Going Whose Way?
The 1944 musical, Going My Way , is considered a classic. Many Catholics view the movie as indicative of the way the Church used to be back in the good old days. A more careful look at this film seems to reveal this movie as propaganda for the idea that it is better for Catholics in the United States to be Americans first and Catholics second, a mindset that heavily influenced my upbringing. The movie features two priests. Father Fitzgibbon, an old, Irish priest, is pastor of St. Dominic Church in New York City. Father Fitzgibbon has lost touch with the times and control of the parish, especially its finances. While presented as very kindly and lovable like any doddering old relative might be, he his steadfast in his faith and the practice thereof. He believes that a priest should act with decorum and in a way that doesn't bring scandal or disrepute and behaves accordingly. Father Fitzgibbon has relied for years on prayer to get his parish the funds it needs for even basic r