A Radical Faith

September 12, 2016
In this irresistible biography, investigative journalist Markey pays homage to Maryknoll sister Maura Clarke, a missionary who became a household name in the United States when she and three fellow church workers—Jean Donovan, Dorothy Kazel, and Ita Ford—were murdered by El Salvadoran security forces on December 2, 1980 (four of the over 7,500 casualties of that country’s brutal 12-year civil war). Through interviews, Clarke’s extensive personal correspondence,
government and Maryknoll records, and contemporary news coverage of the murders, Markey reconstructs the personal and geopolitical contexts of Sister Maura’s work among the poor and disenfranchised in the United States, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Born in 1931, Sister Maura grew up in an era of Catholic nationalism and anti-communism. She joined the Maryknoll order (in part because she yearned for adventure) after completing high school, experienced the upheaval of Vatican II, and was profoundly influenced by the liberation theology and grassroots practice of her fellow missionaries in Nicaragua and El Salvador. Her death made headlines, but Sister Maura’s life story shows how political engagement informed by faith does not always map neatly onto national and international agendas. At times, Markey’s driving question—“How did this woman get here?”—seems to remove Sister Maura from the long history of social justice activism within the Christian tradition. Yet overall, the work is a moving portrait of one woman’s determination to do what she could to heal a broken world.

The biography of a Catholic nun who was murdered while trying to help those in need.Raised in an Irish Catholic family in Queens, New York, Maura Clarke's decision to join the Maryknoll sisters and dedicate her life to working as a missionary for God came as no real surprise to her family and friends. "What drove Maura toward the convent was not a desire for safety or rigidity," writes investigative journalist Markey, "but a sense of purpose, a desire to do practical good in the world and to lead a life that was big, significant, meaningful." In 1959, Clarke accepted her first posting in Siuna, Nicaragua, where the locals were fighting against abject poverty under the Somoza regime. After several years there, Clarke had a short stint back in the United States before being reassigned to El Salvador, another country whose residents were battling for freedom under a strict government. The author ably blends the personal story of Clarke's life and dedication to her belief in God and her work with the changes in procedures that have taken place in the Catholic Church in the past 60 years as well as the political, cultural, and societal upheavals that Clarke experienced in the foreign countries to which she was assigned. The combination of elements brings excitement, tension, and compassion to an overlooked story that illuminates the courage and dedication of the sisters toward their fellow humans while highlighting the cruelty and senseless violence that have plagued Latin America for decades. For anyone interested in learning more about the multiple civil wars in Central America and the roles the American government and these Catholic sisters have had in encouraging change, this book is a great choice. Rich details and solid storytelling convey one nun's story of her dedication to God and her fellow humans. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 15, 2016

Investigative journalist Markey's debut biography documents the work and martyrdom of Maryknoll Sister Maura Clarke (1931-80) and the impact of her death. The daughter of Irish immigrants, Sister Maura was raised in an era in which "the patriotism and the Catholicism were assertive...and intermixed." Her family's historical involvement in the Irish Catholic/Protestant battles fostered her devotion to fighting oppression through the Catholic Maryknoll missionary organization. Although also posted domestically, she is best known for her international work in Nicaragua and El Salvador. In both countries, the military dictators felt Catholics were "subversive...because they side with the poor." Ultimately, this viewpoint led to the El Salvadoran state-sponsored murder of Sister Maura and three nuns in 1980. Partial justice for the families took 35 years. Markey "seeks to put [Maura] back in context...to make her whole again." She achieves this through church records and the nun's extensive personal correspondence, which document her complete devotion to missionary service. In addition to complementing Penny Lernoux's Hearts on Fire, this fills a biographical vacuum. Although it may find limited secular readership, Sister Maura's story is powerful yet ultimately devastating. VERDICT An absorbing, if specific, account of tragedy at the intersection between faith and politics.--Jessica Bushore, Xenia, OH

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
The assassination of an American nun in El Salvador in December 1980 shocked the world and caused vehement questioning of American policies in Latin America. Sister Maura has since become a symbol, but it's the real woman behind the headlines the author wants readers to know. Drawing on extensive interviews with the sister's family and friends as well as her own letters, Markey offers a richly detailed, loving portrait of a daughter of Irish immigrants plagued by doubt but committed to the poor with whom she lived. Markey follows Maura's journey to becoming a nun and her eventual conviction that serving God meant identifying with the poor and oppressed. Although sometimes bordering on hagiography, the book provides a portrayal of a woman totally committed to the call of God, alongside a thorough presentation of the politically tumultuous world the sister inhabited. Although Sister Maura might be surprised that her humble life merited a whole book, readers will be galvanized and moved by her story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)