Muldoon: A True Chicago Ghost Story

by Rocco Faccini

"Father Leo then paused with a deep breath before going on. ‘There are many problems here, and some very strange things happen late at night that I just can’t explain.’ "Poverty. Crime. Politics. Scandal. Revenge. . . . And a Ghost.These are the untold stories of the last days of a forgotten Chicago parish by the last person able to tell Fresh out of the seminary in 1956, Father Rocco Facchini was appointed to his first assignment, the parish of Saint Charles Borromeo on the city’s Near West Side. Adapting to rectory life with an unorthodox, dispirited pastor and attending to the needs of the rough, impoverished neighborhood were challenges in themselves. Little did Rocco know that the rectory was being haunted by a bishop’s ghost! A True Chicago Ghost Story dives into Father Rocco’s four-year saga at Saint Charles, where his spiritual undertaking becomes a worldly adventure. His supporting cast includes a housekeeper inappropriately involved in her pastor’s affairs, and a genius–priest who carries a gun, thwarts neighborhood crime, and teaches Rocco about "loving the poor." And there’s the pastor himself. He padlocks the refrigerator, guides young priests only in the weekly ritual of Bingo, and entangles Rocco in the dirty work of a fraudulent shrine.As a backdrop to this chaos, the rectory experiences a host of supernatural manifestations, and Rocco discovers the legend of Bishop Peter J. Muldoon. Are there clues in this story of early stardom and great achievement, clerical competition and revenge, accusations and scandal, a missing ring, excommunication, and possibly murder that explain why the unexplainable is happening all around him?Upon delving into the church history, clerical politics, local folklore, neighborhood sociology, and paranormal activity of Muldoon, you, like Rocco, may be left Has he been kept alive to tell the story of Muldoon, clear the man’s name, and memorialize the bishop’s beloved and forgotten parish of St. Charles?

268 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

Reviews

[Cow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how interesting I found this book. A beautiful old stone Chicago church, built to last a thousand years, falls into disrepair--and the last priest before the Church gives up and sells the property swears it's haunted by its namesake, an old bishop's ghost.

I'm not normally a fan of ghost stories, but this one was very well told and very interesting. That it's supposedly true--it is written by the priest himself--adds another layer to the tale. I have to say, my mom's getting better at reader advisory for me. Heh.

[Joe Brunory · Rating 3 out of 5]

great history of chicago catholic church as it grew with the city, some infighting among the irish and italians for power, and a ghost story that has touched a few lives I know.

[Djrmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so much more than a first person account of possibly paranormal activity in the lovely old gothic style rectory at the now non-existent Saint Charles Borromeo Church. It's also a memoir of a former priest's first years answering what he believed to be his calling, serving under one of those awful demagogue priest that sound like a stereotype, but as this book shows, really do exist. There's also a lot of history about Chicago and how the Catholic immigrant demographic helped make the city what it is today, from swampland through the 1950s. The actual ghost sightings are few, but what comes between, telling Bishop Muldoon's life story, including the crazy zealot that kept him from what might have been his highest aspiration is one of those great "every body has a story" stories that read like fiction but are totally true. The writing style is so natural, I suspect that most of this book was transcribed from an oral narrative of a natural born public speaker. Each chapter ends with a epilogue, notes on things that couldn't be verified and/or the personal reaction of the author to the events in the narrative. In doing that, the author draws a clear line between fact and opinions, something a lot better known works of non-fiction fail to do.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you worked at your rectory as a teenager as I did, this book will bring memories. Stories and occurrences of past priests lingering in the halls are all too familiar for us! This book does not just cover the story of St. Charles, but or Chicago and the Archdiocese as well. Very informational and engaging.

[Moonlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting ghost story sprinkled with a little history of the city and church in Illinois.

[Dave Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect combination of local Chicago history, the history of Catholic Chicago, and a ghost! Enjoyable and informative.

[Cathie Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. If you want to learn more about how Catholicism developed in Chicago, this book is definitely a read. It is well written and is quite interesting. I learned a lot about the development of parishes as well as a lot about Bishop Muldoon. The spirit world can be quite intriguing. Highly recommend reading.

[Debbie Williams]

This was an enjoyable ghost story and I enjoyed reading about Rocco's personal journey as a priest as well.