Morte d'Urban by J. F. Powers
**Overview of "Morte d'Urban" by J. F. Powers**
"Morte d'Urban" is a novel by J. F. Powers that explores the life of Father Urban Roche, a member of the Order of Saint Clement, as he navigates the challenges of faith, identity, and materialism. Set primarily in Chicago and rural Minnesota, the story unfolds with Urban's complex relationship with Billy Cosgrove, a wealthy benefactor whose generosity complicates Urban’s spiritual journey. Urban's initial role as a traveling fundraiser for the order shifts dramatically when he is assigned to a struggling novitiate in Minnesota, where he grapples with personal dissatisfaction and the demands of his fellow clergy.
As Urban becomes embroiled in the order's efforts to revitalize its mission through various ventures, including a golf course, he faces profound changes following a severe head injury that alters his perspective on life and faith. The novel delves into themes of corruption, personal power, and the dichotomy between spiritual aspirations and worldly desires. Ultimately, Urban's journey leads him to significant self-reflection and a redefined sense of purpose, shaping him into a figure of unexpected piety. "Morte d'Urban" examines the complexities of clerical life and the moral ambiguities faced by those within it, making it a poignant commentary on the challenges of contemporary Catholicism.
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Morte d'Urban by J. F. Powers
First published: 1962
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of plot: Late 1950’s
Locale: Chicago and Minnesota
Principal characters
Father Urban Roche , a Roman Catholic priestFather Wilfrid Bestudik , a colleague of UrbanBilly Cosgrove , a wealthy layman and friend of UrbanFather Jack andBrother Harold , members of a community of Roman Catholic clergyBishop James Conor , the head of the local archdioceseMonsignor Renton , another of Urban’s superiorsMrs. Thwaites , an eccentric small-town philanthropistSally Thwaites Hopwood andDickie , her childrenSylvia Bean , a member of a church that Urban visits
The Story:
Father Urban Roche, born Harvey Roche in a small town in Illinois, is fifty-four years old and a longtime member of the Order of Saint Clement, a small order of Roman Catholic priests based in Chicago. Urban spends a number of years traveling and raising money for the order when, one day after a mass he says in a suburban Chicago church, he is approached by Billy Cosgrove.
Cosgrove, a wealthy man given to frequent golfing and sailing outings, later meets Urban at South Bend, Indiana, after a Notre Dame University football game. Hailing Urban from his chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce, Cosgrove becomes a mysterious and capricious force in Urban’s life. Their relationship, from the beginning, is based on a strange kind of material need—on Billy’s need to give Urban money and things, and on Urban’s professional courting of a generous and affluent man. Urban gives Billy a load of firewood from the Saint Clement novitiate; later, over the course of time, Cosgrove endows the Clementines with items for their foundation in Minnesota, builds a golf course for the order, and invites Urban on fishing expeditions.
In the meantime, however, Urban is banished by Father Boniface to backwoods Minnesota, where a Clementine priest, Wilfrid “Bunny” Bestudik, presides over a tiny group of men clustered in a former sanatorium. Bunny has the idea of saving the facility, and even the order, from oblivion by transforming the outpost into a retreat center. Much work needs to be done on the buildings, work which, Bunny insists, can be done by the resident clerics.
Urban has a very difficult time adjusting to his new role and, in fact, does not try very hard to work as a member of the small Clementine team. He complains of the cold and often sleeps in order to escape the boredom of daily life on the Hill, as the order’s facility is called. Bunny, in his quiet way, puts up with Urban’s complaints and does what he thinks is best. When the pastor of a nearby church, St. Monica’s, suddenly dies, Urban manages to persuade Bunny to let him temporarily take the pastor’s place. This change in assignment is much to Urban’s liking, and he begins to build a small empire. He courts the goodwill of Mrs. Thwaites, a reclusive old woman of some wealth. With Billy’s suspect help, property adjacent to the Hill is acquired so that the order might attract retreatants with a golf course. Cosgrove hires an architect to build a fine course; later, he endows the order with an automobile for its transportation needs.
Fate or Providence intervenes in Urban’s success. During a golf match with Bishop James Conor on the Hill course, Urban is hit on the head by the bishop’s ball. This proves to be a serious injury, from which Urban recovers after a convalescence but which causes him recurrent headaches and some temporary short-term memory loss. The injury also sets in motion a number of threats to Urban’s status and well-being. Urban’s brush with death also precipitates a fundamental change in his view of his life, his faith, and his relationship with others.
Urban finds the courage to resist the cruel demands that Billy places on him. During a fishing trip, in his frustration with not being able to catch a fish, Billy tries to drown a deer in the lake; when Urban objects, Billy simply dumps Urban in the water and leaves him there. Later, Sally Thwaites Hopwood tries to seduce Urban, not only by undressing in front of him but also by appealing to otherworldly pleasures that have tempted Urban for so long in his life.
Ultimately, Urban is elected provincial of the Order of St. Clement, which is perhaps remarkable. Instead of using his new power to achieve what the old Urban might want, however, the postaccident Urban gives repeated evidence that the world and its glories mean nothing to him. Indeed, he gained a reputation for piety, partly because of his ill health, but partly because the reputation is deserved. Moreover, Urban begins to think of the Hill as his home—rather than Chicago, which was his home base in his previous existence as traveling salesman for the order.
Bibliography
“Fiction in Review.” Yale Review 91, no. 4 (October, 2003): 133-160. A detailed review of Powers’s fiction, including Morte d’Urban.
Hagopian, John V. J. F. Powers. New York: Twayne, 1968. Hagopian’s reading of Morte d’Urban is thorough and intelligent, although perhaps somewhat intolerant of possible alternative interpretations.
Henault, Marie. “The Saving of Father Urban.” America 108 (March 2, 1963): 290-292. A study of the Arthurian references in the novel.
Hinchcliffe, Arnold P. “Nightmare of Grace.” Blackfriars 45 (February, 1964): 61-69. A consideration of what Hinchliffe calls the “Mammon of Iniquity” theme in the novel.
Labrie, Ross. “J. F. Powers (b. 1917).” In The Catholic Imagination in American Literature. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1997. Labrie analyzes representative works by Powers and other Catholic writers and poets to describe how these works express each writer’s particular interpretation of Catholic teaching.
Long, J. V. “Clerical Character(s).” Commonweal 125, no. 9 (May 8, 1998): 11-16. Long offers a retrospective analysis of the leading characters in Morte d’Urban and Wheat That Springeth Green and the sacred-versus-secular issues confronting them. It is an interesting look back in the light of changes in American Catholicism since the 1950’s.
Merton, Thomas. “Morte d’Urban: Two Celebrations.” Worship 36 (November, 1962): 645-650. Defends Powers against charges of anticlericalism and calls the novel a work of genius.
Sisk, John P. “Morte d’Urban, by J. F. Powers.” Renascence 16 (1963): 101. According to Hagopian (above), Sisk’s review of the novel is one of the best early assessments.
Tartt, Donna. “The Glory of J. F. Powers.” Harper’s, July, 2000. Tartt, herself a novelist, reviews Morte d’Urban and other fictional works by Powers.