The Gospel According to Ken

Has it really been almost three years since Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw went off to the big hockey rink in the sky?

How time flies.

In an effort to keep the progressive hero's wit and wisdom alive, a book of Untener's "pastoral writings" titled The Practical Prophet has recently rolled out.

The local ABC affiliate reports that, while at points the book visits some "topics that are really not to be discussed openly in [the] church, like the ordination of women," his successor in Saginaw "Bishop Robert Carlson is allowing the book to be sold at the Diocese's Book Nook"... where it's selling like hotcakes:

"Bishop Ken Untener's book had some requests before Christmas,' Carlson said. "We had an order come in at the Book Nook, our other store, and it sold out right away."

And that is with very little publicity.

Another useful tidbit: "Untener's papers were owned by his friend, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of the Detroit Diocese [sic], who contracted the book -- a book that tries to capture his vision of equality in the Catholic Church."

SVILUPPO: The Prophet has already gone into its second printing.

With its initial 3,500-copy printing quickly disappearing, Theresa Sparacio, production manager for the Mahwah, N.J.-based Paulist Press announced Friday that more are on the way.

"The response has been fantastic," Sparacio said.

"Demand is forcing a reprint."

Well, even if he's been in the ground three years, it's encouraging to see that there's at least one bishop the masses are clamoring to read.

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