The Grace of Everyday Saints

July 11, 2011
In this David versus Goliath narrative, award-winning San Francisco Chronicle reporter Julian Guthrie tells the story of a small group of everyday Catholics who daredâfor more than a decadeâto challenge the official Roman Catholic hierarchy's decision to close their historic parish church, St. Brigid, in San Francisco. The diocese insisted the closure was a response to the expense of repairs to an aging church and declining membership. But as parishioners dug deeper, they gradually discovered a darker set of motives. Describing machinations going all the way to the top tiers of the Vatican, Guthrie suggests that St. Brigid, sitting on a valuable piece of San Francisco real estate and with $700,000 in cash in the bank, was targeted for liquidation to pay for the hidden crimes of priests. A gripping story with a compelling if somewhat complicated cast of characters, this book paints lay Catholics as heroesâand is unlikely to be popular with the Catholic hierarchy.

July 15, 2011

A dramatic David vs. Goliath account of a church under siege by its own power structure.

San Francisco Chronicle journalist Guthrie begins with the unexpected 1994 closure of St. Brigid Catholic Church, a beautiful landmark built more than a century ago by Irish immigrants in one of San Francisco's busiest areas. The closure did not make sense—the magnificent Romanesque building had survived earthquakes, fire and both World Wars, and boasted 21 active parish groups and nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in funds—but the Catholic leadership ordered it closed nonetheless. Along came the faithful—people like Lily Wong, a blind woman who knew the exact number of steps it took to get from her house to St. Brigid's—and their vigilant struggle to have the church reopened. Guthrie's exhaustive research and interviews with more than 75 parishioners delve below the surface, and allow her to paint a striking portrait of their struggle and strength. Led by unlikely saints such as Father O, an offbeat priest who waved a white towel while urging parishioners to not "throw in the towel," they kept a candle burning and petitioned for a decade to save their beloved St. Brigid. The odds seemed insurmountable and faith-shaking. Some of the people, like Carmen Esteva, originally held church officials' decisions in godlike reverence; she later became the group's spiritual leader. Through myriad twists and turns, Guthrie's smoothly written narrative uncovers powerful church secrets—and a pillar of community faith.

Engaging proof that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

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