A Catechism of the Heart

An ex-Jesuit’s memoir about love of self and others in the era of Pope Francis and the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo Movements

In A Catechism of the Heart, Benjamin Brenkert, a former Jesuit studying for the priesthood and gay man, shares his story of loving God, leaving a homophobic Church, and finally reconciling his sexuality and his faith.

As a kid in a working-class town on Long Island, Benjamin Brenkert’s faith burned brightly and the Church was a welcome shelter from a troubled home. Before he was in his mid-twenties he was on his way to becoming a Jesuit priest—what he believed was his ultimate vocation. The rigors of the order and the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience were snags for some of his counterparts, but for him, there was only one problem: he was a gay man who loved the teachings of Jesus and the mission of the Jesuits, but deplored the bigotry of the Church.


In A CATECHISM OF THE HEART: A JESUIT MISSIONED TO THE LAITY (Resource Publications, July 2020, paperback) Brenkert shares his moving story and calls for sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church.

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Contact

Lorna Garano
[email protected]
(510) 759-6655

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