Book Reviews2 Calming the Storm: How Catholics can renew their understanding of Church teaching

Feb 10, 2022

Catholics are dealing with many complex problems that often leave them confused about the authentic interpretation of Catholic teaching. Enter Fr. Gerald E. Murray, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York serving as pastor of the Church of the Holy Family in Manhattan, the parish serving the headquarters of the UN. He is a canon lawyer and a guest commentator on religious news on EWTN and other media outlets.

Vatican journalist Diane Montagna conducts a wide-ranging and trenchant interview with Fr.  Murray to bring us "Calming the Storm: Navigating the Crises Facing the Catholic Church and Society,"  to provide understanding of the Church’s teachings on issues such as:

- The indissolubility of marriage

- Homosexuality and gender ideology

- The worthy reception of Holy Communion

- The horror of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy

- The responsibility of bishops to uphold—not contradict—the Catholic faith

- The duty of all Catholics to remain faithful to the teachings handed down from the apostles

Fr. Murray’s analysis highlights that while Christianity seems under siege in the modern world, our faith teaches us to have confidence in God’s never-failing providence. 

Ordained a priest in 1984, he has served in parishes in the Bronx and Manhattan and was a chaplain for eleven years in the United States Naval Reserve. He studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from 1993 to 1997, being awarded a doctorate in 1998. 

The publishers do justice to remind readers that "renewing our minds and hearts in the truths that Christ and His Church teaches us brings true peace of soul. Amidst the maelstrom of doctrinal confusion and worldliness in the Church, Christ alone calms the storm when, like the Apostles, we turn to him in confidence and faith".

"Calming the Storm: Navigating the Crises Facing the Catholic Church and Society" - St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology