Alice Von Hildebrand’s New Essay on Her Husband and Christopher West

Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand has just published a comparative study of her late husband and Christopher West.  Here is a link to the essay and another one to a new interview with her.  I had the privilege of collaborating with her, along with others, on this project and I am profoundly humbled that she has considered my own work on Christopher West worthy of admiration:

Acknowledgements:

This article (for which mistakes, inaccuracies and imperfections I carry full responsibility for) is in fact a work of collaboration with several thinkers I admire and respect. Let me mention, among others, Father Brian Mullady, OP; Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger, F.I., Fr. Anthony Mastroeni and James Likoudis. They have read the manuscript. Their comments and criticisms have been highly appreciated and most helpful.

Dawn Eden also deserves notable mention: her in-depth knowledge of the work of Christopher West has been crucial to me. Through her scholarship, I made the acquaintance of several texts I had not read. I owe her a special thanks.

Last, but not least, this article was truly done in collaboration with my friend, William Doino. His knowledge of history , his intelligence, and  endless patience with the changes I kept introducing, was of such value to me, that I do not hesitate to say that without him, this manuscript never would have been published. Thank you to all these dear friends. May it all be ad majorem Dei gloriam.

I have believed for some time that it is essential for Dr. Von Hildebrand to secure the legacy of her husband as clearly distinct from that of Christopher West, and I believe that she has done a masterful job at that task in this essay.  May this work be an instrument of grace to communicate the Church’s true doctrine of chastity, modesty and the beauty of Christian marriage.

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8 thoughts on “Alice Von Hildebrand’s New Essay on Her Husband and Christopher West

  1. Thank you for this, Father. I was horrified by the attack on Dr. Hildebrand last year when she first dared to question that some of Mr. West’s teachings might not be in line with Catholic teaching and tradition. I could not believe how some Catholic bloggers accused her of being “puritanical.”

  2. I’m newly Catholic and don’t know much about this topic, though I’ve seen Christopher West criticized in multiple places now by several people. What exactly is the issue?

  3. Thank you, Father, for your collaboration with Dr. von Hildebrand. The comparison needed to be made. For her to speak out AT ALL is notable, and her gracious, charitable, and truly Catholic approach to her public admonishment is an example to us all.

  4. Thank you. I truly appreciate your attaching of Dr. Alice Von Hildebrand’s essay. I will use it ASAP. I currently had to preach against Christopher West from the pulpit because of the havoc it is wreaking on souls. I have been ridiculed for doing so, and on one instance the local pastor stopped by to ‘warn’ of my ‘puritanical opinion.’ Please pray for me and my apostolate for our sanctity and growth in purity. God bless.

  5. Dear Father Gordon,

    I will pray for you. I am thankful for the few brave priests like you (and these friars) who dare to put their necks on the line for all of us whom you’ve been called to shepherd. Thank you. God bless you.

  6. Father Gordon,

    I will certainly pray for you. Thank you for standing up. The charge of puritanism is standard fare. I very often wonder if those who make the charge could even define it accurately. God bless you and thank you.

  7. Pingback: Compendium of TOB Posts « Mary Victrix

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