Early on, Madalene and Herbert S. Jordan realized they had a common focus in life which could easily be summarized as "Duty, Honor, Country and God." Integrity was the hallmark characteristic of them both. When commitments were made, they were honored...without hesitation. With marriage, the commitments were in the wedding vows, never to be violated, and in religion, the commitment was in the baptismal rite which, again, was never to be violated. For Madalene Marie Driscoll, her commitment to God was made as a baby through the promises of her parents and God-parents. All through her life, she was devoted to the Catholic Church, its teachings and its obligations. She spent much time in prayer, and whenever possible spent time in adoration before the Holy Eucharist. At location after location, Army post after Army post, she sewed cassocks and surpluses for the altar boys. Indeed in most posts from the 1930's on, her boys were altar servers. She was dedicated to reading scripture and religious books, attending novenas and prayed the rosary on basically a daily basis. She frequently went to daily Mass and was a dedicated parishioner in the chapels and churches wherever she lived. Priests treasured her ability to get things done. She always hoped that one of her sons would become a priest, but was pleased to have a nephew and brother who were priests in the Passionist Order, Father Godfrey Poage and Father Louis Driscoll. Herbert Spencer Jordan was raised as a Congregationalist, but following the marriage to Madalene he attended Catholic Mass with the family on special occasions. After their son Bert's sudden death in the Korean War in September 1950, Herbert began studying with a Jesuit priest and in 1951 became a Roman Catholic. He embraced that commitment with total heart and soul, and became a stalwart convert, frequently reading religious books and a lot of religious history. In prayer life, they really became a pair as they had in marriage. Indeed, they embedded in their sons the characteristics which their parents manifested...INTEGRITY...DUTY...HONOR...COUNTRY...GOD. This manifestation showed up in many ways. In entering a car, Mom always quietly said a prayer. Dad never used a foul or profane word...and didn't allow anyone in his home or who worked for him to use any such language. Wherever they traveled with the Army, the two of them would become close friends with Catholic priests and sisters in their parishes. In Dad's case, this happened long before he became a Catholic. They were always generous in giving to church and charities. In fact, our family home often became the site for parish- or Army chapel-based activities, and especially for raising money for struggling churches during World War II. What a model set of parents

For over forty years, John Garvey was the "ballast" of Commonweal magazine. His award-winning essays and consistently notable columns revealed not only his acuity and alacrity, but his uncommon spiritual insight. These in turn provided momentum and substance for whatever followed in an issue of the magazine because Garvey never hesitated to wrestle with some of the most challenging and intractable topics of the day, and did so with a rich pastoral sensitivity, and a refreshing and rare intelligence. Only Wonder Comprehends gleans from John Garvey's many contributions to Commonweal that reflect his spiritual depth and deep appreciation of history, politics, theology, and culture. Steeped in the Christian tradition, Garvey loved to write and, in return, his readers relished what he wrote. It is hoped that this collection of his writings from Commonweal will inspire readers to cultivate a similar sense of attentiveness and commitment, for as the author himself observed, "Religious traditions are meant to transform us, not to affirm us as we are."

Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a well-known American journalist, activist, and Catholic convert whose cause for sainthood has been endorsed by the US bishops. She wrote numerous articles over a period of several decades for the prominent lay Catholic magazine Commonweal. Hold Nothing Back is gleaned from those writings. It includes reflections on her life as a single mother, her time in jail for civil disobedience, her struggles to keep the Catholic Worker movement she cofounded afloat, and her travels on crowded buses to report from the front lines about labor disputes, racial inequality, and poverty. At the heart of whatever Day wrote lies a profound and prophetic faith. Hold Nothing Back-a new, abridged edition of the previously published Dorothy Day: Writings from Commonweal-gives a glimpse of her remarkable humanity and endurance, and of the vibrant spirituality that underlay them.

By any measure, Dorothy Day lived a fascinating life. She was a journalist, activist, single mother, convert, Catholic laywoman, and co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement. A lifelong radical who took the gospels at their word, Dorothy Day lived among the poor as one of them, challenging both church and state to build a better world for all people. Steeped in prayer, the liturgy, and the spiritual life, she was jailed repeatedly for protesting poverty, injustice, and war. Through it all, she created a sense of community and remained down-to-earth and humanly approachable. To have known Dorothy Day was to have experienced not only her charm and humanity, but the purposefulness of her life. In Dorothy Day: Love in Action, Patrick Jordan-who knew her personally-conveys some of the hallmarks of Day's fascinating life and the spirit her adventure inspires. People of God is a series of inspiring biographies for the general reader. Each volume offers a compelling and honest narrative of the life of an important twentieth or twenty-first century Catholic. Some living and some now deceased, each of these women and men has known challenges and weaknesses familiar to most of us but responded to them in ways that call us to our own forms of heroism. Each offers a credible and concrete witness of faith, hope, and love to people of our own day.

Early on, Madalene and Herbert S. Jordan realized they had a common focus in life which could easily be summarized as "Duty, Honor, Country and God." Integrity was the hallmark characteristic of them both. When commitments were made, they were honored...without hesitation. With marriage, the commitments were in the wedding vows, never to be violated, and in religion, the commitment was in the baptismal rite which, again, was never to be violated. For Madalene Marie Driscoll, her commitment to God was made as a baby through the promises of her parents and God-parents. All through her life, she was devoted to the Catholic Church, its teachings and its obligations. She spent much time in prayer, and whenever possible spent time in adoration before the Holy Eucharist. At location after location, Army post after Army post, she sewed cassocks and surpluses for the altar boys. Indeed in most posts from the 1930's on, her boys were altar servers. She was dedicated to reading scripture and religious books, attending novenas and prayed the rosary on basically a daily basis. She frequently went to daily Mass and was a dedicated parishioner in the chapels and churches wherever she lived. Priests treasured her ability to get things done. She always hoped that one of her sons would become a priest, but was pleased to have a nephew and brother who were priests in the Passionist Order, Father Godfrey Poage and Father Louis Driscoll. Herbert Spencer Jordan was raised as a Congregationalist, but following the marriage to Madalene he attended Catholic Mass with the family on special occasions. After their son Bert's sudden death in the Korean War in September 1950, Herbert began studying with a Jesuit priest and in 1951 became a Roman Catholic. He embraced that commitment with total heart and soul, and became a stalwart convert, frequently reading religious books and a lot of religious history. In prayer life, they really became a pair as they had in marriage. Indeed, they embedded in their sons the characteristics which their parents manifested...INTEGRITY...DUTY...HONOR...COUNTRY...GOD. This manifestation showed up in many ways. In entering a car, Mom always quietly said a prayer. Dad never used a foul or profane word...and didn't allow anyone in his home or who worked for him to use any such language. Wherever they traveled with the Army, the two of them would become close friends with Catholic priests and sisters in their parishes. In Dad's case, this happened long before he became a Catholic. They were always generous in giving to church and charities. In fact, our family home often became the site for parish- or Army chapel-based activities, and especially for raising money for struggling churches during World War II. What a model set of parents

Dorothy Day has been described as the most significant, interesting, and influential person in the history of American Catholicism." Outside "The Catholic Worker" (which she edited from 1933 to her death), Day wrote for no other publication so often and over such an extended period - covering six decades - as the independent Catholic journal of opinion, "Commonweal."

Gathered here for the first time are Day's complete Commonweal pieces, including articles, reviews, and published letters-to-the-editor. They range from the personal to the polemical; from youthful enthusiasm to the gratitude of an aged warrior; sketches from works in progress; portraits of prisoners and dissidents; and a gifted reporter's dispatches from the flash points of mid-twentieth-century social and economic conflict. Day's writing offers readers not only an overview of her fascinating life but a compendium of her prophetic insights, spiritual depth, and unforgettable prose.

Chapters are *The Brother and the Rooster, - *Guadalupe, - *Letter From Mexico City, - *Spring Festival in Mexico, - *Bed, - *Now We Are Home Again, - *Notes From Florida, - *East Twelfth Street, - *Review: "Saint Elizabeth" by Elizabeth von Schmidt-Pali, - *Real Revolutionists, - *Review: "The Catholic Anthology" by Thomas Walsh, - *For the Truly Poor, - *Saint John of the Cross, - *Houses of Hospitality, - *The House on Mott Street, - *Tale of Two Capitals, - *Letter: 'In the Name of the Staff, '- *King, Ramsey and Connor, - *It Was a Good Dinner, - *About Mary, - *Tobacco Road, - *Review: In the Steps of Moses by Louis Golding, - *Review: "Our Lady of the Birds" by Louis J.A. Mercier, - *Peter and Women, - *Letter: 'Things Worth Fighting For?'- *The Scandal of the Works of Mercy, - *Traveling by Bus, - *Letter: 'Blood, Sweat and Tears, '- *The Story of Steve Hergenhan, - *Priest of the Immediate, - *We Plead Guilty, - *Letter: 'From Dorothy Day, '- *Pilgrimage to Mexico, - *In Memory of Ed Willock, - *Southern Pilgrimage, - *A.J., - *On Hope, - and *A Reminiscence at 75. -

"Patrick Jordan, managing editor of "Commonweal, " is a former managing editor of "The Catholic Worker." He resides in Staten Island, New York.""