This
true story of a priest in the American colonial period will inspire
young readers to learn more about our religious and patriotic roots.
While stationed in Pennsylvania, Father Farmer is assigned to meet the
needs of the Catholics in the colony of New Jersey, but there is one
problem--Catholic priests are not appreciated at all in the New Jersey
colony. He goes in plain clothes about the countryside for twenty-one
years, never failing to reveal himself as a priest whenever needed. And
there is a lot of need, as Father Farmer encounters one adventure after
another in his travels.
The backdrop of the story is the tumultuous
period in which the colonists decide whether or not to rebel against
England. Father Farmer's life is a testament to the living of the faith
in word and deed, and that the Christian religion is one of love and
service to others.
Yet for all his outward mildness, within him a white hot flame
burned, a consuming love of God which made him willing to run all risks,
a flame which enkindled those whom he instructed.
- Eva Betz