Communion of Literati

Calling the poets, novelists, and artists

In her piece celebrating the flourishing Catholic imagination, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell concludes with Walker Percy’s observation about writers:

There is no occupation in the universe that is lonelier, and at the same time depends more radically on a community, a commonwealth of other writers . . . As lonely as is the craft of writing, it is the most social of vocations.

When the Catholic Imagination Conference convenes every couple of years, the weekend is full of energy and excitement. As O’Donnell intimates in her write-up of the 2019 Loyola Chicago Conference, the gathering imitates Sabbath: “All of us brought gifts with us to the Sabbath Feast—our poems and plays, stories and novels, films and memoirs, biographies and journals, essays and lectures—artistic creations of every kind. We lay these on the table for all to partake of and enjoy.”

For some, this fourth iteration will be their first attendance at the event. Shemaiah Gonzalez (author of Brian Doyle: Finding God in the Ordinary), for instance, will be pointing our attention to the late Catholic writer Brian Doyle.

In 2017, Doyle passed away at 60 from a brain tumor, leaving behind nearly a dozen works of Catholic literature—prose, poetry, and novels. That same year, Presence Journal released a pre-recorded interview with the author, in which he describes the effect of the Church on his writing:

“my work is immensely informed by Catholicism—the theater of ritual, the chant and music and chime and ring of it; the smoke and mystery and prevalence of miracle; the naked belief in the miracle of the moment…. the swing and chant and pace and rhythm of the Mass is in my bones—the call and response, the story and the meal, the holding hands, the speaking as one as a body, the clunk of kneelers and the shuffles of communicants…”

Doyle evokes necessity of worship for the writer and the reliance on a faith that reminds us of our embodied nature. His poetic imagination is stoked by the Church—its liturgy, practice, cosmos; he doesn’t have to mention theology.

For others, this fourth event will be a reunion spanning the past eight years. We will enjoy one another’s gifts, read each other’s books, and break bread at the same table. We are doing a good work in bringing together all these like-hearted souls devoted to beauty, to the arts, and to the faith.

As you prepare for contemplating on the Catholic imagination, consider subscribing to Church Life Journal and reading their many articles that delve into what the Catholic imagination looks like. Follow Catholic Culture Cast or Sacred & Profane Love Podcast to meet some of these writers virtually prior to engaging them at the event. Or, attend a seminar through Dappled Things and Collegium Institute where you’ll have the opportunity to read Catholic novels, such as The Diary of a Country Priest.

Whether this is your first Catholic Imagination Conference or your fourth, you are welcome at this communion of saints. Please do spread the word!