Andrew M. Greeley Books

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Andrew Greeley was an American Catholic priest. But he also wrote novels and newspaper articles. Born in 1928 in Oak Park, Illinois, Greeley attended St. Angela Elementary School in the Austin neighborhood, Chicago, Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary (AB Degree).

The child of a sizable Irish Catholic family, he had a Bachelor and Licentiate of Sacred Theology. Greeley was ten years old when he decided to become a priest, and he did everything in his power to achieve his dreams.

After a decade as an assistant pastor, Greeley published his first book (The Church in the Suburbs). At the same time, he pursued a Sociology MA and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Some of his readers probably attended the Universities of Arizona and Illinois-Chicago during his brief teaching stints at the institutions.

In the years that followed, the priest published more than eighty nonfiction works, some of which explored the role and positions of the church. People were fascinated by Greeley because he was somewhat contradictory.

He held both liberal and conservative positions. For instance, he opposed the Catholic Church’s prohibition of birth control. However, he defended priestly celibacy.

When the US Bishop’s Council asked him to gauge the morale of the Catholic Clergy, he clashed with his superiors when he reported that morale among the Catholic clergy in the country was dangerously low and that the church hierarchy was at fault.

The bishops prevented Greeley’s report from seeing the light of day. Though, he stuck to his conclusions. The priest’s foray into fiction began with ‘The Magic Cup’ in 1975. Greeley’s relationship with Cardinal John Cody had soured.

The author blamed Cody for suppressing the findings of his investigation into the morale among the Catholic clergy in the US. Cody made things worse by denying Greeley his own parish. When the author’s attempts to secure tenure at the University of Chicago failed to bear fruit, he turned to fiction.

Greeley’s novels made him a wealthy man. He noted on one occasion that most people would remember him, not for his politics, sociology, or priestly works, but his fiction.

The author gave most of his earnings away. He donated to the church, injected money into charities, started scholarships, supported inner-city schools, and more.

Greeley did not permit his wealth to distract him. He maintained his loyalty to the catholic church. In a Chicago Tribune article (1992), the author said that he was a priest before all else. Everything he did, from his research to the novels and newspaper columns he wrote, was designed to bolster his work as a priest.

Ever since he decided to become a priest at the age of ten, he never wavered, no matter how much money he made. The author died in 2013. People blamed his death on an accident he suffered in 2008.

As a taxi pulled away, Greeley realized too late that his clothing was caught on the door. The incident left the priest with skull fractures. He never fully recovered.

Best Andrew M. Greeley Books

The author was routinely criticized by Catholics who hated the sexual content in his novels. But from his point of view, sex was a good thing, and his stories showed as much. Greeley’s best books include:

The Cardinal Sins: Kevin and Patrick were lifelong friends. They entered seminary together. But their lives took different turns. Kevin was a successful scholar, but his superiors in the church kept opposing him.

On the other hand, Patrick rose quickly through the Church ranks. But it wasn’t long before the temptations of lust and power trapped him. Now, Patrick is looking to Kevin for a lifeline.

Irish Mist: Dermot Michael was a lucky man. Nuala, a woman more beautiful than any Dermot had ever seen, had finally agreed to marry him. But Nuala’s psychic spells wouldn’t let them be.

The visions began shortly after they tied the knot. She saw a burning castle, a police officer, and a wild woman. She knew they were all connected, but she wasn’t sure how.

Now, Dermot is reaching into the past to figure out the details surrounding the death of Kevin O’Higgins. He thinks they are close to the answer because someone is going through a lot of trouble to inhibit their investigation.

When Does The Next Andrew M. Greeley book come out?

Andrew M. Greeley doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Faithful Attraction and was released on January, 8th 2019. It is the newest book in the Andrew M. Greeley Non-Fiction.

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