Endorsements
“This is a stunningly insightful personal account of a Queer person of faith. Generations to come will marvel at the ‘all of it’ LGBTQ+ people had to cope with and challenge as we came into our own as lovers and beloveds during the pandemics of homophobia, heterosexism and AIDS. I was deeply moved and filled with hope for all who follow, grateful that our struggle has been given a passionate and compassionate voice in William Glenn’s lifelong work and this beautiful memoir.”
— Chris Glaser, author of Uncommon Calling: A Gay Christian’s Struggle to Serve the Church
“The person has been magnificently found, and most thoughtfully shared. In this compelling spiritual autobiography, inspired by Augustine and mentored by Merton, our courageous and generous guide, Bill Glenn, helps us see our own process in finding ourselves through God and others. I sat silent in gratitude that my soul brother, Bill, and I are so synchronized in our life treks. I believe you will experience the same joyful recognition.”
— Brian McNaught, author of On Being Gay
“Deus semper Maior—God is always greater—could be the sub-title for Glenn’s moving memoir. Like other spiritual classics from Augustine’s Confessions to Graham Greene’s A Sort of Life, Glenn is able to discern, and trace, God’s gentle, but persistent involvement in his life over its seven decades. The reader is not so much a “spectator” but a fellow pilgrim accompanying this journey towards an ever-deepening realization of God’s presence and support in each of our lives.”
— James Bretzke, SJ, professor, Moral Theology, John Carroll University
“Bill speaks the truth—about the darkness, the light, and every shade in between—as he finds his way to God and his true calling. He shows us how grace lands in the various chapters of his life and leads him to risk whatever it takes to find his way home to deep and lasting love. His story will help us to stay true to our own.”
— Sonny Manuel S.J., author of Clinical Psychologist, Professor Emeritus, University of San Francisco
“Insightful! Bill Glenn is an erudite, and faith-filled man, but this tender memoir invites us into the vulnerable places few with such gifts are willing to let others see. Taking us along as his companions, Bill revisits the remarkable moments and souls that have shaped his life. He hopes, of course, we may come to see some thing of ourselves in them. These humble reflections of a former Jesuit, psychologist, gay man and respected leader, are a gift to all of us who yearn to know ourselves more fully.”
— Nick Carter, President Emeritus, Andover Newton School of Theology
“I Came here Seeking a Person is not a book for wimps (the coward within). This powerful narrative will nevertheless resonate with our inner wimp while calling it to see the bridge to a greater reality—our unity as human beings on this planet. Thank you, Bill Glenn, for being who you are and for shining the light of unity on us one and all. This profoundly powerful memoir reminds us that separation is an illusion and unity is our true source of light—clearly visible only to the eyes of the soul. Reading this book lifted my spirit while clearing my mind. I Came Here Seeking a Person is a deep meditation on the meaning and purpose of the life we live and share. This is a must read for each and every spiritual traveler!”
— Robert Thompson, author of A Voluptuous God and former president, Parliament of the World’s Religions
“…a significant…number of male saints have been homosexual…they have struggled with the meaning of same-sex desire in their lives…such needs and desires have been the core, fundamental forces for good, motivating, sustaining, nourishing and inspiring (their) great works…
are the words of -Anglican theologian Daniel Boisvert. In I Came Here Seeking a Person, Bill Glenn, a devout Catholic boy, Jesuit Scholastic, president of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and so much more, demonstrates both sides of Boisvert’s gay sanctity. This is a readable, interesting, nostalgic, sometimes tender and sad, moving, inspiring and always frank and open account of Glenn’s spiritual journey. It’s a story of a gay man pressed into leadership roles motivated with these most essentially gay drives to reconcile human goodness and sexual-variant perspectives in hopes of finding love, joy, partnership and community, and succeeding.”
— Toby Johnson, author of Gay Spirituality: Gay Identity and the Transformation of Human Consciousness, ed., White Crane Journal
"Beautifully written, captivatingly expressive, this book is genuine literature. A central figure in the gay community and its response to AIDS in San Francisco, Bill Glenn reveals an aspect of gay experience that few ever tend to consider—the spiritual. Here is a stabilizing lesson, sorely needed amidst the divisiveness of today's world."
— Daniel Helminiak, author of What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality and The Human Core of Spirituality
“Anyone seeking spiritual nourishment will find it in this moving memoir I Came Here Seeking a Person. A gay man, an ex-Jesuit, and a psychotherapist, Bill Glenn reflects deeply on his lifetime quest to find the divine amid the challenges of life. His tale spans three epidemics, beginning with polio’s impact on his family, his work in the AIDS epidemic, and reaches the COVID 19 pandemic. The author combines the force of his elite education with an eclectic mix of inspirations from St. Francis to Simone Weil, from James Baldwin to Harvey Milk. His queer spiritual autobiography stands as a brave testament in the tradition of Thomas Merton and John McNeil.”
— Kittredge Cherry, founder of QSpirit.net, author of The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision