The allusion in the title is, of course, to the robe of Christ, but in these poems by the parish priest of a parish near Dublin, they might also allude to the seamless nature of life and spirit. Poets he notes write from what they know, and what a parish priest has is a very…
Category: Reviews
St Gerard Majella: Rediscovering a Saint
Majella is a familiar enough personal name in Northern Ireland, as Fr McConvery reminds us, and in past decades there was a wide spread devotion to him, especially in matters that concerned what the author calls ìthe great life- giving mysteriesî of conception, labour and birth. Though St Gerard (born in 1726 and died in 1755),…
Rosary on the go
iRosary is an innovative new Rosary for the iPhone and iPod Touch which displays a fully-animated set of Rosary beads that flows across your hand as you move it with your finger, like a standard Rosary. For those new to the Rosary, there is no easier way to learn this perfect prayer which engages…
WYD website launched
The official website of the next World Youth Day has been launched. The website went live just hours after Pope Francis made the announcement in Brazil that the next WYD will take place in Krakow, Poland in 2016. The new website has a section dedicated to John Paul II, who spent much of his…
Faith and safety online
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has teamed up with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to launch ‘Faith and Safety’, a new website to help parents keep their kids safe on the web. The site is full of tips on how to secure devices and networks, and features some thought provoking advice.…
A significant man of the Rising
This biography of Edward Daly is part of a series on the 16 executed leaders of the Easter Rising. The author is a grandniece of Edward Daly, hence she has been able to enhance her account with some fascinating and insightful family lore. Daly was born in Limerick on February 28, 1891 into a…
The unguarded revelations of a great soul
Fr Benignus O’Rourke OSA is an Augustinian friar and the bestselling author of Finding Your Hidden Treasure. In this new book, which was published on St Augustine’s feast day, Fr O’Rourke gives us a superb translation of the Confessions, which is perhaps the most important spiritual autobiography ever written. St Augustine is undoubtedly the…
Recent books in brief
Peter CostelloCroagh Patrick: Irelandís Holy Mountain edited by Harry Hughes (Croagh Patrick Archaeological Committee, €14.95 / £12.70; Croagh Patrick Visitor Centre, Teach na Miasa, Murrisk, Co. Mayo; email: info@croagh-patrick.com) We are all familiar with the photographs of pilgrimages making their slow way up the slops of Croagh Patrick at the time of the annual pilgrimage. The…
Music: Practice makes perfect
Fr Michael Collins All around the country, young musicians are busy practising. Some are getting ready for their Leaving Certificate and State exams. Others are getting ready for Third Level exams. But a great number are preparing for the Feis Ceoil. Founded in 1896, the Feis Ceoil has seen several generations of musicians…
Recent books in brief
Visits to the Blessed Sacrament for the 21 Century By Richard Tobin CSsR (Redemptorist Communications,€5/£4.50) This is a little prayer book for private meditations. In his introduction, Fr Tobin writes about the nature of the Eucharist, adding that ”keeping the bread of communion in the tabernacle is a reverent prolonging of the Mass, to give us…