My Father, The Father: The Secret Life of a Catholic Priest
When Mary learned she was expecting a child, she and her partner, Father Ralph, decided to raise the baby themselves rather than pursue abortion or adoption. They quietly took on the roles of full-time parents while concealing the fact that the child’s father was a Catholic priest. As a result, their lives were built on an unstable network of secrecy and deception involving their families, friends, and eventually their son.
In My Father, The Father, author Tony Beadle recounts his upbringing as the son of a prominent Catholic priest and the woman who shared his life. The memoir explores how he was raised in a household shaped by affection, secrecy, and carefully maintained falsehoods. These efforts served two purposes: protecting Mary from the stigma faced by unmarried mothers and safeguarding Father Ralph’s reputation and career as a respected parish priest and successful fundraiser for the Boston cardinal, as well as preserving the public image of the Catholic Church.
“My upbringing was unusual, but it was filled with love, even with all its contradictions and dishonesty,” Beadle reflects. “Those experiences played a major role in shaping who I became.”
Beadle describes how his father lived a divided existence—spending part of each week with his hidden family in a quiet town south of Boston and the remainder serving as pastor to a wealthy congregation nearby. His mother, who lived close to extended family, carefully sustained a series of lies and behaviors to keep both Beadle and his father’s true identity concealed. It was not until Beadle was twenty-five that he met his extended family, receiving starkly different responses from each side.
“Catholic priests already carry immense responsibilities,” Beadle explains, “yet they are denied the simple joys of parenthood and intimate love.” Through his memoir, he hopes to spark reflection on the Church’s requirement of clerical celibacy, particularly at a time when the number of priests in the United States continues to decline.
"My Father, The Father: a memoir of love and double lives"
By Tony Beadle
ISBN: 9781665773461 (softcover); 9781665773478 (hardcover)
Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
In My Father, The Father, author Tony Beadle recounts his upbringing as the son of a prominent Catholic priest and the woman who shared his life. The memoir explores how he was raised in a household shaped by affection, secrecy, and carefully maintained falsehoods. These efforts served two purposes: protecting Mary from the stigma faced by unmarried mothers and safeguarding Father Ralph’s reputation and career as a respected parish priest and successful fundraiser for the Boston cardinal, as well as preserving the public image of the Catholic Church.
“My upbringing was unusual, but it was filled with love, even with all its contradictions and dishonesty,” Beadle reflects. “Those experiences played a major role in shaping who I became.”
Beadle describes how his father lived a divided existence—spending part of each week with his hidden family in a quiet town south of Boston and the remainder serving as pastor to a wealthy congregation nearby. His mother, who lived close to extended family, carefully sustained a series of lies and behaviors to keep both Beadle and his father’s true identity concealed. It was not until Beadle was twenty-five that he met his extended family, receiving starkly different responses from each side.
“Catholic priests already carry immense responsibilities,” Beadle explains, “yet they are denied the simple joys of parenthood and intimate love.” Through his memoir, he hopes to spark reflection on the Church’s requirement of clerical celibacy, particularly at a time when the number of priests in the United States continues to decline.
"My Father, The Father: a memoir of love and double lives"
By Tony Beadle
ISBN: 9781665773461 (softcover); 9781665773478 (hardcover)
Available at Archway Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble
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