Jordan attempted a crowdfunding campaign, which raised $27,000 but it still wasn’t enough. That’s when he turned his attention to the Catholic Church as a possible source of help.
“We'd bought books off Catholic priests and had bought a massive stash from St. Benedict's at one stage,” Jordan told New Zealand news site, Newsroom.
“I wrote to the Bishop and said 'I need a miracle. I understand the Catholic Church specialises in miracles - can you pull one out of the bag for me?'”
Bishop Pat Dunn of Auckland put his plea before the Church’s property board and, after weeks of not hearing anything from the church, Jordan expected the worst.
That was until Bishop Dunn finally called him to offer a former home of St Mary Mackillop as a new home for his book shop.
After getting a loan to cover the rest of his costs, Jordan re-opened his shop. The bookstore now includes a theology section housed in what was once the chapel, along with additional information about St Mary Mackillop.
“We wanted to honour her - we're her guests, I think it's appropriate. Her thing was about education and supporting knowledge to all people. She was a strong person who sorted people out. I love people with strong characters,” Jordan said.
