Priesthood, Clergy--Religious Life, Clergy, Spiritual Life, Theological anthropology 

In Vessel of Clay, his first book, Father Trese wrote on a day in his lie as a parish priest; here he is writing on the priesthood in general, in the form of conferences originally given at a clerical retreat.

His outstanding characteristic is his merciless honesty. He speaks, for instance, of the courage necessary to preach on the dangers of avarice when one's richest parishioner is sitting in the front pew; surely it takes no less courage for him to stand before his fellow priests, as he does again and again in these pages and, by way of illustration of some pitfall to be avoided, confess his own shortcomings in the matter.

Practicality is anther of Father Trese's hallmarks. He will speak of the necessity and beauty of mental prayer - but he will bring his reader up short with a recommendation as to heeding the alarm clock and throwing off the blankets (no matter how cold the morning), in order to get the necessary time for prayer. He speaks glowingly of Confession as the sacrament of reconciliation and mercy - but he has something to say and practical advice to give to the priest to whom it is all to apt to become a routine matter.

And astonishingly enough, as with Vessel of Clay, the lay reader of this book will find, as he learns what standards are expected of the priesthood, that his own are coming in for some overhauling and examination never intended by the author.

Father Leo Trese was born in Port Huron, Michigan, and studied at Assumption College, the University of Detroit, and Mt. St. Mary Seminary, Cincinnati. He is now the chaplain of Vista Maria School in Detroit and also finds time to be a director of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference, doing much speaking, and write a weekly column which appears in several diocesan newspapers. His other books include Vessel of Clay and Many Are One.

Taken from the inside flaps.