Fr. Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
The 50th anniversary this week of Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough album, Born to Run, got wide notice, including as a Catholic event. Springsteen is arguably rock and roll’s leading Catholic songwriter. “Once you’re Catholic, there is no getting out,” the Irish-Italian (his father the former, his mother the latter) has often said. His songs are filled with references to “sinners” and the images of Catholic redemption. He sings of the “lonely pilgrim” (Brilliant Disguise) who “believe[s] in a promised land” (The Promised Land). Had St. Augustine written rock and roll, his hungry heart would have made a good Springsteen song. Springsteen without the Catholic faith is simply not Springsteen.
