A Poem Called Lost

St. Jude, the patron of lost causes, is a fitting patron for the church central to *A Poem Called Lost*. The inner city parish has no large congregation, no impressive endowment, and no elegant ritual. What it has instead is a great deal of love and acceptance, which supports the quirky, sometimes heart-breaking lives of its tiny, inner-city congregation. Father Joseph and Sister Monica, the clergy of St. Jude's, can teach the rest of us much about what it means to accept others in the name of God. The bits of poetry embedded in the book shine a clear light on how mainline, non-marginal, religious folk tend to look at those on the fringes and why that view is skewed. For example, in a poem entitled "Recycling" we find the linesThe recyclers are hauling awayany items which can be made new,except of course they will not take awaythe people who frequent the trashand are throwaways, too.At St. Jude's, no one is a throwaway, and everyone is precious in God's eyes. But for all the serious intent of the story, it is laced with humor and hope, which gives me a sense that anything truly is possible if only we don't give up hope. A feel-good book that also inspires one to change for the better.