Hidden Mercy, Michael J. OLoughlin
Hidden Mercy, Michael J. OLoughlin
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Hidden Mercy
AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear

Author: Michael J. O'Loughlin

Narrator: Michael J. O'Loughlin

Unabridged: 7 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/22/2022


Synopsis

The 1980s and 1990s, the height of the AIDS crisis in the United States, was decades ago now, and many of the stories from this time remain hidden: A Catholic nun from a small Midwestern town packs up her life to move to New York City, where she throws herself into a community under assault from HIV and AIDS. A young priest sees himself in the many gay men dying from AIDS and grapples with how best to respond, eventually coming out as gay and putting his own career on the line. A gay Catholic with HIV loses his partner to AIDS and then flees the church, focusing his energy on his own health rather than fight an institution seemingly rejecting him.

Set against the backdrop of the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the late twentieth century and the Catholic Church's crackdown on gay and lesbian activists, journalist Michael O'Loughlin searches out the untold stories of those who didn't look away, who at great personal cost chose compassion.

This is one journalist's—gay and Catholic himself—compelling picture of those quiet heroes who responded to human suffering when so much of society told them to look away. These pure acts of compassion and mercy offer us hope and inspiration as we continue to confront existential questions about what it means to be Americans, Christians, and human beings responding to those most in need.

About Michael J. O'Loughlin

Michael J. O'Loughlin is an award-winning journalist and the national correspondent for America Media. He is the host of the podcast Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church, recommended by the New York Times and featured on NPR. Prior to joining America magazine, O'Loughlin was a national reporter for the Boston Globe. He has written for the Atlantic, the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, National Catholic Reporter, and the Advocate and has been featured on MSNBC, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NPR. He lives in Chicago.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ron on December 05, 2021

There is little in the book that I did not personally witness in Los Angeles, albeit from a distance. When historians in 2220 wish to understand the interplay between the Catholic Church, the AIDS epidemic, the persons who suffered from the disease, and the Catholics who took care of them, this will......more

Goodreads review by Linds on January 24, 2022

This book brought me to tears over and over again - tears of mourning for queer lives lost to ignorance and fear, but also tears of joy for those poignant moments when Catholics stepped into the true light of their faith to defend the rights and the lives of the weakest. As a queer Catholic myself,......more

Goodreads review by Mallory on March 31, 2023

A helpful insight to a rarely spoken about history......more

Goodreads review by Emily on October 09, 2024

This gave great insight into such a dark period of time in the Church, a true testament to “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”......more

Goodreads review by Fred on November 23, 2021

Great work in documenting the HIV/AIDS crisis among gay men in the US and the response of Catholics, both supportive and oppositional. A distinctive perspective about history in my lifetime. I lived through many of the events in the book, and it was very helpful to hear about them from those who wer......more