The Holy Mark
The Tragedy of a Fallen Priest
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
Perhaps Father Tony should have never been a priest. With his family’s money, courtesy of his grandfather's ties to the New Orleans mob, he could have pursued his interest in food or literature or even worked with needy young boys—only free of all those silly Church strictures. But there was no priest in the Miggliore family, much to the shame of his immigrant Italian grandmother. So at his birth, when the old woman beheld a peculiar mark on his head and declared it to be a sign from God—a “segno sacro” in the only language she knew—this grandson’s destiny was set.
Those marked by God, though, are often marked by men as well: Father Tony’s jealous uncle will never forgive him for finding favor with the Miggliore matriarch. And with his ties to the city’s Catholic hierarchy, he’ll plot to destroy his nephew if it takes the rest of his life, which it almost does! Meanwhile Father Tony is determined to outwit his uncle and the Church, even if he has to conceal his identity and prowl the streets of New Orleans by night to do it.
A shocking novel of family, power, and revenge, The Holy Mark is the story of one reluctant priest caught between the cynicism of his own Southern upbringing and the political machinations of the Roman Catholic Church.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this disturbingly memorable novel about a wayward priest set in late 20th-century New Orleans, Alexander explores familial revenge, rails against the hypocrisy of the Roman Catholic Church, and creates a likable narrator guilty of heinous acts. Father Tony endears himself to readers with charm and candor from the opening pages. He is born with a red birthmark on his head, which his grandmother claims is a sign that he is to become a priest a prophecy he fulfills, eventually finding his calling working with disadvantaged young boys. Though he fancies himself a modern-day Saint John Bosco, Father Tony's relationship with some boys becomes sexual, and he endeavors to outwit his family and the Church to save himself. Alexander ably captures the essence of parochial education in the 1970s and '80s, having himself taught in Catholic schools. His depictions of the Church's inner workings from hierarchical power struggles to young seminarians' sexual improprieties may alarm some readers, but most shocking is Father Tony's own admission that his behavior in the company of boys is not a mortal sin but rather "an opportunity to walk in Christ's footsteps." The author's superb use of foreshadowing keeps readers engaged throughout, even as they cringe at Father Tony's actions.
