“A nuanced look at death.”
Kirkus ReviewsA Novel of Healing, Mortality & Forgiveness
In a world of pain, who heals the wounded healer?
Faith, Hope, and Dr. Vangelis follows Lukas Vangelis, a hospice physician with remarkable spiritual gifts, as he confronts the burden of guiding others toward peace while searching for the child who may inherit his healing gift.
Praised by Kirkus Reviews, Readers' Favorite reviewers, and readers drawn to stories of healing, forgiveness, and spiritual mystery.
The Novel
A Spiritual Literary Novel About Death, Forgiveness, and the Cost of Healing
For decades, Lukas Vangelis has served not only as a hospice physician, but as a spiritual go-between, helping the dying find peace. Alongside his niece and colleague Diana Karras, Lukas carries the wounds of a healer who has absorbed too much pain.
When a spectral visitation from his long-dead mother warns him that his time is almost done, Lukas begins a final search for the one who must inherit his burden. That journey draws him toward Katie Lyle, a young mother fighting cancer, and Timmy, the four-year-old boy whose destiny may be tied to Lukas's gift.
Wounded healers
Hospice and peaceful death
Forgiveness and reconciliation
Spiritual mystery
Family wounds and inherited burdens
A child's unexpected destiny
Story Details
Everyday Realism, Spiritual Mystery, and Lives Drawn Together
Set primarily in Washington, DC and the Jacksonville, Florida area.
The story opens in early 2004 and ends in late 2009.
Lukas Vangelis and Diana Karras operate a hospice in Washington, DC.
Their lives become linked with a young family facing cancer.
The novel blends everyday realism with spiritual mystery and dreamlike visitations.
CRITICAL RESPONSE
Reader Praise and Review Excerpts
“The book generates a strong sense of empathy.”
Kirkus Reviews“This intricate novel is sure to resonate with readers.”
Reader review“This novel offers a moving look at the importance of forgiving others as well as ourselves.”
Reader review“This tale will remain with you long after you've read it.”
Reader review“Faith, Hope, and Dr. Vangelis is highly recommended.”
Readers' Favorite
The Author
About Steve Gordy
Stephen L. Gordy is a writer, educator, and retired technical professional based in Aiken, South Carolina. A native of the Florida panhandle, he developed a love of reading and writing from his schoolteacher mother.
He studied history at the University of Florida, where he earned a Bachelor's degree with honors, and at Yale University, where he earned a Master's degree. His background in historical study shaped his habits of research, careful writing, and openness to criticism.
Most of his professional career was spent as an industrial trainer, training manager, and technical writer in the electrical power and chemical process industries. He later taught as an adjunct instructor at Piedmont Technical College.
He took up creative writing in 2003 through the South Carolina Writers Workshop and has since published fiction, nonfiction, and short story collections.
Writing Background
Other Work
Gordy's wider body of work includes Tangled Woods and Dark Waters, The Aiken Scribblers, Nights of Horseplay, short fiction and nonfiction publication credits, and active involvement with the South Carolina Writers Workshop / South Carolina Writers Association.
Media & Interviews
Conversations, Audio, and Video
Faith, Hope, and Dr. Vangelis
Begin the Journey with Faith, Hope, and Dr. Vangelis
A reflective story of mortality, forgiveness, spiritual mystery, and the healing that remains possible even near the end of life.