Morte d'Urban
[1] The novel tells the story of Father Urban Roche, a member of a fictitious religious order named the Clementines.Urban has developed a reputation as a gifted public speaker, but is sent by the superior to a remote retreat house in rural Minnesota.Thomas Merton called it “a valid and penetrating study of the psychology of a priest in what is essentially a spiritual conflict.”[2] Jonathan Yardley, in a consideration of the book in The Washington Post four decades later, praised it as “our great workplace saga,” comparing it favorably to Sinclair Lewis’s Babbitt, calling it “subtler, wittier and much more elegantly written.”[3] Based out of Chicago, Father Urban Roche is a member of the fictitious religious order, the Clementines.Urban's charismatic spirit, he is sent to The Order of St. Clement, a failing retreat house in rural Minnesota.Urban becomes involved with the surrounding communities in the area, slowly growing a following thanks to his public speaking skills.He plays a large role in revitalizing a local parish and makes connections throughout the community, particularly with the Thwaites family.Mrs. Thwaites, an aging widow, was the previous owner of St. Clement's hill before donating the property to the Order.The two spend the evening together on a small island in the middle of the lake on the Thwaites’ property, drinking and talking.Often called the greatest Catholic writer of the 20th century, Powers' priests demonstrate the balance between man and his profession.