" Conversations after sunset"; Elegant Simplicity in Poetry

In his twelve years in Southington, as pastor of St. Dominic Church, Fr. Henry C. Frascadore touched the hearts of many who came to see, hear and be spiritually uplifted by his unique style of pastoral leadership, his self-disciplined style of organization and empowerment, his exceptional communication skills and his exquisite passion for words that paint homiletic pictures of the details of everyday life and the human spirit through simple stories of life, the Gospel and biblical characters, all inspiring personal connections with the Divine.

In the fall of 2013, five years into his retirement as a priest in 2008, Fr. Henry, (as he likes to be called), published his second book of poetry, entitled: “Conversations After Sunset”, following his 2011 successful publication of “Beyond the Weeping Willow Tree: Mystery is a Gift Wrapped in Ordinary Paper” which was an immediate sensation with his now vast following.

Fr. Henry and Ramsey

The author’s “Conversations After Sunset” reveals deeply probing thoughts in sheer eloquence and poetic simplicity.  Each poem propels the reader to the next with its intriguing insights into ‘nothing in particular and yet, everything in particular’. We imagine we are with the author in his journey of life, awakening a keen sense of the ordinary things around us, things that seem unremarkable and are often left unobserved or taken for granted as part of the scenery of life. With his constant companion, “Ramsey”, Fr. Henry’s faithful black Labrador, he meticulously examines the most minute details of the sights, sounds and smells of an old capitol city that enable their fresh daily examination of the real and conjured senses of the urban neighborhood’s flowers, trees, ponds, birds, wind, litter in the street, the bus stop at Main Street and its people, strangers, going about their unremarkable yet wondersome activities and destinations once outside of the brief moments of their paths crossing within view of the author and his sniffing friend.

This sensitivity to urban nature echoes Fr. Henry’s keen spiritual connections with creation and its mysteries, the genuine value of the collection being the inspired discernment of the simplicity and complexity of the gifts of the universe. One may weave such thoughts into his/her own mind’s web, allowing the poet’s observations to penetrate our own worlds, savoring new sensations of life in our own hearts and minds, urging one to spiritually ruminate our own mysteries of life, re-examining vibrant moments that may have been inadvertently left along the wayside of our own life’s journey.

An extraordinarily gifted priest, educator and credentialed scholar during his first 50 years in the priesthood, Frascadore remains a spiritual thinker, visionary and mentor. Punctuating a remarkable professional career, “Conversations after Sunset” validates his gifts as a poet, exquisitely articulating the fundamentals of life while raising subconsciously stored personal thoughts to the conscious level, so that we may ponder our own inner conversations concerning our continuing journey.

“Conversations After Sunset” offers 125 pages that move the reader to closely held secrets of the soul where the poetic insights come alive in the privacy of one’s own prayerful reflections. The book may be purchased on Amazon. or in Southington, at the Bradley Memorial Hospital Gift Shop.