellow priests—the parallels between Gillis and the more famous Fulton Sheen come immediately to mind (as noted on the back cover publicity capsule of the book). Unlike Sheen, however, Gillis proved unable to adjust to changing times, calling to mind the less flattering image of the other "radio priest" of the thirties. BOOK REVIEWS331 In both Gillis' writings, and the recollections voiced after his death in 1957, images of warfare and fighting for the Lord abound; the ultimate contest was fought on a battleground which pitted the forces of light and goodness against the forces of darkness and evil. Throughout a long and productive life, James Martin Gillis fought valiantly against myriad manifestations of these forces— Satan, secularism, and Communism—guided by his steadfast faith in Christ and the cross, the "fear of God" as his shield. According to Gribble, these stark images shed light on the private as well as the public life of the Paulist priest. Employing Gillis' own references to the "heart and soul of man as a battleground of Titans" and applying the self-assessed "Jekyll and Hyde" metaphor from Gillis' conflicted mind and soul (between the public and private sides of his personality and spirituality) throughout his book—sometimes to an excessive degree—Father Gribble has written a fine interpretation of this zealous "guardian" of the traditional values of his Church and his nation. Among its greatest strengths is the even-handed yet critical tone which Gribble adopts; acknowledging that Gillis' struggles often bordered on obsession in no way takes away from his appreciation of the significance ofJames Martin Gillis' contribution as a man of profound courage and discipline. In the final analysis, the life of James Martin Gillis gave witness to an exemplary struggle for spiritual renewal —for himself, his Church, and his nation. And students of American Catholicism owe a debt of gratitude to...