The author grew up in a strict Roman Catholic Slovak family in Cleveland, studied journalism at Marquette University, dreamed of becoming a priest, became a Methodist after marrying a Methodist, moved to New York to pursue a writing career, left his wife to work with the poor, moved into a hermitage, left the hermitage to marry again, and finally found his true vocation as a married religion writer. That’s the short version.

As a boy, Wilkes “wanted to be a saint,’’ but in high school he was tagged as a troublemaker. One day a priest handed him a copy of “The Seven Storey Mountain’’ by Thomas Merton. Wilkes was mesmerized by the famous Trappist monk’s account of his conversion to Catholicism.

“In Due Season’’ has been compared to Merton’s enduring memoir, and with good reason. Each writer lived a dissolute life before settling down. Wilkes wanted his life “to count for something, and I knew nothing about how to achieve that.’’

After college he entered the Navy. At a port in Pakistan he met a Nebraska missionary who would become his first wife. On the surface it was “a perfect marriage,’’ but the relationship soon became cold and distant. Wilkes carried on an affair.

Inspired by Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker movement and the biblical words, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor,’’ Wilkes left his wife, got rid of his possessions, and opened a soup kitchen in Brooklyn.

But he also was gaining fame as the producer of a television series about American families based on one of his books. He soon abandoned his mission to the poor and surrendered to his libido. During the 1970s when sex was “blame free, name free, attachment free,’’ Wilkes found himself in a “headlong plunge into hedonism.’’

But Merton’s riveting conversion story kept nagging at Wilkes. He moved into a hermitage near a Trappist monastery in Spencer, west of Worcester, believing he would follow in Merton’s footsteps. But it was not his calling. He returned to New York and proposed to the woman who is now his second wife.

In the mid-1990s, as a happily married husband and father, Wilkes spent occasional weekends living with Trappist monks at Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina, after which he wrote the book “Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life.’’

“In Due Season’’ excels on many levels. Wilkes is a felicitous writer who can be read for the simple pleasure of connecting with a prose artist. The book’s apt title is taken from a biblical passage that says a tree yields its fruit “in due season.’’

The story is filled with dizzying switchbacks between “little miracles’’ of spiritual growth and licentiousness. Wilkes reminds us that St. Augustine, Merton, Day, and many other admired icons were sinners before they were saints.

Wilkes chronicles the upheavals that rocked the Roman Catholic Church in the second half of the 20th century, from the sweeping reforms of Vatican II, which elated him, to the more recent priest sexual abuse scandal, which sickened him.

Looking back on his long career, Wilkes concludes, “The wind of the Holy Spirit ruffled my conscience and cooled my brow, filled my sails, sent me in directions I didn’t seek and at other times calmed the seas just when I was about to drown.’’

VERNON, Calif.-(Business Wire)-June 16, 2009 - True Religion Apparel, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRLG) today announced the opening of a new branded retail store at Park Meadows in Lone Tree, Colorado. Located at 8401 Park Meadows Center Drive, the 2,360 square-foot branded retail store will offer shoppers the entire True Religion collection for men, women and kids, including its signature jean styles, its expanding denim, sportswear and handbag collection, and a full range of licensed product, such as footwear, swimwear, headwear and fragrances.

Encompassing over 1.6 million square feet of retail space, Park Meadows is a premier indoor-outdoor shopping center. Park Meadows is located at the junction of I-25 and highway 470, providing convenient access to the broader Denver marketplace. Park Meadows is home to over 160 premium retailers, including Nordstrom, Coach, Juicy Couture and Apple; recently, Park Meadows completed an expansion that includes a 150,000 square foot outdoor lifestyle center and seven new restaurants. Located southeast of Denver in the Tech Corridor area, Park Meadows is within five miles of over 165,000 residents with annual incomes exceeding $115,000.

“We are pleased to enter the Denver marketplace with the opening of our Park Meadows retail store,” said Jeffrey Lubell, chairman, chief executive officer and chief merchant of True Religion Apparel, Inc. “Our Park Meadows store will extend the reach of the True Religion brand by offering consumers the entire assortment of our branded product that is not replicated elsewhere in the Denver marketplace.”

“Park Meadows’ premier reputation, upscale shopping experience and affluent customer base exemplifies the characteristics we seek as we expand our branded retail store base,” said Michael Buckley, president of True Religion Apparel, Inc. “We remain on track to open an additional 10 stores in 2009 and are excited about the prospects for this slate of stores.”

About True Religion Apparel, Inc.

True Religion Apparel, Inc. is a growing, design-based jeans and jean-related sportswear brand. The company designs, manufactures and markets True Religion Apparel products, including its premium True Religion Brand Jeans. Its expanding product line, which includes high-quality, distinctive styling and fit in denim, sportswear, and licensed products, may be found in contemporary department stores and boutiques in 50 countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, France, Spain, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and China. For more information, please visit www.truereligionbrandjeans.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon our current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof. Our actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, including uncertainties as to the nature of the apparel industry, including changing customer demand and tastes, seasonality, customer acceptance of new products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on existing management and general economic conditions. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, recent and forthcoming Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.