| Arts & Entertainment

Set in a nondescript manufacturing company, the story is that of Derek, one of the company's best sales people. Concerned about unresolved personal issues – including his relationship with his wife and children, the manner in which he spends his time away from work, and temptations of life on the road – Derek consults with Tom, a longtime acquaintance who works in the same company.

Unlike Derek, Tom's priorities include faith and church attendance. Tom introduces his troubled co-worker to others in the company who have struggled, or who continue to struggle. They talk to Derek about faith and the practice of it and, as a result, Derek changes his life.

The result is a cross between stories in Guideposts magazine and episodes of "Touched by an Angel" – and that's a compliment! Different readers will relate to differing facets in Derek's simple story and the stories of the people he encounters. No deep meanings or hidden symbolisms that require deciphering and discussions – rather, it's a story about how much better life is when one's faith is lived. Phelps, associate publisher of The Observer, newspaper of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., has written a story that engages readers and inspires them in a subtle, nonpreachy way. It's a nudge, an examination of where one is, where one should want to go.

Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church, by Russell Shaw, explains in welcome detail how the laity's mission in the Catholic Church is defined. Shaw provides a short course in the laity's roles throughout church history, and examines those roles in the post-Vatican II church.

The thoroughness, including much documentation from literature, papal writings, the documents of Vatican II, and canon law, will be appreciated by laity who ask, "What have I, as a Catholic, been called to do?" and "How do I live my faith in such a way that it will make a positive impact upon the culture in which I live?"

Shaw's attention to what the church teaches about lay spirituality and vocation will serve readers well as they discern – either individually or in groups – their roles. The content and organization of the 12 chapters in the book make it a good choice for parish-based faith-sharing groups. Shaw has had a long career in Catholic communications including serving as director of information for the U.S. bishops' conference in Washington. He is a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and teaches at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth, by Father Richard John Neuhaus, lacks the inspiration of The Believer's Edge and the how-to practicality of Catholic Laity. Father Neuhaus lectures readers on how the church under Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI is providing the faithful with guidance.

Father Neuhaus is a former Lutheran pastor who became a Catholic priest in 1991. He is the founder of the Institute for Religion and Public Life and editor-in-chief of its journal, First Things.

With any lecture, one can expect asides. In Father Neuhaus' lecture, the asides are snipes at those whose ecclesiology he does not share. In a chapter titled "The Center Holds," he writes of the Jesuits: "They are still loyal, but they bring a futurist twist of discontinuant devising." After quoting one bishop, identified only as "a bishop who belongs to the shrinking liberal caucus that was led by Archbishop Rembert Weakland," he writes, "Never mind that the bishop presides over a dispirited diocese of zero vocations, declining Mass attendance, closed schools, and an epidemic of scandals. Never mind that he hasn't read a serious book of theology for 20 years or that his ascertains about the Christian message contain no reference to Christ."

Father Neuhaus is a devoted, well-schooled servant of the church whose analysis would be more appreciated if its presentation were void of sarcasm and disdain for those he puts down. In Catholic Matters it should matter how one treats those with whom he disagrees.

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Olszewski is executive editor and general manager of the Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.