Father Turiddu faces unique antagonist in latest novel

Reviewed by Mike Krokos

“It was the worst winter storm Father T could remember. For most of his nearly 83 years of life, the city he loved had mild winters. Not this year. On January 5, Mother Nature dropped a foot of snow on the city. The next day, the ‘polar vortex,’ a massive blast of arctic air, caused temperatures in Canada and the Midwestern and Eastern United States to fall dangerously below zero, resulting in record low temperatures in North American cities as far south as central Florida.”

The true-to-life winter of 2013 in St. Louis is the backdrop for author Daniel Conway’s third novel about Msgr. Salvatore E. Turiddu, whom everyone called “Father T.”

In Father Turiddu and the Polar Vortex, the author advances the fictional story of Msgr. Turiddu, a priest modeled after Msgr. Salvatore Polizzi, a now 85-year-old priest who currently serves as pastor of St. Roch Parish in St. Louis, Mo.

In the latest book, which follows Father Turiddu: The Savior of the City, and Father Turiddu Returns: The Cardinal and the Inquisitor, the winter storm paralyzes residents throughout the St. Louis area and creates havoc for all of them, including Father T.

“The first novel had right-wing domestic terrorists as the ‘bad guys.’ The second novel was set in Italy and had left-wing terrorists,” Conway said. “In the third novel, the weather [the polar vortex] is the antagonist that Father T must battle with in order to carry out his ministry.”

The reason for the book series, the author noted, is to recognize the ministry of a dedicated priest.

“My primary motivation for writing all three Father Turiddu novels was my desire to share the life and ministry of my friend Msgr. Sal Polizzi with a broader audience,” explained Conway. “Msgr. Polizzi is an amazing man, a real character with lots of idiosyncracies, but with an incredible pastoral style and a deep commitment to the priesthood and the Church.”

The plot line for the latest book includes the priest battling the elements to find transportation to perform last rites on a dying parishioner at her home, helping with a chaotic search for a missing schoolgirl from a nearby parish, and leading behind-the-scene efforts and prayers—with a huge assist to the Sacred Heart and Blessed Mother—to help clear a longtime friend of federal espionage criminal charges brought against him in Washington.

As in past novels, when the priest shares his patented “End of story” in a conversation, readers will know that Father T means business and will take on whatever challenge awaits him.

Throughout the fast-paced novel, readers will also gain a true appreciation for a priest whose vocation shapes all he says and does.

Father T is a doer when it comes to his life of faith and ministry, so when he faces a serious health challenge, he must trust that God will hear him storming the heavens with prayers.

“The third novel also emphasizes the spirituality of Father T—his devotion to the Sacred Heart and the importance of ‘letting go,’ and allowing God’s grace to act in everyday situations,” Conway said. “That is a major theme of Father Turiddu and the Polar Vortex.

“Msgr. Polizzi is an activist who struggles with the contemplative side of pastoral ministry and, in the process, offers all of us a powerful witness to the power of grace in our lives.”

Faith is central to the life and ministry of Msgr. Polizzi and his large family and circle of friends, Conway added.

“It wouldn’t be possible to tell his story—even in fiction,” he said, “without grounding it in the personal faith and public ministry of Father T and his friends.”

Another aspect of Msgr. Polizzi’s human side comes out in the novel through Msgr. Turiddu’s TV viewing habits. Viewers of Fox News will enjoy Father T’s references to the cable news network and some of its commentators.

“The use of some celebrities like Charles Krauthammer was simply to connect this story with a larger audience,” Conway said. “It also helps that Msgr. Polizzi watches Fox News in his second floor sitting room every evening—along with the Italian channel’s soap operas, games shows and soccer matches— and regularly talks back [in English and Italian] to whoever’s on the screen.”

Is there a fourth book in the series on its way? Conway said never say never.

“I had felt for some time that there should at least be a trilogy of Father T stories, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be more,” he said. “Time will tell.”
 

(Mike Krokos is editor of The Criterion. All three Father Turiddu books are available online at danielconwayauthor.com.) †