My advise is to buy this book, read it and share it. It is a very quick read but you will end wanting more. Once again, Fr. Pat uses true stories and wit to grab our attention and show us God's Mercy and love. This book is not limited to 'a' faith or church but speaks to everyone.

Patrick Hannon's life is anything but unexamined, and we are the better for it. In his latest book, "Fr. Pat" mines his experiences in a family of 10 children, academia, and the priesthood for instances that speak of forgiveness and God's endless mercy.

In the early family stories, his mother is the hero, always willing to wipe the slate clean no matter what. Her act of continually "renewing the contract" with her brood is his model today for understanding God's forgiveness "for all our bone-headed, faith-defying, senseless and stupefying sins."

In first grade, he learned to offer an apology, the recipient of which first slugged him in the head and later shared her lunchtime Twinkie with him. As a high school student he witnessed acts of kindness and mercy when he and some classmates visiting Ireland volunteered to help with a summer program for kids from the Dublin projects. As a university student he spent a summer picking beans in the fields of Coachella Valley, California, where he learned of humility: "to allow God to strip us to the bone so He can recreate within us hearts that are merciful and forgiving..."

He recalls encounters with family and friends including a climb up Pike's Peak and a "brothers" trip to the Napa Valley reminiscent of the movie--Patrick likes movies--"Sideways." We also see him with parishioners and others he meets by chance who have something to teach about God's mercy. And we glimpse the period of depression Fr. Hannon endured on reassignment from California to teach in suburban Chicago. In every instance, he shares what he learned and, through his openness, demonstrates the possibilities for those who truly accept God's mercy.