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Books

Reviews of books written on subjects/themes of interest to ICN readers - reviewed from a Catholic/Christian perspective.


Book Launch: Catholic Social Thought and Prison Ministry

The book Catholic Social Thought and Prison Ministry: Resourcing Theory and Practice, edited by Elizabeth Phillips (Woolf Institute, Cambridge) and Férdia J Stone-Davis (Margaret Beaufort Institute, Cambridge), is being published at the end of March by Routledge. The book itself arises out of the project 'Flourishing Inside?' which took place at the Margaret Beaufort Institute, was generously fun... Read More


Launch of Archbishop Wilson's book on Vatican II

Image: Archdiocese of Southwark

A new book by Archbishop John Wilson on Vatican II is due to be officially launched at events in Liverpool on the 22 February and in London on the 6 March. Archbishop John will be present on both days. The Second Vatican Council was a landmark event for the Catholic Church shaping its relationship with the world. The impact of Vatican II continues to be a hot topic within the Catholic Church and ... Read More


Book: Our Bodies, Their Battlefields by Christina Lamb

Our Bodies, Their Battlefields by Christina Lamb, published by William Collins Books, £10.99 While many war correspondents report on battles or military equipment, Christina Lamb's articles in the Sunday Times often focus on civilians in conflict zones. In her most recent book, she examines how rape is a weapon of war and its devastating consequences in traditional conservative societies. She int... Read More


First Belong to God - On Retreat with Pope Francis

First Belong to God - On Retreat with Pope Francis by Austen Ivereigh 'All the life-threatening crises that beset us around the world, from the ecological crisis to the wars, the injustices against the poor and vulnerable, have their roots in this rejection of our belonging to God and to each other.' So writes Pope Francis in his Foreword to First Belong to God, a new book published today, which... Read More


The Once and Future Parish by Alison Milbank

In this incisive and analytical book Alison Milbank takes aim at today's culture of managerialism in the Church of England. She shows how decision-making has become increasingly centralised, with power moving from the parish to the diocese, and from the diocese to London offices. Those who promote this process see it as good and necessary, arguing that radical steps have to be taken to preserve th... Read More


New Vocations Guide by Fr Nicholas Crowe OP

What does God want you to do with your life? How do you know? In a new booklet published by the Catholic Truth Society, the prior of Blackfriars Oxford, Fr Nicholas Crowe OP, tackles some of the common difficulties experienced in attempting to discern one's vocation, and explains how everyone can live a life that is holy and pleasing to God, even if you don't know what God wants you to do. In this... Read More


St Francis Xavier: The Maverick Missionary

The posthumous nickname given to St Francis Xavier - 'the Inspired Hustler' (El Divino Impaciente) casts a light on both the disposition and modus operandi of the most ardent Jesuit missionary of the sixteenth century. We know him as an inspirational figure who travelled through India and Indonesia and was the first Christian missionary to reach Japan. It has been said that no one converted more ... Read More


Willie Doyle SJ - Much in the Presence of God

Willie Doyle SJ, Much in the Presence of God, by Patrick Corkery SJ. Messenger Publications The year was 1958, the month September, when I joined 39 others, all youthful aspirants, to begin our missionary journey. We were ' Probationers' - beginners, and we had a special section of the seminary to ourselves...referred to as ' Proboland'. We had our own dormitories, our own chapel, our own refector... Read More


Looking ahead to Lent and Easter with Deacon Sean Loone

West Midlands Deacon Sean Loone, of Our Lady of the Wayside parish in Shirley, Solihull, has published a new book on Scripture. 'A Cup of Cold Water: Finding Christ in the Sunday Gospels of Lent and Easter' consists of a series of reflections taking the reader on a journey through Lent and Easter, Sunday by Sunday, with an accompanying Gospel passage and questions. The book is suitable for indivi... Read More


Aidan Nichols, Apologia: A Memoir

For 50 years Aidan Nichols has focussed his powerful mind on a wide variety of theological topics. Over the same period this English Dominican friar has acquired international renown as a conservative theologian, to the extent that he is now under a cloud in many Catholic quarters. He would reply that he has simply stayed in the mainstream of Catholic doctrine, which others have sought to divert. ... Read More


Before the Light Fades by Natasha Walter

Before the Light Fades by Natasha Walter This is such a powerful book, I wondered if I'd be able to read it, after the first few pages. Part memoir, part biography, part history, part polemic, it's full of tears, it inspires admiration and is gut-wrenchingly truthful. It was on several reviewers' lists, so I felt I had to read it, and I am very pleased I did. Natasha's mother, Ruth, committed suic... Read More


Christmas book list

Space: The Human Story From bestselling author and astronaut Tim Peake, the captivating story of humans in space. Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. In Space: The Human Story, astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of these remarkable men and women who have forged the way, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson. Full of exclusive new stories, ... Read More


Becoming a Saint with Blessed Carlo Acutis

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 - I am asking in the Name of God: Ten prayers for a future of hope

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

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