"Outside the walls of the academic citadel"

Twomey arrives at Loyola New Orleans ready to challenge the status quo

The campus of Loyola University New Orleans as it appeared when Father Louis J. Twomey, SJ, arrived there in 1947. Thomas Hall, the Jesuit residence, is at right.

Today, rather than my writing something headline-grabbing about Father Louis J. Twomey, SJ, I thought you might like a glimpse into what I’m able to accomplish during a day’s work.

During the past 24 hours, I managed to write 879 words of my Father Twomey biography A Priest in Good Trouble—or 1,255 words if footnotes are included. That is about the most that I can write in a day when doing writing of this type (i.e., academic-level book writing).

If I were able to keep up that pace every day, I would be able to complete the biography in no time. But it’s been difficult for me to do so, because I have to move at the end of the month—the apartment that I’ve been renting is being sold—and much of my time has been taken up preparing for the move. I expect too that it will take some time to return to good writing rhythms next month, as I’ll be unpacking. So I’m just glad at this moment for what I’ve managed to do in the past day, and I ask your prayers as I continue this project, which, along with my Father Ed biography, I consider the great work of my life.

Normally I would add some contextualization here about who Father Twomey is and why readers should care about him. But since it’s late, and I’ve worked hard, I’ll just assume that you’re following Matters Twomey because you know something about its protagonist (and if not, my America magazine feature on him is a good place to start).

So, without any further ado, below, for your enjoyment, is my entire day’s output. This is hard work, and it’s taking longer than I expected, so, in addition to asking your prayers for my writing, I also ask your prayers that I can find freelance work (in writing, editing, or canon law) to pay my bills into the summer as I complete this project. Thank you and God bless you.

Excerpt from Chapter 5:

When Twomey arrived at Loyola University New Orleans in late July 1947, the very name of his new residence honored the culture that he set out to counter. Thomas Hall, home to the university’s Jesuit community, was named not for St. Thomas but rather for Louise C. Thomas, who funded its construction from the estate of her husband Stanley O. Thomas, a Confederate veteran who, after the war, made millions as a cotton broker. Just five and a half years after moving into his monastic-style room in the brick-and-concrete residence, Twomey would be making national headlines for encouraging plantation workers to unionize.[1]