WRITING LAD, LLC
Is the bookshelf upon which the literary works of
WILLIAM G. LADEWIG, Esq.
and
PAULA vW. DÁIL, PhD
rest.
A WIDOW OF THE ROMAN CHURCH
By Paula vW. Dáil, PhD
Written as the sequel to UNEASY STATES OF GRACE, A WIDOW OF THE ROMAN CHURCH chronicles Gillian Spencer’s life following the accidental death of her beloved Sam Kennedy and she is propelled into a state of grief so profound it sucks the life out of her. Her sorrow becomes a labyrinth that first overwhelms and then transforms her as she surrenders to it.
Meanwhile, her father heroically endeavors to keep her emotionally afloat and her friends, Angie, Fran, and Ellie, form a troika around her, at time forcing life back into her. Angie is immensely practical, well-grounded in reality, and doesn’t suffer fools lightly; Ellie is a free-loving 1960’s flower child and Fran is more inclined toward the ethereal, comfortable with a messy mind that searches for and clings to the voice of the heart, and doesn’t demand observable proof for everything. This runs contrary to Gillian’s views as a social scientist, which rejects anything than can’t be observed or proven, but Fran’s deep and unquestioned faith draws Gillian in as science fails her in her quest to hold onto Sam — and Fran understands this best. Gillian needs them all as she plumbs the depths of her soul in search of answers. To Gillian’s surprise, Sam’s bishop Frank O’Malley reaches out to her following Sam’s death and his words prove to be some of the most comforting and enlightening ones she hears in her quest to understand hers and Sam’s love, and all its complications. He expresses good insights into Sam’s struggle and the effect it had on Gillian, and never passes judgment on hers and Sam’s relationship, nor throws institutional church doctrine or rules at her, just as he never threw them at Sam either.
Walking the twisted pathways of her grief Gillian confronts everything she believes about life, death, God, and institutional religion. She feels that so much of her died when Sam did that she is no longer the same person — a feeling so strong that she determines that the only way for her not to die in reality is to find all possible ways to keep Sam alive in her life.
Ultimately Gillian concludes that by failing to recognize hers and Sam’s relationship for exactly what it was - a normal and healthy one, between two normal, healthy individuals, the church negated Sam, severely diminishing him as a human being and a good man. She views this as harsh punishment for Sam, while at the same time protecting priests who, as severe alcoholics and pedophiles, are not only not good men at all, they are criminals. She blames the church for making her an illegitimate widow, and determines that this doctrine has hurt Sam far more than she ever allowed the church to hurt her.
When Gillian finally emerges from her grief she is middle-aged and as content as she feels she will ever be. Then Sam communicates with her one last time, causing her life to take yet another unexpected turn.
At its core, A Widow of the Roman Church is a powerful love story about the love a father holds for his daughter, the love that binds women in friendship, and the love we hold for another, no matter the circumstances. It is also a story about how overwhelming grief over love lost can transform a life.