A novel approach to community.

I don't know about you, but on that terrible day that will now go down in history--Sept. 11, 2001--I did not want to be alone. Like most people, I congregated with my coworkers around a tiny television that morning, returning to my isolated cubicle only to use the phone to touch base with other significant people in my life. When our building (located just a block from the Sears Tower) was evacuated, I spent the rest of the afternoon going from place to place, including Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral, with various friends. In the evening, I unglued my eyes from the television news reports long enough to make phone calls to my family and other friends.

Among the many people I felt compelled to connect with that day were members of my women's book group. We left many messages for each other, trying to figure out who might be traveling that day and organizing outings to various prayer services. When we finally met a week later, we all agreed how much we needed to be together in the wake of this tragedy.

Our book group has always been more than just a book group; in fact, I often describe it as a small faith community. That may be true of many book groups, even those without an explicit spiritual focus. In this month's cover story, "Talk amongst yourselves" (pages 12-17), Maureen Abood finds that book groups have been brewing up community long before Ms. Winfrey became the country's unofficial spiritual and literary guru. Many book group members admit "it's not about the book" but rather about the relationships formed when people come together to talk about what they've read.

Although the need for intimate relationships is a timeless human longing, there's no doubt that the disconnectedness of contemporary society has intensified the craving for community. Sadly, there's nothing like shared tragedy to bond people together--and the terrorist attacks of September 11 have brought Americans together in a way that some may not have thought possible in this day and age. It seems the only way to avoid spiraling into despair is to realize that we're all in this together.

But not just as Americans--as human beings. In times like this, it's important not to let patriotism overshadow the spiritual truth that all of God's creatures are interconnected. In this issue, which went to press in late September, two of our columnists suggest that our Catholic Christian tradition might have something to say about our response to the evil of terrorism. In Margin Notes (page 37), Kevin Clarke asks if justice, not retribution, might not be the best way to break the cycle of violence and hate. And Tom McGrath's The Examined Life (page 50) challenges us to transform our pain and anger into reconciliation rather than revenge. By the time this magazine reaches your mailbox, I pray we are all at peace.