Cynthia Hruby

THE RAREST KIND OF COURAGE is a biography of Fr. John Markoe, SJ, built on an August 15, 1917 pledge made by three Jesuit seminarians who saw what few others did – the rottenness of racism.” Their ministry was extracurricular, over-and-above assigned responsibilities, an “outpost [where] resistance and opposition to the good is experienced” (p. 44-45). Action in the ‘outpost’ demanded courage directed by prudence. From the 1917 pledge to his last breath in 1967, Fr. John challenged "Jim Crow" attitudes and decisions that maintained the wall between the individual and the door to opportunity. With respect for authority, he looked for the loose brick, wiggled it, and moved enough bricks so “the whole wall might begin to teeter” (p. 235). Such prudence, a virtue woven by author Matt Holland into each of the short 48 chapters, guided members of the De Porres Club to the right time for the right moral action against racism. As a former minister and college campus minister currently teaching English language learners, I believe the life of Fr. John Markoe has lessons for all who see injustice and need to discern prudent action. - Sr Cynthia Hruby ND, Omaha, Nebraska