The Joshua Priest: A Biography of Faith - Softcover

Since the publication of Joshua in 1983, countless millions of readers across the globe have found their faith transformed by “the good news” of Jesus’ unconditional compassion and love that they encounter in the writings of Father Joseph Francis Girzone, The Joshua Priest. Here, in this inspiring biography, the reader discovers the deeply rooted faith and raw courage that, on critical occasions, saved Father Joe’s life and made his Joshua ministry possible, a faith that remained steadfast in the face of daunting personal crises and turbulent world events.Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M. writes about The Joshua Priest: “It has been said that ideas do not change people, but people change people. In this book you will have two beautiful “people” encounters -- with a great man and with the great woman who writes about him. Be prepared to be changed, enlightened, and readied for an even greater Encounter.” Father Philippe Charles, TOR, writes: “In this book, faith is not an intellectual state. It is more than a conviction or an attitude of being convinced. Here, we see revealed the man of God, Father Joe, guided through his life by the radical faith in which his heart reposes. The Church could not get along in any form without such great faith. With sensitivity not only to the written word but also to the forces which generate personal development, Barbara Benjamin writes a biography of faith that is breathtaking and spirit-warming, filled with smile-inducing beauty and rueful truth.”

Nominated in 2009 for a Pulitzer Prize in poetry, Barbara Benjamin’s Face to Face has been described as “a love letter to God.” A mystic with a profound sense of God’s presence in everything in the universe, from “a tiny drop of soft spring rain” to “a cosmic ray,” Ms. Benjamin has written poetry since she was ten years old and received her first award for poetry in junior high school for a poem contemplating the “mystic visions” in the heavens. Her poetry has been published in The Connecticut River Review and The Fairfield County Catholic and has been featured in Celebrate Your Divinity and Le Preuve Scientifique de l'Existence de Dieu by Orest Bedrij. Outside of her awareness, God continued to work in her life, through a turbulent, ecumenical childhood and a long, incompatible marriage, through six miscarriages, and through notable careers as a school district administrator, a business consultant, an executive mentor, an international speaker and retreat leader, a graduate school professor of organizational leadership, and an author. “Barbara Benjamin sings an involvement with life and inner spirit that is breathtaking,” says renowned psychologist and author James M. McMahon. He continues: “Deceptively clear and straightforward she touches the deepest in us and around us in every poem. Whether in vivid descriptions of the physical world or the silent struggles within us, the beauty of her poems forces us to engage life and mystery.” Slowly becoming aware of her attraction to God and the power of “His Abundant Love” in her life, Barbara asked God to wait with her, as she grew in spiritual consciousness of her calling--to seek the seekers and bring them closer. It took her twenty years to write her first volume of poetry, Through My Window, published in 1988. Ms. Benjamin is also a talented and inspiring non-fiction writer. Scheduled for pre-publication press copies by Nepperhan Press in April 2010, her most recent book, The Joshua Priest, is an authorized spiritual biography of Father Joseph Girzone, author of the Joshua books. Since the publication of Joshua in 1983, countless millions of readers across the globe have found their faith transformed by “the good news” of Jesus’ unconditional compassion and love embodied in the writings of Joseph Francis Girzone, the Joshua Priest. Ms. Benjamin hopes that readers will find strength in discovering the deeply rooted faith and raw courage that, on critical occasions, saved the life of Fr. Joe and made his Joshua ministry possible, a faith that remained steadfast in the face of daunting personal crises and turbulent world events. Ms. Benjamin is currently immersed in writing her second book on leadership, Christ Conscious Leadership, slated for publication in early 2011. “The essence of effective leadership,” she believes, “lies in our ability to see the world and the people in it as they really are and to embrace the world and the people in it as they really are. Jesus knows exactly who we are and loves and accepts us exactly as we are, even forgiving us our unconsciousness. He prays, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Luke 23:24). It is with Christ conscious awareness and acceptance that we can begin to make a difference in the world.” Ms. Benjamin’s other publications include Leadership in the Interactive Age: A Skills Development Workbook and the accompanying CDs, The Leadership Lecture Series; The Case Study: Storytelling in the Industrial Age and Beyond; and A Modern Prayer Guide to St. Teresa of Avila’s “Interior Castle.” She also coauthored two cookbooks, The Lenten Kitchen and The Advent Kitchen, published by The Paulist Press.