Geoffrey has a problem. All his life he's lived according to "sensible" sceptical, secular values. Then, his true love left him for a New Age community in Scotland. But it gets worse: now she wants to be a traditional Catholic nun! Geoffrey is bewildered, angry, lost. Until, one Valentine's Day in Ireland, he meets a mysterious guide--the Gentle Traditionalist. Together they commence a most unusual dialogue of ideas concerning:
. The Heart of the Gospel . The Real Nature of the Church: A Supernatural Mystery . The Crisis in Catholicism today: the Loss of Tradition . The New Age Movement . Catholic Ireland . Why Secularism gets away with murder
Both whimsical and serious, the dialogue in this book offers a probing exploration of the Catholic Mystery, Christendom, and the crisis of the West today. Join us for a very special Valentine's Day when Geoffrey's barren, rational world gets turned upside down...
"This is one of the most unusual books I've ever read ... written throughout with passion and engagement, with a touching and deep-seated love for Ireland."--MARY KENNY, author of Goodbye to Catholic Ireland
"As brilliant a guide for the perplexed as this age is capable of producing."--CHARLES COULOMBE, author of Everyman Today Call Rome
"The Gentle Traditionalist is a book with a 'strange magic,' like unto the Ireland it loves and mourns. With unforgettable images and a wry sense of humor, Roger Buck unfolds a tale of whimsical fantasy, melancholy realism, and supernatural joy."--PETER KWASNIEWSKI, Wyoming Catholic College; author of Resurgent in the Midst of Crisis
"Writing with great wisdom, insight, and a most warm sense of humor, Roger Buck offers us a contemplation of the religious predicaments of our time in the spirit of Chesterton and Belloc. He takes on everything in a charming (and disarming) manner ... a wonderful book."--MICHAEL MARTIN, author of The Submerged Reality
"To read this work was a joy, and I thank the author for helping me realize that, despite the passing of three generations and 150 years in the Irish-Australian diaspora, my heart is still Irish."--GERARD O'SHEA, University of Notre Dame, Australia; author of As I Have Loved You
"This striking novel by Roger Buck, set in Ireland, is composed with extraordinary sensitivity and insight."--COLIN MAWBY KSG, Choral Director of Radio Telefis Eireann (RTÉ)
"An unusual book: part love story, part theological dialog. Roger Buck is that altogether too rare Catholic who understands the importance of the geo-cultural forces that have shaped the modern world."--THOMAS STORCK, author of From Christendom to Americanism and Beyond
"The Gentle Traditionalist is a tremendous book: moving and humorous, opening up the most profound issues, engaging the most strident of polemics with the lightest touch."--JOSEPH SHAW, President of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales
ROGER BUCK is a Catholic convert, who once resided at Findhorn, Scotland-probably the most renowned New Age community in the world. He is also the author of Cor Jesu Sacratissimum (forthcoming from Angelico Press) and a traditional Catholic website of the same name. He is very happily married and lives in the rural northwest of Ireland.