The Search

About the Book

My book, The Search: Analytical Reflections on the Search for Meaning in Everyday Life, provides an autobiographical account of my life. It begins with reflections on my early life and gives an account of my years in Jesuit studies as well as a series of reflections on my teaching experience and on the pastoral activities, which I requested and to which I was assigned. It chronicles my dispute with the Cardinal Archbishop O’Boyle of Washington DC on the question of birth control and notes of the beginning of my teaching career at a local community college.

About the Author

My name is Francis X. Reardon. I was born on May 14, 1928, in Richmond, Virginia. My mother was Carolyn Thurston Reardon, and my father was Francis “FoXo” X. Reardon. My father was the creator of the pantomime comic strip Bozo, which was syndicated by the Chicago Times Syndicate. In 1949, at the age of twenty-one, I entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). After twelve years of study (I was allowed to skip one year of studies), I was ordained as a Jesuit priest. At my request (and insistence), I was assigned to parish work in Southern Maryland. After one year, I was reassigned to Washington DC. Shortly thereafter, I became engaged in a conflict with the Cardinal Archbishop O’Boyle of the diocese. When it became apparent that I could not resolve the conflict, I asked for, and was granted, return to the lay state and permission to marry. I began working for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). I became a regional director of Housing with responsibility for all HUD housing programs in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa. Fifteen years ago, I retired from HUD and began teaching philosophy at a local community college. I taught ethics and the philosophy of religion.