Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul
Encyclopedia
Father Joe: The Man Who Saved My Soul (2004) is a memoir written by Tony Hendra
, an English humorist and satirist. It was on the New York Times Best Seller list
for many weeks.
, a monastery
on the Isle of Wight
off the coast of England
. Hendra, expecting to be disciplined, was surprised when a "cartoonish" monk
, Father Joseph Warrilow, instead treated him kindly. Hendra fell in love with Quarr and decided to become a monk.
When Hendra reached the age of eighteen and could legally begin his time at Quarr, Father Joe found out that Hendra had received a scholarship to Cambridge University
, and he urged Hendra to first attend college and obtain a degree before he could be admitted to the monastery.
While at Cambridge, Hendra married. Though unable to become a monk, he continued to visit Father Joe for more than 40 years, until Father Joe's death on April 27, 1998.
Tony Hendra
Tony Hendra is an English satirist and writer who has worked mostly in the United States. Educated at St Albans School and Cambridge University, he was a member of the Cambridge University Footlights revue in 1962, alongside John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Tim Brooke-Taylor.-Career:In 1964 Hendra...
, an English humorist and satirist. It was on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for many weeks.
Plot summary
When Hendra was 14, he had an affair with a married woman. When her husband, a devout Catholic, discovered them in each others' arms, he took Hendra on a trip to Quarr AbbeyQuarr Abbey
Quarr Abbey is a monastery between the villages of Binstead and Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight in southern England. The name is pronounced as "Kor" . It belongs to the Order of St Benedict. The present imposing brick construction was completed in 1912. A community of about a dozen monks maintains...
, a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
off the coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Hendra, expecting to be disciplined, was surprised when a "cartoonish" monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, Father Joseph Warrilow, instead treated him kindly. Hendra fell in love with Quarr and decided to become a monk.
When Hendra reached the age of eighteen and could legally begin his time at Quarr, Father Joe found out that Hendra had received a scholarship to Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and he urged Hendra to first attend college and obtain a degree before he could be admitted to the monastery.
While at Cambridge, Hendra married. Though unable to become a monk, he continued to visit Father Joe for more than 40 years, until Father Joe's death on April 27, 1998.
Book details
US first edition hardcover- 304 pages
- Random HouseRandom HouseRandom House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
(May 18, 2004) - ISBN 1-4000-6184-9