Oral history interview with Richard F. Berg, 1996 August

Tape 1, Side 1, to partway through Tape 2, Side 1. In the first interview session, conducted on August 2, 1996, Berg discusses his family background and talks about how his family influenced his spirituality. He discusses his early life in Portland, Oregon, and speaks about his sisters, their families, and their careers. He also shares his childhood experiences during World War II while his father worked as chief surgeon at a military hospital at Fort Ord, California. He speaks about his decision to go to seminary and shares his experiences at the seminary at Notre Dame University. He also talks about fundraising for the March of Dimes as a teenager and about what the experience taught him about generosity. He then discusses a trip to Guatemala after he became a priest and talks about his work in Texas with youth struggling with drug addiction.

Partway through Tape 2, Side 1, through Tape 3, Side 2. In the second interview session, conducted on August 3, 1996, Berg further discusses his early life in Portland and talks about his relationship with Catholicism during his youth, including in his schooling and at home. He shares his thoughts about the inclusivity of the Catholic Church. He talks about his service as pastor for the St. Andre Parish, also known as the Downtown Chapel, and speaks at length about his work with people experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, drug addiction, and homelessness. He talks about his involvement with the Northwest Neighborhood Association and about life in the neighborhood. He speaks about his experience during a trip to Japan in 1987.

In the third and final interview session, conducted in August 1996, Berg discusses his mentors in the Catholic Church and talks about their work. He shares his strategies for maintaining enthusiasm for new projects, and speaks about his work with the MacDonald Center, now the Maybelle Center for Community, an organization dedicated to building community for people who are socially isolated. He talks about counseling draftees during the Vietnam War in Texas, and speaks further about his work with people with post-traumatic stress disorder. He shares his thoughts on the Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality, talks about social justice issues that he believes the church should address, particularly poverty, and closes the interview by describing the concept of "social mercy."