Just how forgiving are you of how others behave? Do you stop and think that they might just have a reason for acting the way they do? Or are you a person who believes that if someone does something immoral, they should be punished no matter what the circumstances?
Father Ray’s life is thrown into turmoil when he begins having dreams of abuse he suffered as a child. The death of his parents brings to the surface memories that have been buried deep inside him for a long time.
At the parish he has been sent to, a teenage girl in the choir develops a crush on him. This is bad because he is attracted to her as well. Even though he knows better, he is too weak to refuse her advances. That fact that she is almost a double of the girl he used to be in love with before he went to seminary doesn’t help matters. But their forbidden relationship leads to more trouble than he ever dreamed possible.
What Father Ray does leads two other priests, Dan and Tony, to examine their own lives and actions. Another priest, arrogant and so sure of his reasons for going against the church’s teachings, for “helping” those who had done wrong to cover up their wrongs and not be held accountable, suffered a downfall of his own when it was discovered what he had been doing.
This story, so full of raw emotion, shows that everyone, no matter what their vocation, is human. It also shows that no one is beyond redemption. Even though what Father Ray did was wrong in so many ways, I was pulled into his world of pain and confusion. I felt so bad for him and also for the young girl he became involved with.
I was sent a copy of Fallen Men in exchange for an honest review. For those of you who would like to read this powerful book for yourself, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Fallen Men
Recommended Articles:
The Doom Murders – a Review
The Miracle Ship – a Review
Favorite Sentences:
Something in his psyche was succumbing to a dark desolation, beginning to move him in ways and attitudes and feelings that were not his.
He had a sudden vision of the bishop in jogging gear and shook his head as if to clear the image.
And with that simple act, he opened the door to horrors in his life beyond anything he could have imagined.
What he was about to say was so antipathetic to his conscience and to his moral sense that he wanted to vomit the words out of the window.
New Words Learned:
alb – a white vestment worn by clergy and servers in some Christian churches
amadan – fool
biretta – a square cap with three flat projections on top, worn by Roman Catholic clergymen
bon viveur – someone who enjoys spending time with other people, eating good food, drinking expensive wine etc
bonhomie – cheerful friendliness; geniality
brucellosis – infection with bacteria of the Brucella genus, frequently causing spontaneous abortions in animals and remittent fever in humans
chasuble, wikimedia commons
chasuble – a sleeveless outer vestment worn by a Catholic or High Anglican priest when celebrating Mass, typically ornate and having a simple hole for the head
chivvy – tell someone repeatedly to do something
cincture a girdle or belt
crosier – a ceremonial staff carried by a bishop or an abbot, hooked at one end like a shepherd’s crook.
descant – an independent treble melody usually sung or played above a basic melody
embrocation – a liquid used for rubbing on the body to relieve pain from sprains and strains
fugue – a period during which a person suffers from loss of memory
gabshite – referring to someone who talks loudly on a subject he knows nothing about
Gardai – the police force of Ireland
git – an unpleasant or contemptible person
glottal – of or produced by the glottis, the opening at the upper part of the larynx, between the vocal cords
homily – a religious discourse that is intended primarily for spiritual edification rather than doctrinal instruction; a sermon
ineffable – too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words
infarct – a localized area of tissue, as in the heart or kidney, that is dying or dead, having been deprived of its blood supply because of an obstruction by embolism or thrombosis
leylandii hedge, www.geograph.uk
leylandii – a type of tall-growing evergreen with fine scalelike foliage arranged in flat sprays
mitre – a tall headdress worn by bishops and senior abbots as a symbol of office, tapering to a point at front and back with a deep cleft between
mooted – presented or introduced for discussion
pap – an idea, talk, book, or the like, lacking substance or real value
Pietà – a representation of the Virgin Mary mourning over the body of the dead Christ, usually shown held on her lap
polymyalgia rheumatica – a chronic inflammatory disease, common among older persons, characterized by recurrent episodes of muscle pain and stiffness, sometimes leading to cardiovascular complications or blindness
prelate – an ecclesiastic of a high order, as an archbishop, bishop, etc.; a church dignitary
modern glass reredos, Saint Matthew’s Church, Millbrook, Jersey, wikipedia
reredos – an ornamental screen covering the wall at the back of an altar
serried – pressed together or compacted, as soldiers in rows
soubriquet – a person’s nickname
soutane – a long, close-fitting garment worn by members of the clergy or others participating in church services.
syllogistic – describing deductive reasoning
Ubi Caritas – a hymn of the Western Church, long used as one of the antiphons for the washing of feet on Maundy Thursday. The Gregorian melody was composed sometime between the fourth and tenth centuries though some scholars believe the text dates from early Christian gatherings before the formalization of the Mass. It is usually sung at Eucharistic Adoration and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and on Holy Thursday evening at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The current Roman Catholic Missal (1970, 3rd typical edition 2000) reassigned it from the foot-washing mandatum to the offertory procession at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and it also is found in current Anglican and Lutheran hymnals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubi_caritas
venial – able to be forgiven or pardoned; not seriously wrong, as a sin (opposed to mortal)
About the Author:
Brian O’Hare, MA, Ph.D., is a retired assistant director of a large regional college of further and higher education. He is married, and he has three children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He plays golf three times a week off a ten handicap and does a lot of voluntary work. Any writing he has previously done was academic. . .very much restricted to a very specific readership. Several articles in educational journals were followed by a number of book-length reports for the Dept. of Education and the University of Ulster.
