Joseph Girzone

Joseph Francis Girzone (May 15, 1930 – November 29, 2015), sometimes known as the "Joshua Priest", was an American Catholic priest and writer, most notably as the author of the Joshua series of novels.

Life

Early life Girzone was born in Albany, New York, to Peter, a butcher, and Margaret Girzone, the oldest of their twelve children. It was a struggling family, which experienced the shame of eviction during his childhood.

Girzone entered the Carmelite Order as a young man and was ordained as a priest in 1955. A few years later he chose to leave the order in favor of life as a diocesan priest and was accepted by the Diocese of Albany. He then served at various parishes of the diocese, in the course of which he became active in advocating for the elderly. He was a driving force in the formation of the Office for the Aging of Montgomery County.

Girzone had an auto-immune system disease that was destroying his red blood cells as they were being introduced into the blood stream. In 1981, however, Girzone was diagnosed with a heart condition and hypertension which was judged to be fatal, leading him to retire from active ministry. He accepted the forfeiture of any pension or medical benefits from the diocese as part of an agreement for his early retirement.

Authorial Success Following his retirement, Girzone embarked on a second career as a full-time writer and speaker. He published his first novel, Joshua, in 1983, which was the first of a whole series of books which had the premise of Jesus Christ returning to earth and living as an itinerant carpenter. After being rejected by all the publishing houses he had approached, he founded his own publishing company, Richelieu Court Publications, to release the novel. He carried boxes of the book in his trunk of his car, making modest sales at different locales. and with its national distribution and marketing might, published five more titles in the "Joshua" series. The books reached an unexpected level of popularity. After Girzone's initial success, he was offered a contract by Image Books, a Catholic-oriented imprint of Doubleday. Sacks of mail arrived for Girzone weekly from lapsed Catholics and spiritual seekers of all stripes showed up at his home to share how his books had affected their lives,

Girzone gave spiritual talks and led retreats, both around the nation and internationally. He purchased a retreat center that he ran in Lothian, Maryland.

Through his foundation, Girzone personally funded various projects to answer the needs of the people in need in the region. In Schoharie County, the foundation operated a food pantry, delivered meals and helped to pay heating bills of the rural poor. He also covered the tuition of needy high school students.

Writings Who Will Teach Me? (1982) Gloria: a Diary (1982) Joshua (1983) Kara: The Lonely Falcon (1985) Joshua and the Children (1989) Joshua and the Shepherd (1990) Joshua in the Holy Land (1993) Never Alone (1994) Joshua and the City (1995) What is God? (1996) Joey: An inspiring true story of faith and forgiveness (1997) A Portrait of Jesus (1998) Joshua: The Homecoming (1999) Jesus, His Life and Teachings: As Recorded by His Friends Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (2000) The Parables of Joshua (2001) The Messenger (2002) Trinity: A New Living Spirituality (2002) Joshua in a Troubled World : A Story for Our Time (2005) My Struggle with Faith (2006) Joshua's Family (2007) Jesus: A New Understanding of God’s Son (2009, Doubleday) 'The Wisdom of His Compassion' (2009, 2012) [Orbis Books] The Homeless Bishop (2011) (Orbis Books) (Introduction by Joseph F. Girzone) Colors of the Spirit by Dorothy K. Ederer, Doubleday, 1998. Joshua's Reflections - Volumes 1-6 of 10 (Beginning in 2017) Free to Live (2017)