ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — John Anglin, OFM, a Ministry of the Word friar, has received news that a book he has been working on for more than a year will be published. Based on his three-year-old blog, The Wandering Friar, John’s book by the same name is a compilation of stories of diverse people living the faith.
“All of them,” said John, “are people whom I have met on my journey of 42 years of ministry, 25 of it with the MOW.”
Tate Publishing in Oklahoma will begin editing with John in September and anticipates an early 2013 release. The book, according to John, will come out in paperback and in an electronic version for e-readers.
Encouraged by many friars, including Kevin Cronin, OFM, Daniel Lanahan, OFM, Roderic Petrie, OFM, and James Toal, OFM, and others, John began writing his book in 2011. He said he was also inspired by Kevin’s successful book, Friar’s Joy: Magic Moments from Real Life.
“I have been a member of the Ministry of the Word for almost 25 years. After about five years of experience with the MOW, I began to realize that there were some wonderful stories in the lives of people that I had encountered while traveling around to different parishes to preach missions. There were also wonderful stories from earlier in my ministerial life. I began to think of putting some of these stories in print.” In 2009, John began his blog.
“More than a few people told me that the name of the blog sounded like the title of a book. I agreed. After several false starts, I began writing seriously in the spring of 2011 in between all of my ministry commitments.”
Part 1 of his book describes how he became not only a friar, but a wandering friar who enjoys the life of an itinerant preacher. Part 2, he said, is about the Church.
“In these days when so much is focused on the good, the bad and the ugly of the Vatican and diocesan officials, sex abuse scandals, etc., I wanted to say, ‘Hey, the Church is more than that. The Church is the people of God, The Body of Christ.’”
Though John was initially turned down by Franciscan Media in late January, he said he felt encouraged to keep seeking a publisher. Tate let him know in May that it would accept the project.
“I hope that when the time comes, friars will be interested,” he said. “I think that among other things, it will be great for the vocation office as well as for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) programs. I hope that some of our ministry sites will consider having me visit for a book-signing.”
Other friars who have published e-books include:
- Daniel Horan, OFM, whose book Dating God: Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis was released in 2012.
- The late Boniface Hanley, OFM, whose book The Last Human Face: Fr. Franz Stock: A Priest in Hitler’s Army was published in print in 1998 and turned into an e-book in 2010
— Wendy Healy, a freelance writer based in Connecticut, is a regular contributor to HNP Today