The Catholic Bookworm

Episode 274: Phil Lawler on his novel Ghost Runner (May 12, 2026)

46 min · 14. maj 2026
episode Episode 274: Phil Lawler on his novel Ghost Runner (May 12, 2026) cover

Beskrivelse

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Phil Lawler on his novel Ghost Runner.  Philip Lawler, one of America’s most respected Catholic writers and cultural critics, bursts onto the fiction scene with a riveting debut novel that plunges readers into the hidden battles of the Church in the 1980s. Lawler exposes beneath the surface of parish life and chancery politics a world of secrets, compromises, and spiritual warfare — where the faithful struggle to survive and a young priest discovers that he has a special mission — and powerful enemies. At the center is Fr. Andy Miller, freshly ordained and already under fire. Forced into sessions with a psychologist, Miller finds that his candid inner voice collides with the stark realities of an archdiocese in which corruption festers and power eclipses truth. Yet through humor, humility, and flashes of startling grace, he fights to shepherd his flock and live out a priesthood that may come at great personal cost. The story races from Boston’s parishes to the danger zones of war-torn El Salvador, where Miller’s quest thrusts him into peril and political intrigue. Shadowing his path is his brother Peter, a high-ranking official in the Reagan administration, whose own battles in Washington entwine with Andy’s in ways neither could predict. With every turn, the tension mounts — lives hang in the balance, faith is tested, and the line between betrayal and redemption blurs. More than a thriller, this is a profound spiritual journey. Lawler pulls readers into the struggle to discern spirits, to cling to God in the face of corruption, and to discover peace through surrender to His will. Along the way, the true beauty of the Church and the essence of the priestly vocation come alive. This is not just a novel. It is a heart-pounding, soul-stirring plunge into faith under fire. Once you enter Fr. Miller’s world, you won’t be able to put the book down. Ghost Runner: Phil Lawler: 9798889116028: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Runner-Phil-Lawler/dp/B0FWXTDQ77/]

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281 episoder

episode Episode 281: Joan Elizabeth Bauer on her novel The Bicycle Messenger (June 1, 2026) cover

Episode 281: Joan Elizabeth Bauer on her novel The Bicycle Messenger (June 1, 2026)

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Joan Elizabeth Bauer on her novel The Bicycle Messenger. (June 1, 2026) In the 1970s, when a distant cousin dies unexpectedly, Mary Ellen and Charles Hawley agree to take his seven-year-old son Steven into their home. Steven’s birth mother, a Polish immigrant, has schizophrenia and can’t assume custody. But in a last traumatic visit, she convinces her son that a mysterious presence called the bicycle messenger has followed him into his new life. Years later, Steven, a recovering alcoholic with a history of bipolar disorder, is working as a short-order cook. To Megan Helmsworth, a college student waiting tables, he is a sweet, doting boyfriend. But Steven becomes more and more preoccupied with his lost family of origin, and when a manic swing sends him on a quixotic journey to Poland, Megan seizes her chance to escape. In a well-meaning attempt to shelter her fragile son, Mary Ellen agrees to harbor a secret no mother should ever keep.  Told through the eyes of the three women who love Steven best—Mary Ellen, Megan, and his adoptive sister Margaret—The Bicycle Messenger is a story of generational trauma that stretches from the last days of the Kraków ghetto in 1942 all the way to 2016. But it is also a story of unexpected grace. https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Messenger-Joan-Elizabeth-Bauer/dp/B0FGGLDMDQ/

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episode Episode 280: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book My Journey’s End (May 26, 2026) cover

Episode 280: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book My Journey’s End (May 26, 2026)

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episode Episode 279: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book Going Forth: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Mission (May 26, 2026) cover

Episode 279: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book Going Forth: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Mission (May 26, 2026)

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book Going Forth: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Mission (May 26, 2026) This book completes Fr. Dennis J. Billy’s acclaimed trilogy on Alphonsian spirituality. Drawing on theology, history, and pastoral insight, Fr. Billy explores how mission flows from God’s own life of love and finds concrete expression in preaching, sacrament, community, and service to the poor and most abandoned. Rooted in tradition yet attentive to today’s Church, this work invites readers to rediscover missionary discipleship as a lived spirituality for our time. Going Forth: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Mission by Rev. Dennis J. Billy, C.Ss.R. | En Route Books and Media [https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/goingforth/]

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episode Episode 278: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book Paradise for God: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Heart (May 25, 2026) cover

Episode 278: Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book Paradise for God: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Heart (May 25, 2026)

In this episode of The Catholic Bookworm, Kiki Latimer interviews Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR, on his book Paradise for God: St. Alphonsus de Liguori and the Spirituality of Heart.  Paradise for God explores St. Alphonsus de Liguori’s “spirituality of heart,” examining his vision of conversion, prayer, and intimate friendship with God. Focusing on the human heart as the dwelling place of God, the book unpacks Alphonsian practices like mental prayer and the Way of the Cross, offering readers a path to deep personal transformation, grace-filled discipleship, and union with Christ’s heart in a life of mission and love. https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/paradiseforgod/

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