One of the last images of fr. Joe at his house in Altamont, NY.
As you can imagine, I liked it so much that I wondered if I could get an Italian copy for my wife, who wanted to read it too, but she wasn't fluent in English at the time.
How could i contact him? Well, reading father's Joe short biography in the back jacket (cover) of his book, I found out that he was local! From Altamont, NY, which is 10-15 miles from where I live in Schenectady, NY. So, I looked up his telephone number in the yellow pages. I found it and called him.
After I introduced myself, I asked him if he knew where I could purchase a copy of "Joshua" in Italian. He said: I happen to have a copy, and you can come to my house to get it. So I did. He didn't take money for the book. That's how I met father Joe.
And yesterday (Saturday December 12, at his funeral) talking to deacon Garry Riggi and others I found out that he did this with other people- he gave away copies of Joshua.
Sometime later I returned to his house to talk to him about a personal issue because I felt comfortable talking to him about almost anything. He had a way of listening intently and with genuine (sincere) concern, and without judging, and/or saying mean/rude things about anyone. I told him that I needed his advice. I had problems getting a long with a person in my life. I gave him lots of details. He listened and also asked me some questions. Then at the end he said something to me that I never forgot:
"You must try to understand the other person, so that it will be easier for you to forgive them. You must try to put yourself in their shoes, so to speak, so that you can understand why they are acting that way." Many times tothers hurt us because they have been hurt themselves."
These words, come back to me every time I encounter a problem with someone. They help me to understand, and make it easier for me to forgive others, and myself too, especially when I make mistakes.
Thank you father Joe for teaching us about Jesus' love, for your guidance and kindness. God Bless you!
I have provided additional information below, if you want to know more about father Joseph Girzone.
I'd like to share this short bio that was written by the
Albany Union. By Paul Grondahl. Updated
6:33 am, Wednesday, December 2, 2015. The Albany Times Union
Rev. Joseph Girzone of Altamont (NY), who sold millions of "Joshua" books,
dies at 85 A heart condition claims his life.
Girzone, who retired in 1981 from pastoral work at 50 because of health problems, self-published his first "Joshua" novel in 1982 under the imprint of his own small religious press, Richelieu Court Press. He carried in his car's trunk boxes of the book, which sold modestly.
The simply written story of a carpenter and Christlike figure who arrived in a small town and transformed ordinary 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 Macmillan.
The major publisher bought the rights and with its national distribution and marketing might, published five more titles in the "Joshua" series and the books reached unexpected heights.
The "Joshua" books eventually numbered 10, were translated into a dozen languages, sold more than three million copies and became known among publishing executives as "the Joshua phenomenon." His books were also published by Doubleday and Orbis.
Girzone was as amazed as his editors about the "Joshua" juggernaut and could not fully explain the books' extraordinary reach. "It has a simple message that touches people very deeply," Girzone told the Times Union in 2012.
Girzone gave spiritual talks and led retreats around the nation and internationally. He purchased a retreat center that he ran in Lothian, Mariland, but recently sold that property.
Bishop Emeritus Howard Hubbard said Girzone captured the message of humility and forgiveness in a similar vein to Pope Francis and his recent speeches in the U.S. and Africa.
"They both talk about a humble, gentle and merciful Jesus," Hubbard said. "It touches a lot of hearts because it's a message so much needed in today's world."
Sacks of mail arrived for Girzone weekly from appreciative readers who said the stories restored their faith. Lapsed Catholics and spiritual seekers of all stripes showed up at his home high atop a hill in Altamont, a 21-room Victorian mansion that had been a summer retreat for the wealthy Pruyn family of Albany. With six-figure book advances and a steady stream of royalties, Girzone restored the mansion and turned the 94 acres into a retreat center for his philanthropy, the Joshua Foundation.
One reader who was deeply moved by "Joshua" was Philip Anschutz, the Denver billionaire, chairman of Qwest Communications and owner of numerous pro sports teams. He bought the film rights and funded a $10 million feature film, "Abandon," based on the series.
The 2012 movie starred Tony Goldwyn and F. Murray Abraham and played at Crossgates Mall, where audiences responded with standing ovations and the Christian media praised its morally uplifting message.
Girzone had no official obligations to the Albany diocese after his retirement and he gave away large sums of money independently through his not-for-profit foundation, typically without fanfare.
"People in need from the diocese were brought to his attention and he helped a lot of people who had fallen on hard times," Hubbard said, including paying tuition for needy high school students.
Girzone grew up in North Albany, a butcher's son and the oldest of 12 children. His father, Peter Girzone, ran a butcher shop, Peter's Market, on West Lawrence Street in the Pine Hills neighborhood for many years.
Girzone was ordained a priest in the Carmelite order in the mid-1950s and transferred several years later to the Albany diocese as a diocesan priest. He was an assistant or pastor at several parishes, including St. Patrick's in Ravena and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Amsterdam. Girzone was a catalyst in establishing the Montgomery County Office of Aging and helping the elderly was a signature aspect of his ministry.
"He was a very kind, caring individual who helped many elderly people," said Eileen Broyles, a retired official the Montgomery County Office of Aging. Her husband, Brad Broyles, a retired United Methodist pastor, worked with Girzone at the Joshua Foundation in Altamont for several years in the early 1990s.
"I never heard an unkind word out of his mouth," Broyles said.
"He lived his faith and never closed the door on anybody who knocked. He always made a meal for folks who showed up."
"He was a wonderful neighbor. We all adored him. He was exceptionally kind,"
said Cindy Pollard, Girzone's neighbor and a co-owner of the Home Front Cafe in Altamont.
Gary Riggi, a Catholic deacon and construction contractor, and his wife, Sharon, intend to move from Middleburgh into Girzone's Altamont house and run the Joshua Foundation, where Riggi has worked for many years. Riggi said Girzone quietly funded the Joshua Project in Schoharie County, which operated a food pantry, delivered meals and helped pay heating bills of the rural poor.
Riggi has received messages of condolence from Girzone's Joshua-inspired outposts in Switzerland, India, China, Japan and elsewhere.
"I promised Joe we would continue his work," Riggi said. "Joe lived by the movement of the spirit. I've never seen anybody who was both Joseph and Jesus at the same time the way he was."
A funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Dec. 12 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Schenectady, with calling hours beginning at 9 a.m. in the church sanctuary.
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Why I Love Fr. Joe Girzone and Support Joshua Mountain Ministries
I can tell you that Fr. Joe’s parish is genuinely represented by people from all over the world. He responded to emails late into the evening and talked with workers around his home during the day. He met new people in Albany, and the nearby village of Altamont, and engaged with everyone in a deeply personal way. He called on the grieving and comforted them during the time I was with him. He shows respect and dignity to everyone, just like the One he so deeply loves, Joshua.
In June Joe wrote in his “News from Joshua Mountain” the following:
Frequently throughout each month I come across more and more hurting people. I either meet them when outside and end up talking to them or they come to visit or call to talk to me. The pain and heartaches in their lives overwhelms me sometimes. I am becoming more and more convinced that most people have been damaged in some way, either by others' abuse or neglect, or rejection, meanness, contempt, abandonment, hatred, or by being treated as if they don't exist by those who should love them. Some people's personalities have been severely crippled by genetic damage which often conditions them in a way difficult to control towards behavior which is unacceptable by society. They end up in prison, where they are punished severely. A truly Christian society following the mind and heart of Jesus, who said, "It is not the death of a sinner that I desire, but that he be converted and live," should be more concerned about healing damaged and broken people than treating them like animals in cages. Our highly enlightened society has more people in prison than any other country in the world, with almost four times as many in prison than the country with the next highest number which is Australia. And I know cynics will ridicule this out of ignorance and contempt for Jesus' mentality. But, if people who come to me broken, came to them on a regular basis, even their eyes would be opened and they would soon see what many of us see in the lives of damaged people. And I am perhaps more sincerely concerned than cynics about the victims of crimes also. It is easy for a cynic to say something smart but I rarely see them doing anything helpful in real life. There brilliance is limited to rocking chair commenting.
I am coming to see more and more why Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. Only he sees the almost universal extent of human suffering and to give us hope in our pain and hopelessness, tells us, "Do not be afraid. I am the Good Shepherd. I know your pain, and I wander day and night through the world trying to find you and heal you, so you may be able continue your pilgrimage through this world and reach out to others you meet and help them too. Always know that I love you and I will always be there for you, all of you, who are hurting and have been hurt by others.
After I visited Joshua Mountain Fr. Joe wrote his July “News from Joshua Mountain.” This reveals the very things I write above and is the truth about the friend I made in June.
This past month has been a busy month in a number of ways. My parish has grown significantly. I know I don't have a canonical parish, but as providence would have it, a parish spontaneously developed, making my priesthood an enjoyable, though at times, a stressful ministry. Whenever I notice this, my memory drifts back to a congratulations card I got when I retired in 1980. A Protestant lady sent me a beautiful card congratulating me on my new parish. I was stunned because, I was told by my doctor that I might have only six months to live. He insisted that I retire from my unusually stressful parish work.
It was only a short time after I retired that I received the card from that lady. I called to thank her and told her that my dangerous health condition necessitated my retirement. She said immediately, "You're not retiring, Father, you are going to have a parish that will be worldwide.” I just smiled and thanked her for her kind wishes. That was 31 years ago.
For almost three years after that I was unable to work or move around for more than two or three hours when I had to lie down and rest. That was four or five times a day. I followed strictly my doctor's orders and stuck to my diet. For the first two years one of my sisters let me stay with her even though I was not the best house guest, then an undertaker friend let me live in an unrented bungalow she owned and I lived there for four years while I wrote JOSHUA. Shortly after that my strength began to come back and I was able to work five or six hours without resting. In time JOSHUA spread throughout the whole world and was put in Buddhist monastery libraries in India. Priests in mission countries translated it into their languages and used the translation in their parishes in Pakistan, and Nepal and in other places. In time, demands came for speaking engagements which brought me, and later on Sister Dorothy with me, to China, Australia, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, Canada, and most of the states in our own country. People from all these places still keep in touch and share the happy and sad times in their lives.
Now, though I am 81 and am not able to go far from my house for long periods of time, I am still able to continue my work as a priest. What a wonderful invention computers are! My computer was set up with very high speed capability, and I can now have teleconferencing sessions with my friends around the world and through Skype can give live video talks to groups here and in other countries. I videoed my dear friend, Koji Yamazaki, last night. He had done a very professional Japanese translation of JOSHUA six years ago and it has spread all over Japan. And this morning I had a delightful session with another friend in The Netherlands, Jan van der Boom. When he called I was sitting in front of the computer shaving, and when my teleconferencing kicked in immediately, I could see myself on the screen sitting there in my tee shirt and shaving. He got a big laugh out of that because he could see me, too.
So, I am finally realizing that I still have a parish, and my parishioners are the most wonderful people in the whole world. But now to get back down to earth! In the beginning of June I was asked by my new publisher, Orbis Press, to go to Chicago for a Publishers Convention. Orbis, introduced our new book, THE HOMELESS BISHOP, to the booksellers market and it received a very good reception. I am so happy with my new publishers. They are such gracious people to work with, and have already initiated a wide publicity program throughout the country and are very enthusiastic about the book's potential. That will be such a big help.
To my surprise my friend then wrote about our visit in June by adding:
Joe ended his July “News from Joshua Mountain” by adding:
If any of you would like to make a small donation to help our ministry, it would be a big help. I have tried to do it myself for the past 29 years, but I don't have the resources anymore.
I am committed to helping Joe in whatever small ways that I can. I have already sent a generous gift. You can send a tax-deductible gift to:
Joshua Mountain Ministries
1071 Joshua Lane
Altamont, NY 12009
I encourage you to get to know him, receive his monthly news, and read the books I mentioned two days ago. If you live near Albany or can get there be sure to plan on one of Joe’s Tuesday evening talks. You can also subscribe to his monthly news, as I do, by writing him directly at: jgirzone@aol.com. You should also visit the Joshua Mountain web site.
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