- Feb 5, 2002
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CV NEWS FEED // A new biography tells the real life story of Fr. Stuart Long, “Father Stu” in Mark Wahlberg’s recent film.
Told by Long’s close friend, Fr. Bart Tolleson, “That Was Father Stu: A Memoir of My Priestly Brother and Friend” expands on Long’s life and the physical suffering he endured after his ordination to the priesthood.
In an interview with CatholicVote, Fr. Tolleson said he began writing Long’s memoir in 2020 when it seemed the movie, which had been in the works since 2015, might not come to fruition.
“There’s a bigger game playing here than a movie or a book,” said Tolleson, “and it’s trying to draw people into hope.”
“Stu always wanted to lead people with hope,” he added. “I think he’s always kind of been telling me to ‘give them hope’ because that’s what the Lord wants to give the world, especially right now.”
Long, a convert, wanted to become a priest immediately after his baptism, Tolleson recounted. While in seminary, however, Long was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that quickly handicapped him.
The disease almost prevented Long from becoming a priest. However, as Tolleson detailed in the book, Long’s call to the priesthood was so apparent that the bishop of Helena, Montana, ordained him despite the seminary’s doubts about Long’s physical ability.
Continued below.
catholicvote.org
Told by Long’s close friend, Fr. Bart Tolleson, “That Was Father Stu: A Memoir of My Priestly Brother and Friend” expands on Long’s life and the physical suffering he endured after his ordination to the priesthood.
In an interview with CatholicVote, Fr. Tolleson said he began writing Long’s memoir in 2020 when it seemed the movie, which had been in the works since 2015, might not come to fruition.
“There’s a bigger game playing here than a movie or a book,” said Tolleson, “and it’s trying to draw people into hope.”
“Stu always wanted to lead people with hope,” he added. “I think he’s always kind of been telling me to ‘give them hope’ because that’s what the Lord wants to give the world, especially right now.”
Long, a convert, wanted to become a priest immediately after his baptism, Tolleson recounted. While in seminary, however, Long was diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease that quickly handicapped him.
The disease almost prevented Long from becoming a priest. However, as Tolleson detailed in the book, Long’s call to the priesthood was so apparent that the bishop of Helena, Montana, ordained him despite the seminary’s doubts about Long’s physical ability.
Continued below.
New Memoir Tells Story of Real Life Father Stu
A new biography tells the real life story of Father Stuart Long, “Father Stu” in Mark Wahlburg’s recent film.
catholicvote.org
