2023 Catholic Media Association Honorable Mention, Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom

Has the contemporary American polity remained capable of asking itself questions about its purpose and integrity? We recall our optimistic beginnings, sure of God’s blessing, yet something has gone wrong. We are at odds with each other and even our friends. What brought us to this moment, and is there anything “we the people” can do?

In Claiming Your Voice, Vest examines four contemporary deforming patterns: market culture, American empire, climate crisis, and racism. In consideration of the Christian foundations in prophetic imagination and Benedictine spirituality, she illustrates that Americans are called to provide energy for hope, to cut through public numbness, and to penetrate the deceptions of imperial consciousness so that God and the sacred again become visible and empowering for all our people.