From the original presentation of this book as an idea to its publication, less than two years has passed. That is not a very long time at all in the scheme of things—especially in the world of book publishing. But in reality, I have lived with Pope John XXIII for nearly my entire life, and I have wanted to spend more “quality time” with him ever since I was a small child and he was the reigning pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
The opportunity to present my proposal to the publisher was given to me by my literary agent, Stephen Hanselman. In turn, the editorial director of HarperOne, Michael Maudlin, responded with alacrity and has skillfully shepherded the manuscript through from beginning to end, with the able assistance of Miles Doyle and Kathryn Renz.
Joseph Cummins, an experienced author and longtime colleague, helped me shape the biographical narrative with great skill and sensitivity; it’s accurate to say that this book could not have been produced on time without him. Paul Kocak, my previous collaborator, provided critical research on the Good Pope’s writings and teachings. Mary Beth Ciccone, a Seton Hall history scholar and expert on the World War II era, dug deeply into the sources on Angelo Roncalli’s diplomatic postings to Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, and France. Ryan Dahn, a recent Princeton graduate, helped organize research into the Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish populations of the countries to which Archbishop Roncalli was assigned.
Librarians and scholars at Seton Hall University have been immensely important to this project, including those I must acknowledge here (without their academic or clerical titles or in any particular order): Robert Wister, John Radano, John Morley, Thomas Guarino, Anthony Lee, Alan De Lozier, James Kimble, and the presidents of the university, with whom I have been privileged to work, Robert Sheeran and Gabriel Esteban.
Monsignor Charles Murphy, the former rector of the North American College in Rome, encouraged me in the early stages of research and writing and allowed me prepublication access to his own recollections of Pope John from the days he was a seminarian in Rome during the historic pontificate.
Stephen Fichter, teacher, priest, pastor, sociologist, and adviser, gave the manuscript a careful, critical reading when it was still raw and unfit for consumption by the world. And Michael Walters, another priest friend and reader par excellence, saved me from errors of fact and tone.
From authors and scholars who have written about the life and legacy of John XXIII, I have drawn extensively, attempting to fuse previous generations of research with my own and with the perspective, now, of a half-century of history since John passed from the scene.