The Compassionate Community

It is easier to identify the problems in our world than the solutions. And yet in many cases, there are solutions at hand. What is lacking is the will to apply them. In the heart of this book, Harmer identifies several problems: endemic poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and inadequate health care. In each case the significant causes of the current problem are juxtaposed with an analysis of failed strategies which continue to be fostered in spite of their failure. She then reviews alternative approaches, strategies that work which are actually being used, and which involve the whole community.

'The Compassionate Community' is a wise and inspiring book that cuts through ideological polarities and political impasses and provides hope for a different future in this new millennium. It includes a helpful resource list of community organizations, many of them profiled here.

Harmer brings us strategies for dealing with social ills which are innovative, replicable, and grounded in a vision of a compassionate community. This book is highly recommended for individuals and groups who want fresh inspiration and practical help for their efforts to counter long-standing social problems.

Doris Gottemoeller, RSM, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas

Catherine Harmer here shares the good news of concrete measures being taken against four major social injustices. She then analyzes the key elements found in such successful strategies. The difficult journey from utopian dreaming to effective action is brilliantly portrayed in this sane, upbeat essay.

Thomas E. Clarke, S.J., Bethany Retreat House

Catherine M. Harmer, M.M.S., Ph.D., is a Medical Mission Sister with a doctorate in psychology. The author of 'Religious Life in the Twenty-First Century' (Twenty-Third Publications), she works as a consultant for religious, educational, and health care systems in North America and around the world.