Liturgy, Socialism and Life

Mark D. Chapman examines the life and works of Conrad Noel, one of the most eccentric, dynamic and radical parish priests of the twentieth century. In doing so, he argues that: Liturgy divorced from life is turning the church into an ever more esoteric social club' and makes an impassioned plea for a style of worship that is integrated with the demand for social justice. 'For Noel, socialism, catholicism, beauty and duty were combined in a vision, often tinged with humour, of a church capable of transforming the world but never out of touch with that world ... By looking at Noel's writings, as well as some of the more controversial episodes in his life, this booklet seeks to illustrate his peculiarly appealing brand of catholic socialism, which combines a romantic English nationalism with a deeper internationalism ... [for] it seems to me that his integrated vision, though undoubtedly deeply flawed and often naive, has lessons for the future of English Catholic socialism in our own day.'