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

Andrew Messaros Saw It Coming

Tom Monaghan learned the hard way: it isn't going to be easy to rid Ave Maria of Father Fessio, who survived a Donald Trump-style firing.

New Oxford Notes: May 2006

Panegyrics for Archbishop Niederauer... Cardinal Levada Advises Priests to Cover Up Their Homosexuality... Another Neocon Is Pleased With the Document on Homosexuals In the Seminaries... "The Legionaries Aren't Rich"... Sock It To Us! Fling Us Into that Brier-Patch... Role Models... Do Peaceniks Really Believe "Peace Is Patriotic"?... "Don't Go After the Good Guys"

Lost in the Plethora of Anathemas

The Pope hurls one anathema after the next. Each time he speaks, each time he gives an interview, he seems to have a fresh target — and many are members of the Catholic Church.