Chapter One
He arrived in Seward, Missouri, population three thousand fifty-seven, in the summer of 1949. A strapping, handsome young man fresh from St. Peter’s Seminary in St. Louis. He was six feet three inches tall with wide shoulders, a narrow waist, and huge strong hands that clenched into tight fists whenever he felt excited or determined.
He had piercing dark blue eyes and a mass of unruly blond hair that flew about as he tossed his head to punctuate a point. He exuded virility and vitality. Fr. Daniel Freeman was twenty-seven years old and was prepared to assume his first parish: St Francis in Seward, Missouri. The small, rural community was ecstatic.
They had been without a priest for two years, traveling to Barner, Missouri, population twenty thousand, for mass, holy days of obligation, confirmation classes, confession, and an assortment of other church-related events. They still maintained a Parish Council, Finance Committee, Ladies Guild, and Knights of Columbus but they prayed daily for a priest to take the place of their beloved Fr.
O’Hara, who had passed away at the age of eighty-four. Fr. Martin O’Hara had been with St. Francis for eight years. He was a mild mannered, diminutive man with a shy smile and a slow gait. The steps to the altar had become increasingly difficult for him to ascend the last few years.
The altar boys lent him their shoulders for assistance. Fr. O’Hara had a thick Irish brogue that never diminished even though he had been assimilated into the American culture for over thirty years. He was a cooperative, patient man, willing to delegate many of his duties and responsibilities to the lay people, parish elders and committees.
Broken Vows Description:
One man’s promise to God becomes his torment. When Fr. Dan, a charismatic priest starts his first assignment at St. Francis, he helps to transform a tired, complacent parish into one of renewed faith and hope. He’s loved by the parishioners and knows he is following the right path. Still, there is something missing from his life, something he can’t place until a beautiful war widow arrives from Alabama.
Lucy captivates him and steals his heart. Though there’s been a hint from the Vatican for decades that someday priests will be allowed to marry, Fr. Dan doesn’t believe it will happen in his lifetime. So he’s left with a painful choice. Does he choose to love Lucy from afar or walk away from his commitment to God and the Catholic Church?
