The Collar: A Year of Striving and Faith Inside a Catholic Seminary

by Jonathan Englert

Book Overview

What does it mean to take up God's work? What motivates a man in these times to leave the secular for the spiritual life? In The Collar, Jonathan Englert finds the answers in the journey of five men toward the priesthood at Milwaukee's Sacred Heart Seminary. Like many modern seminarians these men have chosen a "second career" as priests. With unprecedented access to this closed world, Englert introduces us to a divorced father and avid hunter from...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618872140
• ISBN13: 9780618872145
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Objective - readable - fascinating

What a great book. The high walls of the seminary have always enclosed a mysterious process to most of us. This book tells us how several seminarians thought and felt as they went through the process of becoming priests - - or of almost becoming priests. It is clearly the "real McCoy" - - nothing held back, and nothing exagerated. A documentary as readable as some of the best novels I have every read.

The Collar Goes Inside The Off-Limits World of Seminary!

Don't judge this book by its cover. Even though it's beautifully designed it doesn't begin to reveal the riveting human dramas in the pages of The Collar. You may think you already know alot about priests but I guarantee that if you are like most people you really don't. This book reads like a novel but it is filled with facts and details about what becoming a priest today is all about. It's also a one of a kind book. The author, a journalist, actually had complete, incredible access inside the normally off-limits world of a Catholic seminary. You won't believe some of the things he saw and it will change your mind about priests forever. As a woman, I initially thought that this book wouldn't be something I would be interested in, but I found it page turning since the human stories and the struggles of these men (some widowed and divorced) were told so effectively. As someone down the page wrote...this is one you'll want to have in hardcover!

Inspirational!

This book is worth every penny. I was very impressed by the breadth of the research. Englert clearly uses his background in immersion journalism to give us a new and eye-opening picture of seminary life in America. At a time where seminaries are so misunderstood by popular culture, this is a refreshing read. I would recommend this to any family curioius about the formation of priests today.

Men you can relate to, almost

Unlike similar works, this book introduces you to men you might recognize. They had worldly lives, flaws and attachments. I found this to be an inspiring story of how common men could be something greater through service and sacrifice.

A Real Catholic Blessing

I was quite impressed with THE COLLAR by first time author Jonathan Englert. It's a potent mix of solid research and great writing that really gets the reader inside the mind of today's seminarian. I wouldn't be surprised if this book launches more than a few vocations. A really thrilling read