The poem (Page 36) was written a quarter century ago, at another time of conflict, but the new war in Eastern Europe has made it relevant again. Poster created by Brian Bourke. A limited edition, signed and numbered, in size A3 poster form, is available from Goldsmith Press, Newbridge, Co. Kildare, W12 X260; price €150 post free.  …

The Monastic Heart, 50 Simple Practices for a Contemplative and Fulfilling Life by Sister Joan Chittister (Hodder & Stoughton, £22.99/€27.00) The kind of peace of mind and heart which poets and sages write about proves elusive for many of us these days. We need to remind ourselves, or perhaps for many of us, to actually…

The images from Moscow of the marking of Victory Day, with which the news is filled at time of writing, brought into my mind a fleeting thought that President Putin might like to know more about the evolutionary significance of the extinct Giant Irish Elk. That it has become extinct is only a part of…

Alberto Giacometti: Marvellous Reality,  a bilingual catalogue edited by Émelie Bouvard and others (Grimaldi Forum, Monaco/Fondation Giacometti, Paris, €35.00) Exhibition Giacometti from Life, curators: Sean Rainbird and Janet McLean (National Gallery of Ireland); Catherine Grenier and Thierry Pautot (Fondation Giacometti), continues to September 4 2022, Beit Wing (Rooms 6–10). (Intending visitors need to book an exhibition ticket on-line.) It…

Trust Your Feelings: Learning how to Make Choices with Ignatius of Loyola,  by Nikolaas Sintobin SJ (Messenger Publications, €12.95/£11.95) This is the second of author Nikolaas Sintobin’s books to come to us for review. The first was warmly commended to readers, and this new title is quite as good as the first, and can also be…

July 22 to 28, Newbridge College Theatre, Newbridge Co. Kildare “A bright gem in the literary world!” according to Patrick Samway SJ, this year the 34th G. M. Hopkins Festival is to be held. This is a very real triumph of poetry, art and music over world-closing circumstances. Poet Desmond Egan, the founder and moving spirit…

To Bring Comfort and Consolation: Bereavement Ministry,  by Paddy Shannon SJ, foreword by Bishop Donal McKeown (Messenger Publications, €14.99/£12.95) While our daily newspapers and television bring us continual news of war and disaster, our historians reinforce this state with multitudinous echoes of past loss and the toll it took. There are days when there seems…

Journey’s End: The Truth about Life after Death by Colm Keane (Capel Island Press (€14.99 / £12.99) In classical times some Greek philosophers likened the soul to a butterfly erupting from the very different chrysalis. The implication was that the “next life” of the human soul is likewise so different that it cannot be imagined…

Travelling on Titanic with Father Browne by EE O’Donnell SJ, foreword by Dr Robert D. Ballard (Messenger Publications, €25.00 / 23.00) Published last week, to mark the 110th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic, this evocative collection shows Frank Browne’s photographs taken on the leg of the ship’s maiden voyage from England to Queenstown.…

From the first century Christians and others have been interested in visiting the Holy Land and seeing the places associated with the life and death of Jesus. This is especially so at the pivotal feasts of the year, at Christmas and now at Eastertide. In the early days this was a once-in-a-life time journey and…