Father Koesler

Sixty-year-old Father Rick Casserly, the much loved pastor at St. William of Thierry church, and Lillian "Lil" Niedermier, the principal at nearby St. Enda's elementary school, share a common bond. They are secret lovers, driven into the closet by the Catholic Church's position on the marriage of its clergy.

The late William X. Kienzle is best known for his Father Koesler mysteries, starring priest/detective Father Robert Koesler. Here, we go back to Father Koesler's past, to a time when young Catholic men and women were encouraged, even expected to become priests and nuns. Kienzle follows a group of young men and women through the paths of their religious life, as they test their commitment, their faith, and their vocation against the high standards of the Catholic Church.

When Father Wheatley decided to convert from the Anglican Church to the Roman Catholic, he thought he had fully considered the sacrifices he would have to make. He understood the strain the change would put on his wife and children, and the challenges he would face to be accepted as a married Roman Catholic priest. He even acknowledged that reactionaries in both religious camps would oppose such a spiritual changeover.