Charleston bishop co-author of new novel about Florida missions

Published: 2006-03-17

CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) -- Bishop Robert J. Baker of Charleston has co-written a novel that recounts the little-known history of the chain of Spanish missions in northern Florida. The book, "Cacique: A Novel of Florida's Heroic Mission History," was released March 14 by St. Catherine of Siena Press, a Catholic publisher in Indianapolis. The book's co-author is Tony Sands. "Cacique," a Spanish word for chieftain, is the tale of Florida's Potano Indian chieftains and their relationship with Spanish Franciscan missionaries, according to a press release from the publisher. "Unlike the missions of California and Texas, Florida's mission artifacts have long lain buried beneath the ground," Bishop Baker said in the release. "Through persistent research, however, the site of one of the earliest and longest standing of the 17th-century Spanish missions in northern Florida, Mission Santa Fe de Toloca, has been discovered and verified." The mission is the focal point of the book, available at www.bishopbaker.com.

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