John D. Harris "The Junkie Priest (Father Daniel Egan, S.A.)" Hardcover

Vorgrik says: Good condition, dust jacket has considerable shelf wear.

Father Daniel Egan spent decades trying to help women addicted to drugs and prostitution in New York. He was concerned by the fact that when they left jail or the detention center they had no safe environment in which to turn, forcing them to return to their old haunts which in turn led to them picking up their drug habits, prostitution, etc. In a society that turns its back on the sick and the addicted, Father Egan fought for their safety. He visited the detention center and made himself readily available for any woman upon their release who needed a few bucks. More often than not the women used those few bucks for drugs but the good Father Egan continued to help. In the end, he fought long enough and hard enough to convince hospitals to admit women going through withdrawal. He started The Village Haven, a halfway home of sorts that women could turn to during the day to keep them off of the streets. Unfortunately, it was directly above a bar and the license required no one to remain on the premises overnight, so all women had to leave by 11:00 p.m. Father Egan saw the holes in the systems and did what he could to save every woman who turned to him.