PUBLICATIONS OF OPTION PRESS
OPTION PRESS is a private, non-profit press. Several works have been published.
One publication is HANDS, an illustrated way of the cross.HANDS
A CATECHISM FOR CATHOLICS AND OTHER NON BELIEVERS is an attempt to express our most
basic Christian truths in a simple and poetic manner.CATECHISM
BIBLOBITS is a series of obituaries of Old Testament characters.BIBLOBITS
ECOFLECTIONS is a series of reflections on the physical environment in which we live.
ECOFLECTIONS
FORCES OF HISTORY is a history of Immaculate Conception Church in Charenton,
Louisiana.FORCES
I AM RISEN is a series of poems and reflections on death and resurrection. RISEN
KEEP ON TRUCKING EVEN IF YOU DON\'T HAVE A TRUCK is a combination diary and calendar for
anyone trying to deal with grief. CALENDAR
THE DISJOINTED SOCIETY is a novel based on extensive research done by the author.
DISJOINTED A summary of that research is available on another page of this site.
HANDS HANDS is an illustrated meditation on the way of the cross. It was written in 1964 by Rev.
William Crumley C.S.C. The work was inspired by his meditation on a way of the cross which
pictured only the hands of Jesus. The illustrations in Hands are reproductions of original
etchings done by Gladys Pacholke, a friend of Father Bill. In addition to the etchings, each
meditation contains a quote from one of the Gospels. These quotes place the station in its
biblical context. Under the quote is a brief reflection of the author.
A CATECHISM FOR CATHOLICS AND OTHER NON BELIEVERS Is an original work of Rev. William
Crumley C.S.C. It is an attempt to proclaim our most basic truths in as simple a manner as
possible. While composing this work, the author was unhappy because the chapter about God
was the shortest and contained only poetry. Several years after the original composition the
author went to a retreat. The retreat director stated at the beginning that "We know God first of
all through the poet." This remark inspired the author to change the style and format of the
book.
The book now begins with the chapter on God, now the longest of the chapters. It is a dialogue
between the reader and the poet. The reader first goes to the philosopher to find God. The
philosopher is unable to answer the reader\'s questions and sends him to the theologian. He
also is unable to answer the reader\'s questions and directs him to the poet. The poet takes
the reader to the sea, then to the mountain, and then to the city.
This cycle corresponds with the Old Testament cycle. God is first depicted at the water. Before
the Hebrews were welded together as the people of God they were led by Moses across the
sea. When it became necessary to lay down some laws and guidelines, Moses went to the
mountain. Then the people were led into the city to live out the faith they had professed.
The same cycle of sea, then mountain, then city is reflected in our New Testament tradition.
Jesus draws his first followers from the sea. In the Gospel of Matthew he goes to the mountain
to announce His kingdom and at end of the Gospel sends his followers into the city to preach
the Good News of the Kingdom.
Some persons have objected to the title. It is not a catechism and we are not unbelievers. The
author contends none of us are truly believers. We are all struggling to become believers.
Although its style is not that of a traditional catechism, it does look at the most basic questions
of our life. This is the primary function of a catechism.
I AM RISEN The preface to this book begins with a question. Who needed the most faith on the
first Easter morning? Magdalene? Peter? Thomas? Mary? John? What about Jesus?We often
do not think that Jesus had or needed faith. But, what if Jesus had not believed? If Jesus had
not been able to say "I am risen" no one else would have been able to experience his
resurrection.
I Am Risen is a series of homilies and reflections of the author and of others on the meaning of
life and death. It attempts to look at our own attitude toward life, and toward death. If I cannot
experience forms of resurrection in my own life, it will be difficult for me to believe in the
Resurrection of Jesus. If I cannot look at my own life and say I AM RISEN, then belief in the
resurrection of Jesus will not have a major impact on my life.
I Am Risen is a testimonial that faith is experiential. We need to live it out in our own lives. With
each defeat, each setback, each death of a loved one, we experience our own death. With
every new form of death, new life emerges. It attempts to express our belief in the
resurrection of Jesus simply because we have experienced and understood death and
resurrection in our own lives.
BIBLOBITS You can read the title in one of two ways: little bits and pieces from the Bible or
Biblical obituaries. The book is both. It attempts to capture the life and spirit of about forty Old
Testament characters. The collection of Biblical characters includes important persons and
persons who are just minor players in the Bible\'s drama and history. It also includes a good
balance of men and women.
It is actually a series of obituaries composed by the author. Most of the material in each
obituary is factual and is based on scriptural texts. A very small part of the book contains data
that is the fancy of the author. The author\'s fancy is used when little or no data appears in the
Bible about the person.
Most obituaries end with an admonition to do something that expresses the spirit of the
person. Most end with this or a similar plea: The family requests that instead of sending
flowers, you ... The thing to be done instead of sending flowers expresses some truth about
the person\'s life and his/her impact on us.
ECOFLECTIONS Ecoflections is a series of original poems that reflect on ecology. They were
written as the author traveled the Natchez Trace Parkway. The poems reflect the history and
the ecology of the area and its people.
THE DISJOINTED SOCIETY The Disjointed Society is a novel. Its subject matter flowed out of
the research of the author. He tried to determine who owned our electric utilities, then our
banks, and eventually our casinos. With each search he found a web of intrigue and often a
similar cast of characters.
The novel brings together persons and events which seem to have little or no connection to
one another. It relates the murder of a president and the death of a pope suspected by some
to have been a homicide. The novel relates the work of an international bank that has existed
for more than seventy years. Directors of this bank control the major economies of the world.
The bank supplies a major portion of the economic data used by banks and governments
throughout the world. Very few persons even know this bank exists. Less than ten per cent of
textbooks on banking even mention this bank. Even those that mention the bank do so by way
of footnote.
In his introduction to the book, the author writes: Most of the novel portrays information I have
gleaned from research and/or persons I have met. The novel connects some persons and
some events it has not been easy to connect based on readily available evidence. After nearly
twelve years of research a few of the assumed connections still require more evidence. But
none of the assumed connections have actually proven to be false.
Also see RESEARCH FORCES OF HISTORY Forces of History is an attempt to capture a bit of
the history of Immaculate Conception Church in Charenton, Louisiana. The church celebrated
150 years of existence in 1994. The book looks at some of the families who have been involved
in that history over 150 years. It also looks at some of the pastors who have served this parish.
The history is based on documents in the files of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, from our
own records, from oral history, and from oral and written history of the Chitimacha nation.
Charenton is a small community. Still, according to our sacramental records we have persons
from at least 20 different nations who have contributed to our history.
CALENDAR KEEP ON TRUCKING: EVEN IF YOU DON\'T HAVE A TRUCK This is a calendar for
those who are grieving. The calendar contains reflections, prayers, questions, and many blank
spots for a person to write his or her own thoughts or questions.
TO CONTINUE
TO RETURN TO HOME PAGE Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the website and come
back often.
Each individual page has our name, address, phone number, and immediate access by e-mail.
We hope to hear from you.We\'d like to hear from you Email billcrumley
Charenton Heritage Museum
3041 Chitimacha Trail
Charenton, Louisiana 70523-0278
337-923-4281
OPTION PRESS is a private, non-profit press. Several works have been published.
One publication is HANDS, an illustrated way of the cross.HANDS
A CATECHISM FOR CATHOLICS AND OTHER NON BELIEVERS is an attempt to express our most
basic Christian truths in a simple and poetic manner.CATECHISM
BIBLOBITS is a series of obituaries of Old Testament characters.BIBLOBITS
ECOFLECTIONS is a series of reflections on the physical environment in which we live.
ECOFLECTIONS
FORCES OF HISTORY is a history of Immaculate Conception Church in Charenton,
Louisiana.FORCES
I AM RISEN is a series of poems and reflections on death and resurrection. RISEN
KEEP ON TRUCKING EVEN IF YOU DON\'T HAVE A TRUCK is a combination diary and calendar for
anyone trying to deal with grief. CALENDAR
THE DISJOINTED SOCIETY is a novel based on extensive research done by the author.
DISJOINTED A summary of that research is available on another page of this site.
HANDS HANDS is an illustrated meditation on the way of the cross. It was written in 1964 by Rev.
William Crumley C.S.C. The work was inspired by his meditation on a way of the cross which
pictured only the hands of Jesus. The illustrations in Hands are reproductions of original
etchings done by Gladys Pacholke, a friend of Father Bill. In addition to the etchings, each
meditation contains a quote from one of the Gospels. These quotes place the station in its
biblical context. Under the quote is a brief reflection of the author.
A CATECHISM FOR CATHOLICS AND OTHER NON BELIEVERS Is an original work of Rev. William
Crumley C.S.C. It is an attempt to proclaim our most basic truths in as simple a manner as
possible. While composing this work, the author was unhappy because the chapter about God
was the shortest and contained only poetry. Several years after the original composition the
author went to a retreat. The retreat director stated at the beginning that "We know God first of
all through the poet." This remark inspired the author to change the style and format of the
book.
The book now begins with the chapter on God, now the longest of the chapters. It is a dialogue
between the reader and the poet. The reader first goes to the philosopher to find God. The
philosopher is unable to answer the reader\'s questions and sends him to the theologian. He
also is unable to answer the reader\'s questions and directs him to the poet. The poet takes
the reader to the sea, then to the mountain, and then to the city.
This cycle corresponds with the Old Testament cycle. God is first depicted at the water. Before
the Hebrews were welded together as the people of God they were led by Moses across the
sea. When it became necessary to lay down some laws and guidelines, Moses went to the
mountain. Then the people were led into the city to live out the faith they had professed.
The same cycle of sea, then mountain, then city is reflected in our New Testament tradition.
Jesus draws his first followers from the sea. In the Gospel of Matthew he goes to the mountain
to announce His kingdom and at end of the Gospel sends his followers into the city to preach
the Good News of the Kingdom.
Some persons have objected to the title. It is not a catechism and we are not unbelievers. The
author contends none of us are truly believers. We are all struggling to become believers.
Although its style is not that of a traditional catechism, it does look at the most basic questions
of our life. This is the primary function of a catechism.
I AM RISEN The preface to this book begins with a question. Who needed the most faith on the
first Easter morning? Magdalene? Peter? Thomas? Mary? John? What about Jesus?We often
do not think that Jesus had or needed faith. But, what if Jesus had not believed? If Jesus had
not been able to say "I am risen" no one else would have been able to experience his
resurrection.
I Am Risen is a series of homilies and reflections of the author and of others on the meaning of
life and death. It attempts to look at our own attitude toward life, and toward death. If I cannot
experience forms of resurrection in my own life, it will be difficult for me to believe in the
Resurrection of Jesus. If I cannot look at my own life and say I AM RISEN, then belief in the
resurrection of Jesus will not have a major impact on my life.
I Am Risen is a testimonial that faith is experiential. We need to live it out in our own lives. With
each defeat, each setback, each death of a loved one, we experience our own death. With
every new form of death, new life emerges. It attempts to express our belief in the
resurrection of Jesus simply because we have experienced and understood death and
resurrection in our own lives.
BIBLOBITS You can read the title in one of two ways: little bits and pieces from the Bible or
Biblical obituaries. The book is both. It attempts to capture the life and spirit of about forty Old
Testament characters. The collection of Biblical characters includes important persons and
persons who are just minor players in the Bible\'s drama and history. It also includes a good
balance of men and women.
It is actually a series of obituaries composed by the author. Most of the material in each
obituary is factual and is based on scriptural texts. A very small part of the book contains data
that is the fancy of the author. The author\'s fancy is used when little or no data appears in the
Bible about the person.
Most obituaries end with an admonition to do something that expresses the spirit of the
person. Most end with this or a similar plea: The family requests that instead of sending
flowers, you ... The thing to be done instead of sending flowers expresses some truth about
the person\'s life and his/her impact on us.
ECOFLECTIONS Ecoflections is a series of original poems that reflect on ecology. They were
written as the author traveled the Natchez Trace Parkway. The poems reflect the history and
the ecology of the area and its people.
THE DISJOINTED SOCIETY The Disjointed Society is a novel. Its subject matter flowed out of
the research of the author. He tried to determine who owned our electric utilities, then our
banks, and eventually our casinos. With each search he found a web of intrigue and often a
similar cast of characters.
The novel brings together persons and events which seem to have little or no connection to
one another. It relates the murder of a president and the death of a pope suspected by some
to have been a homicide. The novel relates the work of an international bank that has existed
for more than seventy years. Directors of this bank control the major economies of the world.
The bank supplies a major portion of the economic data used by banks and governments
throughout the world. Very few persons even know this bank exists. Less than ten per cent of
textbooks on banking even mention this bank. Even those that mention the bank do so by way
of footnote.
In his introduction to the book, the author writes: Most of the novel portrays information I have
gleaned from research and/or persons I have met. The novel connects some persons and
some events it has not been easy to connect based on readily available evidence. After nearly
twelve years of research a few of the assumed connections still require more evidence. But
none of the assumed connections have actually proven to be false.
Also see RESEARCH FORCES OF HISTORY Forces of History is an attempt to capture a bit of
the history of Immaculate Conception Church in Charenton, Louisiana. The church celebrated
150 years of existence in 1994. The book looks at some of the families who have been involved
in that history over 150 years. It also looks at some of the pastors who have served this parish.
The history is based on documents in the files of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, from our
own records, from oral history, and from oral and written history of the Chitimacha nation.
Charenton is a small community. Still, according to our sacramental records we have persons
from at least 20 different nations who have contributed to our history.
CALENDAR KEEP ON TRUCKING: EVEN IF YOU DON\'T HAVE A TRUCK This is a calendar for
those who are grieving. The calendar contains reflections, prayers, questions, and many blank
spots for a person to write his or her own thoughts or questions.
TO CONTINUE
TO RETURN TO HOME PAGE Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the website and come
back often.
Each individual page has our name, address, phone number, and immediate access by e-mail.
We hope to hear from you.We\'d like to hear from you Email billcrumley
Charenton Heritage Museum
3041 Chitimacha Trail
Charenton, Louisiana 70523-0278
337-923-4281
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