Talking in Memphis

And counting the days 'til I'm back working on my Twomey biography

Here I am with some of the five hundred friends and fans of the recovery movement who came to hear me speak about Father Ed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Memphis, April 3, 2024.

These past several weeks have been extraordinarily busy but also very blessed. I finished my Sacred Heart book project for Loyola Press and resumed my book tour for Father Ed: The Story of Bill W.’s Spiritual Sponsor, which just came out in paperback.

On April 3, at the invitation of Bishop David Talley, I had the great joy of speaking at Memphis’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the sixty-fourth anniversary of Father Ed’s death in that city. (Video of my talk is currently on the Diocese of Memphis’s Facebook page.) And next week I’ll be speaking on Father Ed in northern New Jersey and Flint, Michigan.

Although I love sharing Father Ed’s story and will gratefully do it wherever I’m invited (and even where I’m not, as with Indianapolis during the Eucharistic Congress, where I’ve decided to host my own Father Ed event), I won’t lie to you: I can’t wait to return home and begin writing my biography of Father Louis J. Twomey, S.J., A Priest in Good Trouble.

Nearly all my research for the biography has been completed. I’ve spent seven weeks combing the Twomey Papers at Loyola New Orleans and have also consulted several other archives, including the Martin Luther King, Jr., papers at Boston University. In addition, I’ve interviewed a number of people who had amazing stories to tell about Father Twomey and his circle.

I do still plan to make a couple more visits to archives, both return trips: one to the Jesuit Archives in St. Louis (more on that soon) and one to the Twomey Papers (as I’ll be in New Orleans in mid-May to give talks at the Round Table Club and at Holy Name). But I have more than enough material now to start putting it all together.

Say a prayer for me and wish me luck. I plan to post here more often once I get into the rhythms of writing the biography.