Doubt: A Parable

Messiah College Department of Theatre

Spring 2010

Doubt: A Parable Study Guide Prepared by Sarah Scafidi This study guide is intended to prepare you for your visit to the theatre or answer questions you may have after seeing the play. It contains historical information that will deepen your understanding of and appreciation for the production.

1964… A year of change. Of desegregation. The Vietnam War. The rise of the Beatles. Malcolm X. The aftermath of Kennedy’s assassination. Martin Luther King Jr. The first Ford Mustang. The Cold War. Vatican II. New York World’s Fair. The first student anti-war protests. The Space Race. The Civil Rights Act. Change was occurring across all fronts of American life: in politics, in church, in school, at home. The nation was experiencing growth at an incredible rate. Playwright John Patrick Shanley writes in his preface to the play, that it was a time “when not just me but the whole world seemed to be going through some kind of vast puberty.”1 Shanley sets a volatile backdrop for his parable about the tension between doubt and certainty. Change is even finding its way into St. Nicholas Catholic School in the heart of the Bronx.

Sisters of Charity Archives at the College of Mt. St. Vincent, Bronx, NY – Photographer: Sarah Scafidi

Doubt According to John Patrick Shanley: “There is an uneasy time when belief has begun to slip but hypocrisy has yet to take hold, when consciousness is disturbed but not yet altered. It is the most dangerous, important and ongoing experience of life. The beginning of change is the moment of Doubt.”


Spring 2010

The Sisters of Charity of New York The Sisters of Charity of New York are an order of nuns who focus their efforts on education, healthcare and childcare. Established in 1846, the order built and ran hospitals, orphanages and schools throughout New York City. The Sisters made up a major part of New York’s Catholic school system: they founded and ran almost every parochial school in the city during the 19th and 20th centuries. There are currently 5,000 Sisters in the order, working all over the United States.3 The Sisters have three virtues that inform their spirituality:4 Humility – We seek to live in the truth that all we have and all we are is God’s gift. Simplicity – We seek to live unburdened by material possessions, keeping focused on what matters most: God’s love, Christ’s mission, and the needs of our time. Charity – We seek to embrace every person, especially the one who is poor, as our neighbor, with a love that is “affective and effective.”

Mission Statement of the Sisters of Charity: “As Sister of Charity of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, we embrace our two-fold mission of Sanctity and Service. In a spirit of simplicity we aspire to live a life rooted in the Gospel, in imitation of Mary and expressed by prayer, charity, mortification, and submission. We devote ourselves to the works of charity, and as true daughters in the heart of the Church, we serve others through the Apostolates of education, caring for the sick, the aging and the poor, wherever there is a need.”4

What’s With the Habit? Until 1968, The Sisters of Charity wore a habit with a black apron, cape, and iconic bonnet. Why did they take this on as their habit rather than the traditional black and white habit of other orders? St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

The founder of the order, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, had been married with five children before starting the Sisters of Charity. Her husband died while they were in Italy, and Elizabeth adopted the Italian mourning attire of that time. When she returned home to

New York City, she continued to wear the outfit, including the mourning bonnet. After beginning the Sisters of Charity, the members wore an adaptation of Elizabeth’s mourning clothing, including the bonnet. In 1986, the Sisters of Charity dropped the habit, and now wear simple, appropriate, contemporary dress, and an identifiable pin that says “Sisters of Charity of New York.”


Spring 2010

The Catholic Church and Vatican II “I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in.” -Pope John XXIII

(Pope From 1958 – 1963)

The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), also known as the 21st Ecumenical Council, provided revised statements on religious freedom, the nature of the Church and the mission of the laity. It permitted the Latin liturgical rites to use vernacular languages as well as Latin during Mass and other sacraments, and reduced rules on fasting, penance, and other devotional practices. It also made Christian unity a priority, finding more common ground with Protestant and Eastern Orthodox churches. This table illustrates some of the changes that resulted from Vatican II: BEFORE VATICAN II... Mass is conducted exclusively in Latin. Emphasis on the separation between the Church and the secular world: the idea is that the Church is a pure, perfect institution and the secular world does not live up to its standards. Women have a very limited role within the Church. They can be nuns, but they cannot be ordained. Priests and Bishops make all decisions regarding the parish. Laypeople are expected to “pray, pay, and obey” - and are not allowed to do much else.

Religious services are seen as a time for quiet reflection. They are not social occasions. Anything that was “less than serious” worked against the idea of the church. Little attempt was made to reach out to other religious groups. The Catholic Church is seen as the only true Church.

AFTER VATICAN II... Mass is read in local language, and everyone in the church may participate in the prayer. Emphasis on community. Church services are intended to be less formal and intimidating, and a greater emphasis is placed on neighborhood outreach: picnics, softball leagues, and so on. Parish councils are formed to give laypeople of both genders input on the running of the Church: spending, outreach, education, and so on. Women still cannot be ordained, however. Laypeople make up parish councils (see above) and are allowed to aid in church ceremonies that were previously performed only by the clergy. Religious services were given a more social atmosphere. A pastor might bring in a guitar or tell jokes during his sermons.

Dialogue committees are formed to find common ground with other Christian churches and figure out ways to work together. Catholic groups begin to work alongside Jewish groups to combat antiSemitism.

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Spring 2010

The Bronx in 1964 The New York City borough was in a period of decay. After World War II, longtime Irish, Italian, and Jewish residents and former servicemen moved from older housing in the southern neighborhoods into privatelybuilt housing in the northern Bronx, other boroughs, and the suburbs. About 170,000 impoverished Blacks and Puerto Ricans displaced by slum clearing in Manhattan moved to southern neighborhoods. Systematic rent control, introduced in the 1950s to keep rents from skyrocketing, prevented many landlords from paying for repairs to their aging buildings. Buildings were often set afire, by landlords to collect insurance, or by tenants to take advantage of the city's policy that burned-out tenants be given priority for public housing and money for new furnishings. Rampant arson in the late 1960s/early 1970s ended only after this policy was changed and a limit imposed on insurance payments for reconstructing. Thousands of one-family homes and row houses were built, hundreds of apartment buildings restored, and several apartments converted to cooperatives and condominium units, permitting more residents of the southern Bronx to own their homes.2 (As paraphrased from the Bronx Historical Society)

Use of “The Man” in 1964 A derogatory term used figuratively for anything or anyone oppressive, it stems from a post-Civil War phrase the “Bank Man” which was used by blacks to describe someone who was constantly hassling them about failing to make payments on time. The term became more widespread in the 1960s, used by black militants and their associates to describe white oppressors. This is possibly the context in which Mrs. Muller and Sister Aloysius refer to Father Flynn:

Muller: “Then how come my son got kicked off the altar boys if it was the man who gave it to him” Aloysius: “The boy got caught, the man didn’t.”

The 1964 Civil Rights Act Introduced by John F. Kennedy in 1963 and signed into action by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, the Civil Rights Act outlawed unequal voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools, public places. It also allowed began the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee due to the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. The enforcement of these laws led to many race riots across the United States. School integration was met with many instances of violence and unrest, such as the famous case in 1957 in Little Rock, AR, where black students were stopped from entering Central High School by a crowd of violent whites led by the state's own governor. President Eisenhower had to order federal troops to the site to protect the students.


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Hierarchy of the Catholic Church The Pope Supreme Head of the Catholic Church.

Pope Paul VI (1964-1978)

Cardinals Francis Joseph Spellman

Reports to the pope, responsible for electing new popes, serving on various councils, and overseeing bishops and dioces.

Bishops The Sisters of Charity

George H. Guilfoyle

Pastors / Priests

Monsignors A priest who has performed exemplary service to the church may be awarded the title of Monsignor by the pope.

Graham Leonard

Appointed by a Bishop. A pastor is simply a priest who works in a parish and oversees day-to-day activities of the parish church, including hearing confessions, leading prayers, and performing marriages.

Laity

Nuns

All non-ordained members of the church.

Women who devote themselves to the service of the Church. Report to the Mother Superior of their order. Since nuns are not ordained, they rank as members of the laity.

http://www.milwaukeerep.com/education/documents/DoubtSG_000.pdf

Appointed by the Pope to run a diocese.


Spring 2010

Symbolism in Doubt St. Nicholas Parish – St. Nicholas was, among other things, the patron saint of children, a fact that makes the naming of the school in this play (where the welfare of one particular child is the catalyst for the drama) both appropriate and ironic. The Courtyard - This small garden is the setting for most of the play's scenes relating to the characters' experiences of doubt. Sister James' doubts about herself and about Father Flynn, as well as Sister Aloysius' doubts at the end of the play all come to light here, in a space open to the sky in the way the characters' become, when here, open to themselves. In the Synoptic Gospels, the Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed and was betrayed the night before his crucifixion. (Matt. 26:39)

Aloysius – St. Aloysius was the patron saint of Catholic youth. The names stems from Old German meaning “famous warrior.” Sister Aloysius is a bit of a warrior for the Catholic youth herself.

The Rosebush - The rosebush is a symbol of all the children for whom Sister Aloysius feels she has responsibility to protect, especially Donald Muller.

Discussion Questions: 1. Why do you think John Patrick Shanley titled his play A Parable? As Father Flynn says to Sister James, “What actually happens in life is beyond interpretation. The truth makes for a bad sermon. It tends to be confusing and have no clear conclusion.” 2. Is Mrs. Muller a good mother? Is she correct in wanting Donald to finish school with a protector and confidant, even though he may be being exploited? 3. Is Father Flynn guilty? Or is Sister Aloysius justified in her unrelenting campaign against Father Flynn? Does it matter? 4. In his preface to the play, Shanley says, “You may come out of my play uncertain. You may want to be sure. Look down on that feeling. We’ve got to learn to live with a full measure of uncertainty.” Is Shanley right? Is it better to have doubt or certainty? Can doubt be a good thing or is it merely weakness? 1

Shanley, John Patrick. “Preface.” Doubt: A Parable. Dramatists Play Service. New York, 2005. http://www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org/bxbrief.html 3 http://www.milwaukeerep.com/education/documents/DoubtSG_000.pdf 4 http://www.scny.org 2

Department of Theatre Mission Statement: As a community of Theatre artists we cultivate the stewardship of intellect and imagination in a forum for civic dialogue as we seek to understand our calling in Christ. Messiah College Deptartment of Theatre PO Box 4032 One College Ave. Grantham, PA 17027 717-766-2511, ext. 2780 www.messiah.edu/departments/theatre