Entrepreneur, Defender of the Faith, Teacher, Writer, Speaker, Leader Follow the journey from a small-town, horse-riding pastor ... ... to one of the most influential prelates in the history of the United States. Read how he: Stood toe-to-toe against anti-Catholic preachers at tent meetings and worked to keep the Klu Klux Klan from gaining influence in his town Penned a series of religious education pamphlets for his parishioners, which led to his founding Our Sunday Visitor, one of the largest Catholic publishing houses in the world Began Our Sunday Visitor Offering Envelopes and Our Sunday Visitor Institute Played a central role in the founding of the Catholic Press Association, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the Legion of Decency Assisted in launching NBC radio's "Catholic Hour" with then-Father Fulton J. Sheen Faithfully met the needs of his own growing diocese from starting a Catholic Charities to aid families devastated by the Depression to becoming a brick-and-mortar bishop following World War II; from confirming 133,000 people and ordaining 500 priests to -- even in his later years -- taking the time to hold Sunday evening information sessions in the Fort Wayne cathedral to teach the Catholic Faith. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1875, John Noll was raised in a time when Catholic Americans were considered suspect, if not actual second-class citizens. Ordained in 1898, Father John Noll began his priesthood in an era when basic Catholic teachings were barely known by many members of the Church, and were often ridiculed and misrepresented by non-members. By helping both groups learn the truths of the Faith, he shaped his ministry, his legacy through Our Sunday Visitor, and the Catholic Church as a whole, in the United States.

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A personal examination of the Catholic faith, its leaders, and its complicated history by a National Book Award–winning, New York Times-bestselling author. James Carroll turns to the notion of practice—both as a way to learn and a means of improvement—as a lens for this thoughtful and frank look at what it means to be Catholic. He acknowledges the slow and steady transformation of the Church from its darker medieval roots to a more pluralist and inclusive institution, charting along the way stories of powerful Catholic leaders (Pope John XXIII, Thomas Merton, John F. Kennedy) and historical milestones like Vatican II. These individuals and events represent progress for Carroll, a former priest, and as he considers the new meaning of belief in a world that is increasingly as secular as it is fundamentalist, he shows why the world needs a Church that is committed to faith and renewal. “Carroll, a former Catholic priest who wrote of his conflict with his father over the Vietnam War in An American Requiem, revisits and expands on that tension in this spiritual memoir infused with church history . . . Readers who, like Carroll, remain Catholic but wrestle with their church’s positions on moral issues will most appreciate his story.” —Publishers Weekly “Thought-provoking.” —San Francisco Chronicle “[An] engrossing faith memoir . . . a page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews