Cajun Priest in a David and Goliath Struggle With the Pentagon is Focus of New Book
An outspoken U.S. priest, whose tireless human rights campaign has been called both prophetic and patriotic at a time of escalating U.S. military interventions, is the subject of a new book entitled “Disturbing the Peace.”
(PRWEB) February 3, 2005 -- The narrative details the inspiring journey of
Cajun priest Roy Bourgeois, a former Navy officer injured in a bomb blast, who
has seen at close range a half dozen war-torn countries - from Vietnam to Iraq.
The book also profiles the growing movement he founded to close a U.S. Army
school whose graduates have committed atrocities across Latin America.
The story of this spiritual pilgrim has more twists and turns than the
Mississippi River: From love affairs ending in heartbreak to patriotic impulses
ending in doubts and disillusionment. From dreams of wealth to missionary work
among the poor. From prison terms to a cloistered monastery. From disagreements
with church hierarchy to political battles on Capitol Hill.
Bourgeois’
opposition to militarism began after a blind Vietnamese orphan opened his eyes
to the realities of war. His human rights work has taken him to Bolivia, where
security forces kidnapped him after he denounced torture. To El Salvador, where
two friends were killed by U.S.-trained troops. To Nicaragua and Honduras, where
contra commandos were trying to overthrow a government. To Colombia, where he
witnessed the human toll of the drug war, escorted by an Army general linked to
terrorist bombings. To Iraq, where he met desperately poor Iraqis just before
the country became a bloodbath.
The book describes the courage of
Bourgeois and thousands of Americans of all religious denominations who’ve
risked arrest each year to close the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas. In
detailing the school’s history and its use of torture manuals, the book
questions the morality of U.S. policies in Latin America that shed light on the
prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.
“Disturbing the Peace” is “an
astonishing chronicle … on a deeper and even more profound level; this book
describes the evolution and journey of a soul from conversion to re-conversion,
from prayer and contemplation to heroic action, all in a continuous effort to
unite the will of the spirit to the work of the flesh.” Martin Sheen, from the
Foreword.
“From the first pages of “Disturbing the Peace” you will be
hooked . . . an amazing spiritual journey.” Sister Helen Prejean, author, “Dead
Man Walking”
“Roy Bourgeois represents all that is best about
America—our abiding faith, our love of country, and our deep compassion for the
least among us. He is both priest and patriot, a decorated war veteran who has
fought for peace and justice to redeem the promise of America.” Joseph Kennedy
II
“One of the finest examples of spiritual peacemaking this country has
to offer is that of Maryknoll priest Roy Bourgeois … His struggle is masterfully
told by James Hodge and Linda Cooper in “Disturbing the Peace,” one of this
season’s best books and a sure-fire candidate for a Catholic Book Award.” Kerry
Walters, William Bittinger Professor of Philosophy Gettysburg College.
“Disturbing the Peace is a dramatic, well-written book that will grab
and hold you and inspire you.” The New Orleans Archdiocese’s Clarion Herald.
“Disturbing the Peace: The Story of Father Roy Bourgeois and the
Movement to Close the School of the Americas” by James Hodge and Linda Cooper is
published by Orbis Books.
Hodge, a longtime editor and writer with “The
Times-Picayune” in New Orleans, and Cooper, a former ESL instructor at Tulane
University who writes for the “National Catholic Reporter,” can be contacted at
e-mail protected from spam bots
Fr. Bourgeois can be reached at
706-682-5369.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb204343.htm