A Passionate Adventure: : Living the Catholic Faith Today Paperback - 2014

Albino Luciani (Pope John Paul I) was born October 17, 1912 in the village of Canale D'Agordo. He entered the seminary at the age of 11, and was ordained for the diocese of Belluno in 1935. After two years of parish work, in 1937 he was appointed vice-rector of the diocesan seminary. He obtained his doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. In 1954, he became vicar general of the diocese. In 1958, Pope John XXIII made him bishop of Vittorio Veneto.

Luciani was a zealous pastor who used simple stories in his preaching. He took part in Vatican II and enthusiastically brought the Council's teachings to the faithful. Pope Paul VI appointed him Patriarch of Venice in 1969 and named him a cardinal in 1973.

In Venice, Luciani took the (boat) bus so he could talk with ordinary people. He sold his jeweled pectoral cross to benefit the handicapped, and wore a plain metal cross instead. He supported unpopular Church teachings on liberation theology, women priests and abortion and showed particular concern for the Third World. He wrote a book, Illustrissimi, which contained a series of witty letters to great figures of the past

On August 26, 1978, Luciani was elected Pope with the support of many Third World cardinals. He refused a coronation. During his captivating Wednesday audiences, he would call up a child to engage in dialogue. John Paul I died on September 28, 1978, 33 days into his papacy. The cause for his canonization was opened in 2003. In October 2014, his Positio will be turned in to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Lori Pieper received her BA in the Humanities and MA in History from the University of Northern Iowa and her PhD in Medieval History from Fordham University. Her historical books include The Greatest of These is Love: the Life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (2007). She has had articles published in many periodicals, including Our Sunday Visitor, The Catholic Digest and L'Osservatore Romano. She has also worked for some years as a professional translator. Since 1990, she has contributed translations of John Paul I's writings to the journal Humilitas; some of these appeared in The Smiling Pope: The Life and Teaching of Pope John Paul I, published by Our Sunday Visitor in 2004. She is also working on an upcoming biography of this Pope. A member of the Secular Franciscan Order, she lives and works in the Bronx, New York.