Books

Happy Feast of Bl Carlo Acutis! The life of Blessed Carlo Acutis reveals five steps to being a saint: the Mass, Adoration, Confession and spiritual guidance, befriending the Blessed Mother and the saints, and charity. Today's Holy Minute explores the first step: the Mass. Carlo strove to participate in Mass every day. With smiling confidence, he declared, "You go straight to heaven if you particip... Read More

Pope Francis - Am Asking in the Name of God: Ten Prayers for a Future of Hope - Publisher: SPCK, 2023. 137 pp. £16.99 This is a puzzling book. It does not fit easily into any category. Although it is cast in the format of prayer it is more like an agenda for the world, written in the language of urgency, shot through with concern for the wellbeing of all people, and indeed of the planet itself. ... Read More

Religious life is vitally necessary to the Catholic church today. But it will exist in new and varied forms which speak to the spiritual hungers of different societies, ethnic cultures, and generations. God's Call Is Everywhere is the first comparative analysis of research in six countries investigating women who have entered vowed religious life in Catholicism in the twenty-first century. The dat... Read More

Pope Francis has written the preface to the Italian edition of Dorothy Day's autobiography, entitled: 'I found God through His poor. From atheism to faith: my inner journey' (Ho Trovato Did Attraverso i Suoi Poveri) - published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana-LEV. In his preface, the Holy Father recalls how Dorothy Day arrived at Christian faith from "the grace that flows from charity, the beauty th... Read More

This inspiring volume from Westminster Interfaith brings together Sacred Scripture, writings and poems from a range of religious, cultural and spiritual traditions to create a wonderful resource exploring twelve themes from an interfaith perspective. As the subtitle indicates, it is the Prayer of People of Faith. Published in honour of Brother Daniel Faivre SG, who founded Westminster Interfaith i... Read More

The Dog Walker's Guide to God: 52 Musings on Companionship, Divine and Canine, by Henry Martin, Publishing 28th September 2023 A gorgeous, original gift book, filled with stunning illustrations. The Dog Walker's Guide to God is designed to help dog-lovers reflect on the wonders and mysteries of God and faith. Popular writer and artist Henry Martin offers a simple five-minute read (and a hand-drawn... Read More

Professor James Clark from Exeter University will be speaking about the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century on Thursday, August 31 at Southwark Cathedral, London SE1 9DA Shortly before Easter, 1540 saw the end of almost a millennium of monastic life in England. Until then religious houses had acted as a focus for education, social and healthcare, literary, and artistic expression... Read More

The subtitle of this book is 'An introduction to the life and spirituality of Brother Michael Strode.' It is an unabashedly Christian biography, in times when humble holy lives do not make headline news. Its author knew Michael Strode (1923-2019) for over 60 years and has based his book on many conversations they had over the years, his subject's diaries and notebooks and the tributes paid to Stro... Read More

A 400-year-old prayer book that once belonged to a priest who helped save the life of King Charles II, has gone on public display after being bought for the nation by the National Trust. Father John Huddleston's (1608 - 1698) personal missal can now be viewed at Moseley Old Hall, near Wolverhampton, the house where he was Chaplain when Charles sought refuge after escaping Cromwell's troops followi... Read More

Ireland has "caricatured" national saint "a little too much down the centuries" - Archbishop Eamon Martin A new book titled 'The Spiritual Journey of St Patrick' is a compelling argument for a re-evaluation and recognition of St Patrick's profound spiritual legacy. The book, published posthumously, is the work of the late Fr Aidan Larkin, a Columban missionary and former SDLP councillor and assemb... Read More

She Wrote the Songs - Unsung women of sheet music, by Patricia Hammond, Scarborough: Valley Press 2020 It is a commonplace to lament the absence of women's names from the annals of great artists and musicians. Indeed, until the second half of the twentieth century the history of western music was almost exclusively a record of the biographies and artistic merits of 'great men' and their 'great wor... Read More

A new book has been launched, about the experiences of survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery, edited by Carole Murphy and Runa Lazzarino. Karen Anstiss, Service manager of Caritas Bakhita House, contributed with an article about the journey of victims and Bakhita House's therapeutic response. "This book traces the journey of victims/survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking in... Read More

'A Church Near You' is an introduction to England's historic churches, illustrated with beautiful, original watercolours drawn by the author Denis Dunstone. 'A Church Near You' is a valuable introduction to churches, beautifully illustrated and designed to stimulate curiosity. Shorn of confusing architectural and ecclesiastical jargon, the elegant and impressive book will also raise interest in t... Read More

Author Victoria Mackenzie will join Aidan Cottrell Boyce this Friday for an evening of conversation about literature, history, faith and identity at the London Jesuit Centre in Farm Street. Victoria Mackenzie is a Scottish writer. She was awarded a Bridge Award for an Emerging Writer from Moniack Mhor in 2015 and a Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award in 2016. In 2017 she was shortlisted for the... Read More