Waiting for Mozart delivers not only a story of human compulsion and conflict but also valuable insights into the Catholic Church in the years following the changes set in motion by Vatican II. As a Unitarian-Universalist, I knew little about the theology underlying those changes or the monumental import they had for institutions and individuals. Waiting for Mozart introduced me to both, as well as to a cast of memorable characters. (Nancy J. Ashmore, writer/editor, Ashmore Ink)
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What greater joy could there be for the Catholic Church than the awakening of her faith-filled laity? The call from Vatican II in Lumen Gentium has indeed reached their hearts and minds and they are leaving behind the passive role assigned them by earlier generations.
Waiting for Mozart is an engaging, passionate story about a parish working to embrace this vision and all the heartache and struggle that goes along with the reform of an ancient institution like the Church. (Margaret Benson, Director of Faith Formation, St. Wenceslaus Parish, New Prague, MN)
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Events of the 20th and 21st centuries have driven institutions with long traditions into new and difficult environments today. In the Catholic Church, these changes have had an impact in one way or another on priests, people (especially women) in religious orders, and hundreds of lay men and women on parish staffs as well as hundreds of thousands of faithful lay people still in the pews for Mass on Sundays.
Sometimes a priest - especially a pastor - and other Church authorities, as well, have developed crippling and fearsomely defensive responses to change - new environments - in the Church. Taliban-like reaction to modern times by anyone with authority in the Church injures the health of a faith community and compromises the effectiveness of the Church in service of the Gospel.
Waiting for Mozart is a novel about real life in many Catholic parishes today - a story about conflict over the vision for Church in the 21st century. I've read the book. I recognize the characters. I know the story from my experience as a priest. It's a great read. (Fr. Kevin I. Clinton, Pastor, St. Wenceslaus Church, New Prague, MN)
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Call it a tug of war. Call it a meltdown. Waiting for Mozart got my attention on page one and as the story unfolded I discovered scenes and unexpected plot developments that amazed me. Inspired by real life situations in Catholic parishes, this story pits a pastor and his lay leaders in a power struggle that reflects different visions of the Church emerging from Vatican II.
In strong, crisp language the author depicts with profound insight the events of everyday life in far too many parishes. I liked his nuanced study of a spreading cast of characters who get drawn into the conflict. The pot really boils in this story and people involved in any aspect of parish ministry will recognize the contest as well as the characters in play on every page. (Terry Dosh, editor of Bread Rising)
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As you make your way into Waiting for Mozart, it won't be long before you begin to recognize experiences and characters from your own life in parish ministry. This fiction will make you reflect deeply on the ministry you do in the Church and why you do it. You many even say, "This isn't fiction; it's real life." The story spoke to me. It said: stay healthy; relationships count; discern carefully where you'll invest yourself. (Sister Ginny Heldorfer, OSF, Pastoral Associate, St. Wenceslaus Parish, New Prague, MN)
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Waiting for Mozart is provocative, clearly written fiction and engaging commentary on the Herculean effort of a Catholic parish to implement changes and renewal mandated by the Second Vatican Council. Parishioners lock horns with a recalcitrant pastor who pays lip service to renewal, done best after Vatican II collaboratively with educated, enlightened laity. Readers will be drawn into the story from the outset as character after character deals with a priest who cannot get over it: father doesn't always know best. (Arthur E. Zannoni, biblical scholar and an award winning author of five books, his latest being Tell Me Your Story: The Parables of Jesus)
