Inspiring Faith Communities: A Programme of Evangelisation by Michael Hurley (Messenger Publications, €12.95/£11.95) Inspiring Faith Communities: A Programme of Evangelisation: a Booklet for Renewal in the Holy Spirit by Michael Hurley (Messenger Publications, €4.95 / £4.50) These two books together make up a way forward for renewal. It is built up around three points that seem essential…
I have mentioned Beethoven’s 250th anniversary at various times during the year but another composer’s significant anniversary should also be remembered. The one in question is that of Louis Vierne, maybe better known to church organ enthusiasts than general music lovers. Born in Poitiers in the west-central region of France on October 8, 1870, his…
JFK: Volume 1: 1917-1956 by Frederik Logevall (Viking, £16.99) Felix M. Larkin John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s reputation has held up remarkably well in the 60 years since he was elected president of the United States. In the polls that US historians periodically carry out to rank their presidents, his place has settled just inside the top ten –…
Wandering Wicklow with Father Browne edited by Robert O’Byrne (Messenger Publications, €19.95/£18.95) The latest volume in the series of books drawn from the files of one of Ireland’s greatest photographers under the auspices of the Irish Jesuits is one of the best, for several reasons. It has a limited subject, finely produced. It was been edited…
Fearfully & Wonderfully: The Marvel of Bearing God’s Image by Dr Paul Brand & Philip Yancey (Hodder Books, £9.99; kindle edition, £9.99) These days, with the daily news dominated by medical fears of all kinds and our inability to cope, many people all too conscious of the frailties of the human body and the effects that…
The World of Books By the books editor Just over a week ago, to men driving along a mountain road around Saint-Martin-Vésubie (see the Nice-Matin newspaper’s website for its report of October 24, 2020), were astonished to encounter a pack of wolves straddling the road ahead. These it seems were not truly ‘wild wolves’. They…
Anyone interested in seeing good films has to think outside the box – no pun intended – in a wish to avoid the dross that’s often inflicted on us on the terrestrial TV channels. Thanks to Netflix, live streaming and other digital platforms I’ve been mentioning recently there are thankfully more choices available to us…
The controversy over restrictions on religious services gained extra traction last week with an online petition, Bishops meeting Government and Christian pastors calling for change. It was a pity this didn’t happen at level 3 – it mightn’t have been an open door, but there would have been more hope. On Lunchtime Live (Newstalk, Wednesday),…
A Small Pslater by Padriag J. Daly (Scotus Press, €12.00; available from www.scotuspress.com) John F. Deane This new collection from Pádraig J. Daly has been eagerly waited for. Daly is a priest currently working in Dublin and he has published many collections of his poetry. The poems gathered here are excitingly new and move from an…
The Lonely Century. Coming together in a world that’s pulling apart by Noreena Hertz (Sceptre, £20.00) Frank Litton It is no surprise that soap operas are a staple of television. After all, we make sense of where we are and where we might go with the ‘story’ of our lives. We find ourselves cast into roles…
Peter Costello
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan