From the Underground Church to Freedom - by Tomás Halík (Hardcover)

About the Book

"International best-selling author and theologian Tomas Halik shares for the first time the dramatic story of his life as a secretly ordained priest in Communist Czechoslovakia. Inspired by Augustine's candid presentation of his own life, Halik writes about his spiritual journey within a framework of philosophical theology; his work has been compared to that of C. S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen. Born in Prague in 1948, Halik spent his childhood under Stalinism. He describes his conversion to Christianity during the time of communist persecution of the church, his secret study of theology, and secret priesthood ordination in East Germany (even his mother was not allowed to know that her son was a priest). Halik speaks candidly of his doubts and crises of faith as well as of his conflicts within the church. He worked as a psychotherapist for over a decade and, at the same time, was active in the underground church and in the dissident movement with the legendary Cardinal Tomasek and Vaclav Havel, who proposed Halik as his successor to the Czech presidency. Since the fall of the regime, Halik has served as general secretary to the Czech Conference of Bishops and was an advisor to John Paul II and Vaclav Havel. Woven throughout Halik's story is the turbulent history of the church and society in the heart of Europe: the 1968 Prague Spring, the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the self-immolation of his classmate Jan Palach, the "flying university," the 1989 Velvet Revolution, and the difficult transition from totalitarian communist regime to democracy. Thomas Halik was a direct witness to many of these events, and he provides valuable testimony about the backdrop of political events and personal memories of the key figures of that time"--

Book Synopsis

International best-selling author and theologian Tomás Halík shares for the first time the dramatic story of his life as a secretly ordained priest in Communist Czechoslovakia.

Born in Prague in 1948, Tomás Halík spent his childhood under Stalinism. He describes his conversion to Christianity during the time of communist persecution of the church, his secret study of theology, and secret priesthood ordination in East Germany. Halík speaks candidly of his doubts and crises of faith as well as of his conflicts within the church. He worked as a psychotherapist for over a decade and, at the same time, was active in the underground church and in the dissident movement with the legendary Cardinal Tomásek and Václav Havel, who proposed Halík as his successor to the Czech presidency. Since the fall of the regime, Halík has served as general secretary to the Czech Conference of Bishops and was an advisor to John Paul II and Václav Havel.

Woven throughout Halík's story is the turbulent history of the church and society in the heart of Europe: the 1968 Prague Spring, the occupation of Czechoslovakia, the self-immolation of his classmate Jan Palach, the "flying university," the 1989 Velvet Revolution, and the difficult transition from totalitarian communist regime to democracy. Tomás Halík was a direct witness to many of these events, and he provides valuable testimony about the backdrop of political events and personal memories of the key figures of that time.

Review Quotes

"The story of the religious movements in Czechoslovakia during the Soviet era is little known in contrast to the Polish, which is why Halík's memoirs, From the Underground Church to Freedom, are a truly fascinating read. Halík has become one of the most important religious voices from the East since the fall of the Berlin Wall." --Law and Liberty

"For Halík, the church was an aide to the revolution because it provided the spiritual impetus and educational institutions for a cultural conversion. The revolution did not create utopia . . . [b]ut it did usher in a new, hopeful way of looking at the world, and a renewed appreciation for truth and justice." --Commonweal

"From the Underground Church to Freedom is a spiritual autobiography in the tradition of St. Augustine's Confessions, John Henry Newman's Apologia Pro Vita Sua and Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain. . . .the most interesting, challenging, and evocative dimension of Halík's autobiography is his intensely personal reflections both on the progress and development of his own spiritual life and the effect that the people that he meets and the events in which he is involved have on that development. " --Catholic Outlook

"It is one thing to live in interesting times, quite another to write interestingly about them. Halik achieves this." --The Irish Catholic

"An underground Catholic priest and member of the Czech resistance, Halik was important in bringing down the communist regime in that country . . . one has to admire his great courage and contribution to the end of totalitarianism in his country." --Law and Religion Forum

"Halík's autobiography is a richly drawn self-portrait of a complex man who has a deep commitment to the Church and a desire to reconcile it with the contemporary world, yet one who has also known times of doubt and spiritual crisis, which he discusses with forthrightness. At the same time, it offers a vivid picture of the Czech Church under Communist rule and its aftermath." --Catholic Library World

"It is possible that Halík is the most thoughtful, learned and interesting Catholic that is widely unknown in the United States today. Hopefully, this book will right that wrong." --America

"With eloquent sensitivity, Tomás Halík, a clandestinely ordained Roman Catholic priest, pulls back the Iron Curtain to illuminate a dark period of Czechoslovakian history. From the Underground Church to Freedom is a memoir enfolded with spiritual wisdom, incisive and frank in its assessment of Halík's life and of the continuing narrative of the church universal as she has moved into the twenty-first century. . . . Poignant and profound, this book is a needed reminder that hope springs eternal even in the face of overwhelming evil." --Foreword Reviews

About the Author

Tomás Halík is a Czech Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian, and scholar. He is a professor of sociology at Charles University in Prague, pastor of the Academic Parish of St. Salvator Church in Prague, president of the Czech Christian Academy, and a winner of the Templeton Prize. His books, which are bestsellers in his own country, have been translated into nineteen languages and have received several literary prizes. He is the author of numerous books, including I Want You to Be: On the God of Love, winner of the Catholic Press Association Book Award in Theology and Foreword Reviews' INDIES Book of the Year Award in Philosophy.

Gerald Turner has translated numerous Czech authors, including Václav Havel, Ivan Klíma, and Ludvík Vaculík, among others. He received the US PEN Translation Award in 2004.