Presences: A Bishop's Life in the City

By Paul Moore Jr.

Book Overview

In his highly readable memoirs, Episcopal bishop and human rights activist Paul Moore writes movingly of the presence of God in his life and stresses the importance of the Church's witness against... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374175675
• ISBN13: 9780374175672
• Release Date: December 1997
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

An Energetic Episcopate

This is one of the most moving books I have ever read. It is the autobiography of Paul Moore, a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth amongst the "horsey set" of northern New Jersey. He went on to become a war hero in the Pacific theater during World War II but, shortly thereafter, found the planned course of his life arrested by an overwhelming urge to devote himself to the work of the Episcopal Church, in which he eventually rose to the lofty position of Bishop of New York. By far the most valuable and edifying portion of this narrative is the section dealing with Moore's days as a young priest in his first parish, Grace Church Van Voorst, in the ghetto of Jersey City. He and another young man assumed the co-pastorate of this church as seminary students, and decided to adopt the radical experiment (for the late '40's) of emphasizing social action in a neighborhood of crying needs. It took several years and much heartache to transform the church from a congregation of fourteen elderly ladies to one of three hundred lively neighborhood residents, and the story of the daily-changing demands of ministry to the homeless, gang members, and drug users would inspire anyone of good will to want to roll up his sleeves, plunge in, and get to work. Something of the challenge of the work and its contrasts is highlighted when Moore speaks of an evening spent at the ballet in New York City, where he was "caught up and swept away in a world of delicate form and beauty." He continues, "All the way back on the Hudson tubes, I lived on in that other world, until I walked up the steps of the rectory and found a dirty, ragged man covered with vomit, lying unconscious on the floor of the porch. I stepped over him, closing my eyes and my nose to his presence. It was too much. Oh, I knew he was more important than the fantasy world I'd come from. I knew Christ dwelt in him, that indeed he was Christ to me. And yet I could not face him, the stench of his vomit, nor my own priesthood, which bound me to him." Social action remained the hallmark of Moore's ministry as he rose in the councils of the Church to the pulpit of the cathedral in Indianapolis, and then to the offices of Assistant Bishop of Washington and Bishop of New York. In New York Moore had two Assistant Bishops under him, and thus was provided with more time for his political activities during the turbulent years of the 1960's and '70's when he became a leader in the Civil Rights and antiwar movements. His life was not without pathos and tragedy as his wife sank into a deep depression and eventually succumbed to cancer and his nine children forsook the Church for the liberated lifestyle of the drug culture. Of course the real tragedy in all of this is to see a life lived for service to man and to the Church but without much of a true spiritual dimension and bereft of the power of the Spirit in a real gospel message. Those who sat under Moore's

Read the book. You'll enjoy it. And remember it.

I found the book by Bishop Moore to be a story told with beauty, love and power, of a life spent serving others, and making an indelible mark on everyone he has touched, including friends, associates, family, critics, and his Church in many places throughout the world, including his own back yard. As an Episcopalian, I have a greater understanding of the Church, and the challenges and opportunities which are available to serve others. The author's experiences are many, and his journey is told with honesty, compassion and strength. Reading "Presences" is a great way to begin the new year and is a book I strongly recommend. Tom.