Volume > Issue > Catholic Chic

Catholic Chic

GUEST COLUMN

By Richard Crepeau | April 2002
Richard Crepeau is Professor of History at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. This column previously appeared on PopPolitics.com.

Is it some sort of new chic?

Am I somehow suddenly “in”?

For some reason over the past several months there seems to have been a rash of people popping up “everywhere” who claim, and I emphasize “claim,” to have been “raised Catholic.” The most recent is the guy who played “Puddy” on Seinfeld, who made his confession to Terry Gross on Fresh Air.

Reading the newspaper, I discover politicians who were “raised Catholic.” Celebrities of all sorts from television, movies, or some esoteric branch of show business or the arts tell the world with a wink and a nod that they were “raised Catholic.” It seems to resonate with everyone. There seems to be an unspoken understanding of the precise meaning of this biographical fact.

Enjoyed reading this?

READ MORE! REGISTER TODAY

SUBSCRIBE

You May Also Enjoy

A Bad Bet

Orthodox Catholic ideas are critical to understanding Blaise Pascal, and they are nowhere present in Connor’s biography.

Briefly: June 2004

Reviews of Genetic Engineering: Christian Values and Catholic Teaching by Paul Flaman... The Message of Heaven and Hell by Bruce Milne... Life, Liberty, and the Defense of Dignity by Leon R. Kass, M.D... Creed and Culture: A Touchstone Reader edited by James M. Kushiner... Callista: A Sketch of the Third Century by John Henry Cardinal Newman

The News You May Have Missed

Making Money off Marx... In the Way of Jesus... Finally, a Solution to Generation Snowflake's Chicken Anxiety... Death by Fossil Fuel... Protein of the Future... Rockin' Down the Highway... The Lighter Side of Pergolesi... Headwear in the Hideaway... Fit to Be Ty'd... Fear the Reaper... and more