Reviews

" 'A true Chicago ghost story': The new hot read among Chicago priests recounts a little-known ghost story on the Near West Side. . . . Facchini, who left the priesthood in 1971, . . . has written a book about his experiences with the bishop’s spectre . . . . [I]t has since become an 'it' book among Chicago priests, some of whom had hear Muldoon stories as children. Others, such as Chicago's Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Goedert, have a more personal interest. Goedert, who was vicar general of the Chicago archdiocese until his retirement last year, served as an assistant priest at St. Charles Borromeo with Facchini in the late 1950s. 'I was there during that period, and we would hear these strange noises . . . [once] when we were downstairs on the second floor and we hear on the third floor as if someone was pushing a dresser or something across the floor and, of course, there was no one doing that,' Goedert said recently. 'I experienced it, there's no doubt in my mind about that.' "

—Cathleen Falsani, Chicago Sunday Sun-Times, "A true Chicago ghost story" (cover story),

January 11, 2004

"A TRUE GHOST STORY, yes—this is the haunting by an auxiliary bishop of his former parish's rectory. Muldoon is also the story of the immigrant Church in Chicago and the author's personal story as well—how a young priest was thrown into a miserable assignment under a tyrannical pastor whose main "pastoral" concern was bingo. . . . Muldoon is an exposé of the old clerical culture, with lots of Catholic and Chicago history thrown in. But the book raises more questions than it answers. I wonder, Who or where will Muldoon haunt now?"

—Barbara Beckwith, St. Anthony Messenger, Turning the Pages, May 2004

"First-time author Rocco, the young priest in the story, is modest about his writing ability, and candid about his reluctance to dredge up is own past (he left the priesthood in 1971) to piece together the tale of a largely forgotten man and parish. But he's a natural storyteller with a gift for clearly contextualizing anecdotal accounts. His framework of city history and church politics is concise and insightful, and his open-minded approach to the paranormal boosts his work's page-turning pull. A great read that grips like a novel."

—Jean Kozlowski, Cricket in the Corner, June 22, 2004

"Among the clergy of the archdiocese [of Chicago], the rectory had the reputation of being haunted. . . . Facchini experienced many paranormal events during his four-year stay there, and he relates them all with care and precision in the book. Although this author's faith in Muldoon's ghost is strong, his faith in what the church should be about is even stronger. . . . What emerges from this ghostly tale is a ghastly church culture so turned in on itself that the people of God are forgotten. . . . [T]his tale from a forgotten rectory is real, and this book, an effective work of literary folk art, recalls and preserves an intriguing era of American Catholic history."

—Peter Gilmour, U.S. Catholic, Odds & Ends, January 2004

"Things apparently did go bump in the night at St. Charles Borromeo Rectory at 12th Street and Hoyne in the 1950s and thereafter. . . . The book spells out the vicious rebellion of the 'Crowleyites,' and how their jealousy scarred Muldoon’s reputation. . . . The reader is left to decide what provoked the phantom. . . . Facchini, in collaboration with his son, Daniel, has written a tale spiced with Chicago church lore. It can easily be read in one dark-and-stormy night."

—Dolores Madlener, Catholic New World, Church Clips, November 8, 2003

"Rocco Facchini practically bleeds Chianti Classico. He is as rich as the wine and as generous as a plate of linguini carbonara. He spent 12 years in seminary preparing for the Chicago archdiocese, an institution not known for its great love of Italian candidates. . . . Rocco's haunted rectory is one more proof of the divinity of the church. No other branch of the Christian church could survive such lunacy. Thirty-five years after the parish was leveled, senior clergy gather in other rectories and talk about Muldoon."

—Tim Unsworth, National Catholic Reporter, "Stuck in a rectory with a curmudgeon and a bishop's ghost," March 29, 2002

". . . St. Charles Borromeo parish acquired a secret fame. It had a ghost. Its rectory was haunted by the ghost of a former pastor, Peter J. Muldoon, second pastor of the parish and builder of its church, later named auxiliary bishop of Chicago (1901), and subsequently founding bishop of the Diocese of Rockford (1908). . . . The secret about the ghost has now been revealed with as many details as those still alive remember, plus the results of a historical research of the few documents which were not destroyed. The story is one of church politics, excommunicated priests and local schism, Irish in-fighting, murder plots and unfulfilled wishes. It is set in the mid-fifties, though the ghost, who died in 1927, comes from a quarter century earlier. It includes a pastor, his secretary (?) and their dog. Their names have been changed, but all other names are accurately reported because this ghost story is real. It is true, and it is told by one who lived in the rectory with the ghost. . . . If you like Chicago history, ghost stories, real stories of real people, with mostly real names, places and events, then this is a book you gotta read."

—Frank McGrath, Senior Connection, How Dare You Say That, "The haunted rectory—a true Chicago ghost story," January 2004

"Facchini also learned that there was a lot more to the story of Bishop Peter J. Muldoon than unexplained lights or things going crash in the night. It was a story of insider church politics, scandals, uncontrolled vengeance, and violence. In the 40-odd years that have passed since the left St. Charles Borromeo . . . Facchini has had other encounters with the ghost of Muldoon . . . . He figured the story just wouldn't leave him alone until he finished the book. . . . Facchini also realized that he is the only person still alive who had lived in the haunted rectory. ' . . . I was reluctant to do it because I’m kind of a private person. But I knew that unless I did it, it would never be told,' he says."

—Sara Burrows, Lerner newspapers, "A Chicagoween story: Besmirched bishop haunted him,"

October 29, 2003

"Comprehensive research and facts made the book that much more chilling and exciting. Book is written in such a way that you have to finish it in one or two sittings . . . you can't put it down once you start. This book made a great Halloween read! Also had some good behind the scenes insight into the politics of the catholic church in Chicago. Every Chicagoan and Rogers Park-an should read this book!"

—Amazon.com reader review, "Chilling," 5 of 5 stars, November 19, 2003

"Rocco Facchini's Muldoon gives an interesting and concise history of the Catholic Church in Chicago, while [recounting] his eerie experiences with the ghost of Muldoon. It is an exciting tale that never failed to keep my attention. A must-read for lovers of ghost stories and local history."

—Amazon.com reader review, "Muldoon: A Great Read," 5 of 5 stars, December 10, 2003

"This is one of those books that doesn't come along very often. I could not put this book down once I started reading. Mr. Facchini is a rare kind of storyteller. Apart from the ghost, which is the centerpiece of this book, I got the distinct impression that there are some invisible hands at work in this man's life. Muldoon is packed full of information of the forming of one of Americas largest cities, and the role of the Catholic church in the building of America. It was a great book cover to cover and I would recommend it to anyone who reads."

—Amazon.com reader review, "Wow!," 5 of 5 stars, December 18, 2003

"I loved the book!! Not only does it delve into the history of Chicago and why the city is what it is today, but it also includes a TRUE, chilling ghost story. I enjoyed learning about Chicago’s past . . . . the politics, cultures, scandals and religious influences. And I enjoyed the intertwining ghost stories . . . . many a night I heard strange noises in my own house after reading the book earlier that night. Coincidence?"

—Amazon.com reader review, "I hope Muldoon reads this book," 5 of 5 stars, November 19, 2003

"Strangely, when I began to write this review, there [were] some heavy footsteps upstairs, and sounds of some doors opening and closing, although I know no one else was home. Also, my computer was ice cold, until I turned it on . . . if you read this book you'll know what I'm talking about. The best thing about reading this book was that it reminded me of some 'unexplained occurrences' in my own life. I'm sure it will as well for you. 'Muldoon' is well written, and includes some very interesting Chicago history, as well as some behind the scenes politics within the Chicago Catholic Church."

—Amazon.com reader review, "Muldoon, an excellent read," 4 of 5 stars, November 19, 2003

Also in Print

Catholic Cemetery, " 'I felt him on the back of my neck'," April 2004
Catholic Marketing Network Trade Journal, Book Reviews, May 2004
Chicago Sun-Times, Books, "Paperbacks," October 26, 2003
Explorer (Diocese of Joliet, Illinois), Books in the Balance, March 26, 2004
Dotcom News (Ireland), "A haunting biography,” January 25, 2004
Rockford Register Star, "Other books with local ties," August 15, 2003
Rockford Register Star, "Pat's Stuff," January 13, 2004
The Sun, "Bishop's soul rejects Heaven to haunt Chicago churches," February 17, 2004

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