Book excerpt: A Saint and a Sinner is the revealing true story of the rise and fall of a beloved Catholic priest; a hopeful story of a flawed man and his redemption. With a dominant presence and larger-than-life persona, ex-priest Stephen Donnelly, shares a brutally honest account of his personal journey of sinfulness; a cautionary tale of the struggle between good and evil that exists within all of us. Step behind the curtain of the mighty and mysterious Catholic Church as Stephen recounts his relationship with God, the faithful, the institution, bishops and accused pedophile priestsIn 1997, at the age of forty-two, Stephen was ordained a Roman Catholic priest. Standing before God, the bishop, his family and the congregation he made promises he struggled to keep. Three years into his priesthood he descended into a world of cocaine and alcohol abuse. After fellow priests intervened and after multiple stays in rehab, Stephen turned his life around and became well-known in Alcoholics Anonymous circles as the "Irish priest with a problem."During his seven years as Associate Pastor at St. Patrick's Church, Huntington, New York he was known among parishioners as a "rock star." They were among the best years of his life. He was Stephen; the man, the Catholic and the priest at his absolute best.But, in 2017, while assigned to a new parish, the unthinkable happened which threatened to destroy everything he held dear.