College of the Holy Cross alumnus Mark K. Shriver ’86, president of Save the Children Action Network and nephew of President John F. Kennedy, will speak at Holy Cross on Wednesday, Nov. 30 about his new book, “Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis” (Random House, Nov. 29, 2016). His talk, which will be held in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom at 7:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. Books will be on sale and Shriver will sign books after the event.
In the book, Shriver retraces Pope Francis’ personal journey, revealing the origins of his open, unpretentious style, and explaining how it revitalized Shriver’s own faith and renewed his commitment to the Church and to Ignatian spirituality. To help us understand how Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis, Shriver travels to Bergoglio’s native Argentina to meet with the people who knew him as a child, as a young Jesuit priest, and as a reforming bishop. Shriver also draws upon his own life, to moments that formed and tested the foundation of his faith, including his years at Holy Cross. He recalls the paths of his roommates, what drove them to the priesthood and the military, and considers his own discernment that began at a five-day silent retreat as a Holy Cross senior. He wrote of the retreat, “It was one of the most peaceful, rewarding, and enriching events of my life. I had never heard my own deepest, innermost, wisest voice so clearly as during those five silent days, and I didn’t hear it again with such clarity until the days after my dad died.”
In early praise for the book, author and journalist Cokie Roberts said, “Mark K. Shriver finds himself on his own pilgrimage as he comes to understand the role of the Society of Jesus—the Jesuits—in shaping the charismatic pontiff. Then, with smart subtlety, Shriver shows how the fundamental fact of faith makes pilgrims of us all.”
“All people of good faith, including those whose lives are not guided by religious beliefs, will be inspired and enlightened by the compelling manner in which ‘Pilgrimage’ brings us closer to the heart and mind of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis,” said Cardinal Sean O’Malley. “I highly recommend this book; it will make a difference in your life.”
A history major at Holy Cross, Shriver has devoted his career to social and public service. Soon after graduation, he became a member of the Maryland Juvenile Justice Advisory Council, and also served on the Board of Directors of the Public Justice Center, the Maryland Governor’s Task Force on Alternative Sanctions to Incarceration, and the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Service. In 1994, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, the lower house of the Maryland state legislature, representing Montgomery County, Maryland, District 15, and was reelected in 1998. In addition to serving as a delegate, he worked on the Task Force on the Maryland Prepaid-Tuition Savings Program in 1996, and on the Task Force to Study the Governance, Coordination, and Funding of the University System of Maryland.
He also founded The Choice Program in 1988, which helps at-risk and delinquent youth make choices that strengthen their families and communities.
As president of Save the Children Action Network, Shriver leads an effort to mobilize Americans to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths globally and to ensure that every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early childhood education.
Shriver is the New York Times and Washington Post bestselling author of “A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver” (Henry Holt & Co., 2012). In 2010, he delivered the Holy Cross Commencement address and received an honorary degree. He is married to Jeanne Ripp Shriver ’87.
Shriver’s talk is sponsored by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross. Many of the McFarland Center’s talks are video recorded and made available online. Visit holycross.edu/mcfarlandcenter to learn more.
Shriver will also speak about the book at Boston College on Nov. 29, in conversation with Gustavo Morello, S.J., and at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum on Dec. 1.
Media coverage
- CatholicPhilly.com, Dec. 1: For book on Pope Francis, author retraces pope’s life in Argentina, Rome
- Telegram & Gazette, Nov. 27: College Town: HC alum Shriver to discuss faith, new book
- New York Times, Nov. 25: Mark Shriver on Pope Francis
- POLITICO, Nov. 18: Out and About
- TIME, Nov. 15: 6 Childhood Experiences That Defined Pope Francis
- Catholic Standard, Nov. 15: Author goes on pilgrimage in search of Pope Francis
- Vatican Radio, Nov. 14: Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis
- Shelf-Awareness, Oct. 31: Review: Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis
