Book Review: ‘Catholic Heroes of Civil and Human Rights: 1800s to the Present’

“The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a social vision for society.” (USCCB) 

Civil and human rights are designed to protect this inherent dignity and equality of all human beings. And the rights themselves have needed protecting, with a new book highlighting Catholic men and women at the heart of that quest through recent centuries.

The book, “Catholic Heroes of Civil and Human Rights,” is co-authored by Matthew Daniels, distinguished law professor at Anderson University, and Roxanne King, freelance writer. By reading this interesting book we learn the biographies of 16 heroic Catholic men and women who, motivated by faith, persevered through extreme adversity to defend civil and human rights in the United States during the period of the 1800s to the present.

The content of the book is organized under the “Pillars” of the natural law foundation of human rights. The “Pillars” are freedom, perseverance, hope, justice and conscience. These “Pillars” are crucial to the work of social justice and are exemplified by the inspiring work of those profiled in the book.

Under each “Pillar” are two or three short biographical stories of individuals who achieved extraordinary deeds in protecting the dignity and rights of people.

There are stories on Pierre Toussaint, a formally enslaved man who used his wealth and influence to purchase the freedom of other slaves; Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle, a pioneer in the fight against segregation and racial justice; and Dorothy Day, best known for integrating social activism and Catholic religious traditions by providing aid to the poor, educating others on social injustices, and creating reform social structures.

There are also stories about Saint Katharine Drexel, Saint Teresa of Calcutta and other lay and religious heroes.

“The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society.” (USCCB – Rights and Responsibilities)

These stories offer hope and inspiration for the work we must do in protecting the dignity and rights of all people. Perhaps we can gain understanding for our responsibility for protecting the civil and human rights of every citizen by pondering on Pope Francis’s statement, “The world exists for everyone, because all of us were born with the same dignity. Differences of color, religion, talent, place of birth or residence, and so many others, cannot be used to justify the privileges of some over the rights of all. As a community, we have an obligation to ensure that every person lives with dignity and has sufficient opportunities for his or her integral development.” (Pope Francis, “On Fraternity and Social Friendship” [Fratelli Tutti], No. 118) 

You may, like me, find it to be a humbling experience reading about the deeds performed by the heroes in the book, but the vision for a moral society calls for each of us to do what we can to advance civil and human rights. By God’s grace we will make a difference!

John Dolezal is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.