Tim Unsworth

Collected for the first time, Tim Unsworth: Articles from the National Catholic Reporter showcases 27 of Unsworth's best and most beloved writings. Sometimes searing, sometimes deeply sympathetic — always funny — his sacred irreverence touched millions of readers.

Although he focused on major issues in the Catholic Church, Unsworth wrote in a familiar style that never lost sight of his intended readership — the active laity who fill the pews every Sunday. Sometimes inflammatory but always expressed with a great deal of faith and common sense, his articles asked important questions such as:

• Is celibacy robbing us of the priests we want?
• Has limbo outlived its usefulness?
• Is the seminary system outdated?
• Have church ushers become merely "greeters"?
• Will conservatives and liberals ever agree?

Every generation has its storytellers. For a quarter century, Tim Unsworth was one of the finest catholic writers ever produced by the rich and varied tradition of Chicago's Catholic church.