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The Good Shepherd
“I have not sought or desired this new ministry,” Pope John XXIII once wrote. For Matthew Mahan, the knowledge that he could say the same made his selection by John’s successor as one of five new American Cardinals the ultimate triumph in a life dedicated to the Church. But that triumph soon becomes painfully hollow in this moving novel. A born politician, Mahan rose in the Church with unquestioning belief in its doctrines. But the Vatican Council made him begin to doubt his faith. These doubts torment him as he tries to deal with priests and laymen who demand change in the Church’s teaching on birth control, divorce, and clerical celibacy, while conservative churchmen urge blind support of Rome’s uncompromising stand on these issues. As it examines and exposes the inner workings of the Catholic Church, The Good Shepherd, by New York Times bestselling author Thomas Fleming, is an extraordinary story of a decent man driven to the breaking point by his decision to live as a man of God in a world of men.
482 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
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About the author
Thomas Fleming
128 books150 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.
After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.
Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".
Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Thomas James Fleming was an historian and historical novelist, with a special interest in the American Revolution. He was born in 1927 in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a World War I hero who was a leader in Jersey City politics for three decades. Before her marriage, his mother, Katherine Dolan Fleming, was a teacher in the Jersey City Public School System.
After graduating from St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, Fleming spent a year in the United States Navy. He received a Bachelor's degree, with honors, from Fordham University in 1950. After brief stints as a newspaperman and magazine editor, he became a full-time writer in 1960. His first history book, Now We Are Enemies, an account of the Battle of Bunker Hill, was published that same year. It was a best-seller, reviewed in more than 75 newspapers and featured as a main selection of the Literary Guild.
Fleming published books about various events and figures of the Revolutionary era. He also wrote about other periods of American history and wrote over a dozen well-received novels set against various historical backgrounds. He said, "I never wanted to be an Irish American writer, my whole idea was to get across that bridge and be an American writer".
Fleming died at his home in New York City on July 23, 2017, at the age of 90.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 21, 2019
this book is not really well written, but I still like it. I really like the look inside of the church system and all the the difficulties they face, and the moral examination the characters go through.
June 17, 2019
Interesting study of Catholic church in turmoil of the 60s and 70s but too dated. Had difficult relating to the characters.
March 1, 2016
The Good Shepherd, Thomas J. Fleming, RDC-M #4-74, 1977.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews