257:, which he named Joshua Mountain. He founded there the Joshua Foundation, an organization dedicated to making Jesus better known throughout the world. Sacks of mail arrived for Girzone weekly from lapsed Catholics and spiritual seekers of all stripes showed up at his home to share how his books had affected their lives, and he would hold classes on
171:
Girzone had an auto-immune system disease that was destroying his red blood cells as they were being introduced into the blood stream. In 1981, however, Girzone was diagnosed with a heart condition and hypertension which was judged to be fatal, leading him to retire from active ministry. He accepted
188:
returning to earth and living as an itinerant carpenter. After being rejected by all the publishing houses he had approached, he founded his own publishing company, Richelieu Court
Publications, to release the novel. He carried boxes of the book in his trunk of his car, making modest sales at
201:
version was released in August 1987, and with its national distribution and marketing might, published five more titles in the "Joshua" series. The books reached an unexpected level of popularity. After
Girzone's initial success, he was offered a contract by Image Books, a Catholic-oriented
192:
The story, written in a simple language, of a carpenter and Christ-like figure who arrives in a small town and transforms peoples' lives with random acts of kindness and messages of peace struck a chord in readers and was brought to the attention of an editor at
287:. He then donated the 21-room house he had been living in, with its huge annual tax and heating bills, to his foundation and moved to an apartment above the estate's garage. He eventually sold the Maryland facility.
283:
After that long period of success, due to changes in the publishing industry and the loss of his aging readership, Doubleday dropped
Girzone without any warning after the lackluster release in 2007 of
217:
novels eventually numbered ten. They were translated into a dozen languages, selling more than three million copies and became known among publishing executives as "the Joshua phenomenon".
249:
Having sold over a million copies of his books within some ten years, the earnings were so great that in 1995 Girzone was able to acquire a 100-acre estate, with a 21-room
141:, to Peter, a butcher, and Margaret Girzone, the oldest of their twelve children. It was a struggling family, which experienced the shame of eviction during his childhood.
275:, the foundation operated a food pantry, delivered meals and helped to pay heating bills of the rural poor. He also covered the tuition of needy high school students.
804:
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of the diocese, in the course of which he became active in advocating for the elderly. He was a driving force in the formation of the Office for the Aging of
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at St. Peter's
Hospital in Albany, where he died on November 29 of that year from complications due to his long-standing heart disease.
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Girzone gave spiritual talks and led retreats, both around the nation and internationally. He purchased a retreat center that he ran in
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Through his foundation, Girzone personally funded various projects to answer the needs of the people in need in the region. In
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Following his retirement, Girzone embarked on a second career as a full-time writer and speaker. He published his first novel,
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the forfeiture of any pension or medical benefits from the diocese as part of an agreement for his early retirement.
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116:(May 15, 1930 – November 29, 2015), sometimes known as the "Joshua Priest", was an American
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8:
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as a priest in 1955. A few years later he chose to leave the order in favor of life as a
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Jesus, His Life and
Teachings: As Recorded by His Friends Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
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718:
444:
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234:
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184:, in 1983, which was the first of a whole series of books which had the premise of
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58:
513:"Rev. Joseph Girzone of Altamont, who sold millions of "Joshua" books, dies at 85"
711:"Joseph F. Girzone, Who Created Christlike Figure in 'Joshua' Novels, Dies at 85"
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153:
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37:
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229:, released in 2002, which was financed by the wealthy entrepreneur
233:, who was a fan of the novel. The cast includes the noted actors
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586:"Father Joseph Girzone, author of 'Joshua' novels, dies at 85"
453:
Joshua's
Reflections - Volumes 1-6 of 10 (Beginning in 2017)
197:. This major publisher bought the rights to the novel and a
405:
Joshua in a
Troubled World : A Story for Our Time
363:
Joey: An inspiring true story of faith and forgiveness
244:
662:"My Visit with Fr. Joseph Girzone on Joshua Mountain"
479:"At 80, former priest, author turns another page"
766:
805:Former members of Catholic religious institutes
530:
528:
120:and writer, most notably as the author of the
225:The first book of the series was made into a
855:21st-century American Roman Catholic priests
800:20th-century American Roman Catholic priests
422:'The Wisdom of His Compassion' (2009, 2012)
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815:20th-century American publishers (people)
510:
476:
785:Religious leaders from Albany, New York
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106:http://www.joshuamountainministries.org
14:
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850:20th-century American philanthropists
830:Philanthropists from New York (state)
580:
578:
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536:"Joseph F. Girzone: About the Author"
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435:(Introduction by Joseph F. Girzone)
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790:American writers of Italian descent
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511:Grondahl, Paul (December 1, 2015).
245:Philanthropy and Spiritual Guidance
24:
709:Fox, Margalit (December 4, 2015).
573:
467:
399:Trinity: A New Living Spirituality
25:
866:
845:American male non-fiction writers
810:American book publishers (people)
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477:Grondahl, Paul (April 1, 2011).
840:Novelists from New York (state)
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702:
672:
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632:
614:
604:"Richelieu Court Publications"
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13:
1:
835:Writers from Albany, New York
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132:
561:. Wellsprings Catholic Books
160:. He then served at various
97:Peter & Margaret Girzone
7:
557:Girzone, Joseph F. (2006).
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10:
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825:American spiritual writers
684:Joshua Mountain Ministries
644:Joshua Mountain Ministries
590:National Catholic Reporter
278:
538:. Random House, Inc. 2005
308:Who Will Teach Me? (1982)
295:In 2015, Girzone entered
101:
93:
82:
66:
47:
34:
559:"My Struggle with Faith"
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227:movie with the same name
156:and was accepted by the
820:American male novelists
339:Joshua in the Holy Land
333:Joshua and the Shepherd
327:Joshua and the Children
321:Kara: The Lonely Falcon
220:
148:as a young man and was
127:
439:by Dorothy K. Ederer,
411:My Struggle with Faith
387:The Parables of Joshua
375:Joshua: The Homecoming
311:Gloria: a Diary (1982)
114:Joseph Francis Girzone
77:Albany, New York, U.S.
52:Joseph Francis Girzone
650:on November 17, 2015.
748:Penguin Random House
437:Colors of the Spirit
195:Macmillan Publishers
144:Girzone entered the
137:Girzone was born in
744:"Joseph F. Girzone"
690:on October 26, 2015
592:. December 1, 2015.
456:Free to Live (2017)
426:The Homeless Bishop
369:A Portrait of Jesus
351:Joshua and the City
189:different locales.
715:The New York Times
255:Altamont, New York
253:mansion on it, in
124:series of novels.
668:. August 6, 2011.
666:John H. Armstrong
449:978-0-385-48848-8
266:Lothian, Maryland
235:F. Murray Abraham
176:Authorial Success
166:Montgomery County
158:Diocese of Albany
111:
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70:November 29, 2015
42:Joseph F. Girzone
40:
27:American novelist
16:(Redirected from
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139:Albany, New York
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417:Joshua's Family
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285:Joshua's Family
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231:Philip Anschutz
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154:diocesan priest
146:Carmelite Order
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118:Catholic priest
88:Catholic priest
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62:
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53:
43:
41:
28:
23:
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74:(aged 85)
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18:Joshua (novel)
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728:September 28,
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393:The Messenger
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83:Occupation(s)
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751:. Retrieved
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726:. Retrieved
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692:. Retrieved
688:the original
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648:the original
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563:. Retrieved
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540:. Retrieved
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357:What is God?
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297:hospice care
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284:
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259:spirituality
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239:Tony Goldwyn
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186:Jesus Christ
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72:(2015-11-29)
55:May 15, 1930
38:The Reverend
29:
780:2015 deaths
775:1930 births
753:December 2,
694:December 2,
640:"Our Story"
518:Times Union
484:Times Union
430:Orbis Books
345:Never Alone
795:Carmelites
769:Categories
608:Jacketflap
565:January 8,
542:January 8,
461:References
133:Early life
723:0362-4331
441:Doubleday
251:Victorian
208:Doubleday
199:paperback
622:"Joshua"
443:, 1998.
428:(2011) (
303:Writings
162:parishes
150:ordained
86:Writer,
279:Decline
261:there.
204:imprint
102:Website
721:
447:
419:(2007)
413:(2006)
407:(2005)
401:(2002)
395:(2002)
389:(2001)
383:(2000)
377:(1999)
371:(1998)
365:(1997)
359:(1996)
353:(1995)
347:(1994)
341:(1993)
335:(1990)
329:(1989)
323:(1985)
317:(1983)
315:Joshua
215:Joshua
182:Joshua
122:Joshua
94:Parent
61:, U.S.
291:Death
755:2015
730:2023
719:ISSN
696:2015
567:2008
544:2008
445:ISBN
237:and
221:Film
213:The
128:Life
67:Died
48:Born
206:of
771::
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575:^
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20:)
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