Andrew Moran Greeley (1928–2013) was an American Catholic priest, sociologist, novelist, and commentator. He dedicated over 50 years to elucidating the teachings of the Catholic faith through nonfiction works, newspaper articles, and media appearances. He also wrote sociological studies of American religion and ethnicity and several novels.
Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Greeley demonstrated his intellectual prowess from a young age and pursued higher education at the University of Chicago and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Ordained as a Catholic priest in 1954, Greeley produced popular presentations of Catholicism, such as The Jesus Myth (1971,) which gained significant recognition. Additionally, Greeley explored ethnicity in his book Ethnicity (1974.)
Greeley held professorships in sociology at the University of Arizona and the University of Chicago and worked as a research associate with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC.) He contributed to various publications, including a weekly column for the Chicago Sun-Times and articles for The New York Times, the National Catholic Reporter, America, and Commonweal. His sociological studies on religion, examining the interplay between faith and social behavior, comprised works like Unsecular Man: The Persistence of Religion (1972,) Communal Catholics (1976,) Religion: A Secular Theory (1982,) The Catholic Myth (1990,) Priests: A Calling in Crisis (2004,) and The Truth about Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe (2006, co-authored with Michael Hout.)
Too, Greeley engaged in public discourse, expressing his opinions on various social and political issues as a columnist and commentator. Beyond his scholarly pursuits, he succeeded as a novelist, captivating readers with bestselling books that explored themes of religion, romance, and Irish-American culture. Noteworthy among his achievements are the popular Nuala Anne McGrail mystery series, which commenced with Irish Gold (1994) and continued with works like Irish Tiger (2008) and Irish Tweed (2009.) Another well-received series featured the character Father Blackie Ryan, who ascended to the positions of Bishop and Archbishop. Titles within this series include Happy Are the Meek (1985,) The Bishop Goes to the University (2003,) and The Archbishop in Andalusia (2008.)
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There is an electricity about a friendship relationship. We are both more relaxed and more sensitive, more creative and more reflective, more energetic and more casual, more excited and more serene. It is as though when we come in contact with our friend we enter into a different environment.
—Andrew M. Greeley
Topics: Friends and Friendship
We’re given second chances every day of our life. We don’t usually take them, but they’re there for the taking.
—Andrew M. Greeley
Topics: Chance
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