In the tradition of Persig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Hagerty weaves a philosophy of gay ontology -- the nature of being, or reality -- around his own life experiences. He traces individual gay existence from its origin ("Homosexuality precedes sexuality") through three ordinations to an ideal in which "the gay man perceives and takes responsibility for his inherent station of High Priest..".

Drawing from the work of Sartre (Being and Nothingness), Hagerty builds a functional philosophy/religion with gay pride at its heart.

In this first major biography of Cardinal Arthur Hinsley, James Hagerty traces the life and ministry of one of the most popular English churchmen of the twentieth century. Born into a working-class family in Yorkshire, Hinsley was ordained for the Diocese of Leeds in 1893 and proceeded to hold important posts in Rome, where he restored the fortunes of the Venerable English College, and Africa, where he successfully promoted Catholic education and missionary activity. To his surprise, he was appointed Archbishop of Westminster in 1935 and had to deal with governments not always sympathetic to the Catholic community's demand for equality. He had also to address social and economic issues which affected his Church, and lead an episcopal bench which included experienced bishops who were intensely jealous of their diocesan jurisdictions. His time at Westminster coincided with a turbulent period in European and global politics. Though a supporter of Franco's Spain, he ferociously condemned Nazism and Fascism during the Second World War and castigated those Italian cardinals who favoured Mussolini. Perhaps his most surprising initiative was support for the ecumenical Sword of the Spirit movement, an attempt to reach out to other Christian denominations in a crusade to restore Christian ideals in public life.

In the tradition of Persig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Hagerty weaves a philosophy of gay ontology -- the nature of being, or reality -- around his own life experiences. He traces individual gay existence from its origin ("Homosexuality precedes sexuality") through three ordinations to an ideal in which "the gay man perceives and takes responsibility for his inherent station of High Priest..".

Drawing from the work of Sartre (Being and Nothingness), Hagerty builds a functional philosophy/religion with gay pride at its heart.

John Carmel Heenan's ambition was to be a parish priest yet he became Archbishop of Westminster and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Ordained for the Diocese of Brentwood, Heenan's energy and literary and oratorical skills combined to take him out of the routine of parish life. After four years as Superior of the Catholic Missionary Society, in 1951 he became Bishop of Leeds where his abrasive style earned the diocese the epithet of 'the Cruel See'. As Archbishop of Liverpool from 1957, Heenan administered an extensive archdiocese, fostered ecumenism, became involved in local politics and initiated the building of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King. He became Archbishop of Westminster in 1963 and was raised to the College of Cardinals in 1965. As leader of the Catholic community of England and Wales, Heenan assumed a national prominence on a par with his friend Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury. At the Second Vatican Council, Heenan was actively engaged in debate but his distrust of periti gained him notoriety. He had little time for theologians who complicated the simple and accepting faith of the majority of Catholics and his attempts to control the pace of Conciliar reforms in Westminster were challenged by those anxious to modernise the Church. Ecclesiastical authority was further challenged by the response to Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae which reaffirmed the Church's prohibition of artificial birth control. The laicisation of priests and religious at this time was a severe blow to him. The Catholic world into which Heenan was born and educated and in which he had ministered, was transformed during his period at Westminster. It was not a time he enjoyed. Rapid social change and radical legislation ignored Catholic teaching and placed bishops on the defensive. Long-held certainties of belief and authority were breached and Heenan found it difficult to comprehend this transition. This vivid biography recalls the life and ministry of a humane and dedicated priest who remained loyal to his faith and his Church throughout the most dramatic political and ecclesiastical events of the twentieth century.