the project
bad (adj):
morally objectionable
trouble (n.):
unrest or disorder
BAD
CATHOLICS
GOOD
trouble
stories about people of faith who stepped
outside the lines to fight for social justice
Bad Catholics, Good Trouble
Some Catholics won’t address injustice in their neighborhoods, in their parishes, or in the Church. Some even fight to keep oppressive structures in place.
Other Catholics have taken feet to the streets and bricks to the head in their struggles for social justice.
Both have been labeled “bad” Catholics. Both thought of themselves as “good.” And both raise the question of what it means to be “good” or “bad” Catholics in the first place.
“Trouble” is a tricky word too. People who fight for social justice are often labeled rabble-rousers, law-breakers, and trouble-makers.
But as the late great freedom fighter John Lewis taught us, sometimes it is right and good to speak truth to power and stir up trouble in the face of injustice. This is what Lewis meant by “good trouble, necessary trouble.”
Bad Catholics, Good Trouble brings you all their stories: true stories about Catholic injustice and the ordinary people of faith who did extraordinary things to confront white supremacy and colonial violence in their communities — in a webtoon format suitable for readers of all ages!
Created by Dr. Matthew J. Cressler, a historian of anti/racism and American Catholicism, featuring art by Marcus Jimenez, founder of Dauntless Comics, and web design by Dr. Megan Goodwin, Bad Catholics, Good Trouble draws together overlooked histories and vivid imagery to bring the struggle for social justice in American Catholic communities to life.
praise for
Bad Catholics, Good Trouble
read the comics
Charleston 2023
“What Are You Going to Do?”
is the second chapter in the Bad Catholics, Good Trouble series: the story of a Black boy from Charleston who would bring the Black revolution to the University of Notre Dame’s campus. Meet Arthur McFarland…
Chicago 1966
“An Exception to the Rule”
is the first chapter in the Bad Catholics, Good Trouble series: a story of women religious marching for justice — while many of their fellow parishioners fought against integration. Meet Sister Angelica…