The Berrigan Letters: Personal Correspondence between Daniel and Philip Berrigan ed. by Daniel Cosacchi and Eric Martin (review)

This convenient anthology surveys a modest portion of the existing correspondence between radical Catholic activists Daniel and Philip Berrigan. The sixty-two year correspondence spans from 1940, when Daniel, a Jesuit novice, and Philip, a high-school student, were in their teens, until Philip's death in 2002 at age 79. The bulk of the letters covers the evolution of their resistance to war and militarism in draft-board raids and plowshares actions, an era that stretches from the late 1960s through the end of the twentieth century.

Cosacchi and Martin have chosen less than twenty-five percent of the more than two thousand items written by the brothers to each other. To guide their selections, the editors chose seven themes, including brotherly love, activism, prison, church, and extended family. The letters follow chronologically with minimal editorial notations. Ellipses in some of the letters indicate cuts made by the editors to avoid repetition or insignificant content. Reflecting archival holdings—the originals are housed in the vast Berrigan archives at Cornell and DePaul universities—the anthology contains more of Philip's writings, many of which document his experiences during multiple imprisonments for resistance to war and weapons of mass destruction.

The letters reveal tectonic shifts in the Berrigans' perspectives on lived faith and their relationship with each other. Early letters document Daniel's attraction to the rigorous traditional Jesuit formation and his paternal counseling of his younger brother to seek a Jesuit education and to consider a religious vocation. Letters from the early through mid-1960s, an era of global ferment, reveal limitations imposed by religious superiors on speech, writing, and activism pertaining to their vision of role of the church in the world and the meaning of priesthood as well as Christian citizenship. Each discerned initiatives that expanded the role of priest beyond the confines of the sanctuary. Daniel's letter of October 11 [1965] (28–30) is an outstanding example. As tensions with church authorities rocketed over the Berrigans' desire to contribute to a visible prophetic Christian witness, their fraternal bond intensified. From the late sixties through the nineties the correspondence documents their dedication to resisting American wars and the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction. The planning of their acts of resistance, not surprisingly, receives minimal attention, however the letters provide insight into their trials, support community, and prison experiences. The letters of recent decades discuss extended family, community, and health and continue to express profound faith in Divine Providence, as stated in Philip's letter of October 20 [1999] that "the Lord is good, and caring for us in unimaginable ways" (306).

This volume supplements an expansive Berrigan bibliography. Readers familiar with the Berrigans' activism might choose to read the letters from cover to cover. For others, dipping into the volume will answer a few essential questions. Why did they embrace war resistance? What did they hope to accomplish? Was their resistance truly faith based? How did they sustain themselves?

From a historian's perspective, these letters document the development of Christian faith over the course of more than half a century in the scripture-driven activism of the brothers. A significant, yet underappreciated, chapter in the history of American Catholicism, the Berrigans' resistance to war and militarism needs to be remembered from generation to generation. For these reasons, the volume deserves a place in every public and academic library. However, the collection of letters presents daunting challenges. At times, the use of slang and coded language by the brothers impedes entrée into their world. The inclusion of a chronology and a robust biographical essay would have provided essential historical context. Additionally, each reader must grapple with questions raised by celebrity/notoriety and the availability of alternate forms of communication during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries and their effects on what the Berrigans did and did not commit to paper...