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Orbis Books Receives Christopher Book Award
Local author examines complex lessons on life learned from a dying priest |
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Jim’s Last Summer: Lessons on Living from a Dying Priest, published by Orbis Books (February 2002), is the recipient of the 2003 Christopher Book Award. This is the fifth time that an Orbis author has been chosen to receive the prestigious honor. The award was presented to author Teresa Rhodes McGee, of Ossining, N.Y., at the 54th Christopher Awards ceremony, February 27th in New York City.
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 “What an honor for Teresa and for Orbis Books,” exclaimed publisher Michael Leach. “The Christophers celebrate lasting values, as we try to do in all our books, and in Jim’s Last Summer, Teresa holds high the values of friendship and fidelity to every value that joins us to each other.”Jim's Last Summer, a remembrance of Maryknoll Father Jim Lenihan, is the moving true story of a young woman’s friendship with a dying priest and the gifts they gave to each other during the last months of his life. “The book is a celebration of an extraordinary man whose life—and death—were a light in the darkness,” said McGee. “I am deeply honored to receive the Christopher Award for a book rooted in the trust that the story of one human being has the power to touch other lives.” |
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| The Christophers, a nonprofit organization, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”—guides its publishing, TV, radio and awards programs. First presented in 1949, the Christopher Awards salute media that remind audiences and readers of their worth, individuality and power to positively impact and shape our world. These internationally renowned awards are considered a benchmark of quality, both artistic and spiritual. To be eligible for a Christopher Award, feature films, TV and cable programs, and books must exhibit exceptional artistic and technical proficiency, be able to impact the widest possible audience, and, above all, they must affirm the highest values of the human spirit. Potential winners are nominated and reviewed throughout the year by panels of media professionals, members of The Christophers’ staff with expertise in film, TV and publishing, and by specially supervised children’s reading groups. |
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| A record-breaking 945 books published in 2002 for adults and young people were submitted for Christopher Awards consideration. Jim’s Last Summer was one of six winning titles in the Books for Adults category. A spiritual director and writer, McGee holds a master’s degree in religious studies from Loyola University in Chicago, Ill., and a post-masters diploma in pastoral counseling and spiritual direction from Fordham University in New York City. She is the author of Ordinary Mysteries: Rediscovering the Rosary and The Comforter: Stories of Loss and Rebirth, a winner of the Catholic Press Association Award for “Best First Time Author of a Book.” With her husband, McGee served as a Maryknoll lay missioner in Peru, working in adult leadership development (1984-86), and later worked as co-director of lay missioner training at the Maryknoll Mission Association of the Faithful. She is currently assistant director of Maryknoll’s department of Society Member Services, in Ossining, where she lives with her husband and two sons. |
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Previous Orbis books that have received Christopher Awards include: Choosing Mercy: A Mother of Murder Victims Pleads to End the Death Penalty, by syndicated columnist Antoinette Bosco (2002); Fritz Eichenberg: Works of Mercy (1993) and Dorothy Day: Selected Writings (1992), both edited by Orbis editor-in-chief Robert Ellsberg; and Inside Rikers Island (1991), by Peter Raphael.
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