Pastoral Ministry in Changing Times: The Past, Present & Future of the Catholic Church in Ireland by Aidan Ryan (Messenger Publications, €12.95) Aidan Ryan has been occupied for many years with pastoral retreats for the clergy. This has brought him very close to the problems, fears and hopes of those who serve in parishes across the…
Mainly About Books by the Books Editor The lockdown came when many were planning summer excursions. Plans for travel have been postponed. So, being well supplied with books of all kinds, I have been rereading with pleasure some older travel books. One is European Detours (1981), subtitled ‘A travel guide to unusual sights’ –…
One of the ironies of the coronavirus (Covid-19) virus is that at a time when we really need films to give us some escape from the crisis unfolding around us, we can’t go to cinemas. I mentioned the New Faith Network a fortnight ago. Another option is Netflix. Many of you may already have access…
There are so many good dramas on TV at the moment, so it’s great to have all this extra time to indulge. One of the best last week was Quiz (ITV, Monday-Wednesday), based on the true story of an alleged scam involving contestants on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I found it completely absorbing,…
The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time by Lawrence G. Lovasik (Sophia Institute Press, Kindle edition $US9.99) Here is another book for these lockdown days. The author sets out to provide a practical handbook for those who wish to make kindness a…
Creation Walk: The Amazing Story of a Small Blue Planet by Brian Grogan SJ (Messenger Publications, €9.99) Brian Grogan is a well-known writer and teacher, author of many books. But this new book may well be one of the most effective that he has written some may feel. I have often wondered, reading or listening to…
Every Easter I look out for some innovative religious programmes and I wasn’t disappointed this year. One of the most imaginative was Heavenly Gardens (BBC1) which had an episode for Good Friday and one for Easter Sunday. Actor and singer Alexander Armstrong along with garden designer Arit Anderson (familiar to viewers from Gardeners’ World) presented…
In what has become a tradition, the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra has established Good Friday afternoon at the National Concert Hall as an occasion for Bach through either one of his two Passions or something else from the treasury of his choral works. Due to my commitment to my own church’s liturgies I have had…
The cover of Prof. Fr Thomas O’Loughlin’s new book Eating Together, Becoming One (reviewed in our issue of April 2) carries an image that very powerfully evoked themes that the author has explored as an historian and theologian. As a cover image it lost some of its impact as a work of art. In this…
Eating Together, Becoming One: Taking up Pope Francis’s Call to Theologians by Thomas O’Loughlin (Liturgical Press Academic, $US29.95/£19.99; available in several formats, search www.litpress.org.uk; orders@norwichbooksandmusic.co.uk) This is the latest book by well known historian Thomas O’Loughlin, the prominent Irish theologian and liturgist, who was elected president of the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain in 2016.…
Peter Costello
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan