June 2026
Jesuit and Catholic and Brophy
A Reflection From Fr. Bill Muller, S.J.
Vice President for Mission and Identity
“The man who does not read good books is no better than the man who can’t.”
-Mark Twain (1835-1910, American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer)
For the past few years I’ve offered some book titles to check out for summer reading, so let me do so again. Given the dramatic increase in book banning in the United States in the last few years, two of these books may well be on somebody’s list for banning, but worth the read, I think. If the other five are on somebody’s list, then we are in worse shape than I thought. I’ll leave it to you to decide.
An Altar in the World, A Geography of Faith (Barbara Brown Taylor, Harper Collins 2009)
If St. Ignatius Loyola were to write a promo for this book, I think he’d write, “This is a great help in rethinking how to find God in all things!” There are altars everywhere and in all facets of our lives. Sanctity is found in the mundane as well as in the extraordinary, in fact probably more so in the ordinary, everyday. We have to learn to rethink how and where to find God all the time. If Mary Oliver were to write a promo, she’d write, “Pay attention, be amazed, and let Barbara Brown Taylor tell you about it.”
Circe (Madeline Miller, Little, Brown, 2018)
When I was in high school we had to read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles (2011) and Circe are told with perhaps a modern day slant which I am sure some will say has more agenda to the story-telling than the original Greek tales. But the Greeks certainly had their agenda for telling the stories in the first place. Whatever – just good stories and a refresher from my long-ago high school myth readings.
In Time of Distance & Other Poems (Alexander McCall Smith, Pantheon Books, 2020)
The Scottish author is known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series (1998-2026), the Isabel Dalhousie books (2004-2026), and the 44 Scotland Streetbooks (2005-2026), and a bunch of others. He’s a fanciful and engaging writer whom I’m happy to recommend, especially the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I stumbled on this book of poems at our public library. It’s different from his stories, but has the same lightness of heart. And poetry is always important for the soul.
The Molly Murphy Mysteries (Rhys Bowen with Clare Broyles, Minotaur Books, 2001-2026)
Rhys Bowen is the pen name of Brophy faculty member Tim Broyles’ mother-in-law. The last three books in the 20 book series are co-authored by Tim’s mother-in-law and Tim’s wife Clare. The wonderful main character, Molly Murphy, is a female detective in early 1900s New York City, married to a policeman and raising a family. She is quite adept at solving crimes and mysteries before the men on the scene can. The history of the time and place are well researched, so along with the crime solving, we get a good look at the Big Apple when it was becoming itself.
Paul, a Biography (N.T. Wright, HarperOne, 2018)
Tom Wright (1948-) is an English scripture scholar, theologian, and Anglican bishop who has authored more than 80 books and has taught at Cambridge, McGill, St. Andrews, and Oxford Universities. His works are very readable, yet based in real scholarship and theology. I just recently read this biography of St. Paul and it was for me a whole new window into the life and the beliefs of Paul of Tarsus. Until now, Paul was pretty far down on my list of folks to meet in heaven because he seems, often enough, so disagreeable and harsh in some of his writing. After reading Wright’s Paul, I look forward to meeting him!
Queen Esther (John Irving, Simon & Schuster, 2025)
John Irving has been writing books since 1968 and there are certain themes, you might even say social justice themes, woven through many of his novels. Family in many forms, the dignity of misunderstood persons, care for those mistreated because they are different – my Catholic morality doesn’t agree with some of Irving’s way of dealing with the issues he writes about in his stories, but his characters and their issues are real. From the title you can guess that Jewish culture and antisemitism plays a big part. But the story isn’t about the scripture’s Queen Esther or Esther Nacht, a Jewish orphan in the early 20th century that starts the novel – it’s about Jimmy Winslow, Esther’s son and his college junior year abroad. Like all Irving novels, this one is a fun read with characters I really got to know and like. Not my favorite Irving tale, but glad to have read it.
Theo of Golden (Allen Levi, Atria Books, 2023)
I’m not sure how many times I’ve heard the story of the newly ordained priest who asked an older priest for three pieces of advice and the older priest says,”be kind, be kind, be kind.” An elderly Theo in Allen Levi’s novel shows up in the city of Golden, Georgia, and through 400 pages we experience Theo’s kindness, and not just three times. I was captured by Theo and all the people he meets and connects with. I was left remembering Naomi Nye’s poem “Kindness” that when we enter into someone else’s life with empathy and understanding, we are left with kindness that “goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.” My favorite book this year.
June Dates of Note
Pride Month
6 – D-Day, World War II (1944)
7 – Solemnity of Corpus Christi
9-15 – National Men’s Health Week
11 – Feast of the Apostle Barnabas
12 – Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
Assassination of Medgar Evans (1963)
13 – Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Supreme Court Ruling Miranda v Arizona (1966)
14 – Flag Day
15 – Father’s Day
Signing of the Magna Carta (1215)
19 – Juneteenth
20 – World Refugee Day
Summer Solstice
21 – World Day of Music
24 – Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist
29 – Feast of Saints Peter and Paul
William Mayo’s Birthday (1861-1939)
Pope Leo’s Prayer Intention for June
For the values of sports
Let us pray that sports be an instrument of peace, encounter, and dialogue among cultures and nations, and that they promote values such as respect, solidarity, and personal growth.
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RJ Hamster 