Books

A new book asks what prayer really is, and finds answers in unexpected places. In an age of spiritual fatigue and unmet expectations, Margaret Somerville's new book, When Prayer Doesn't Work: Reimagining our understanding and expectations of prayer (Wild Goose Publications), offers an honest and refreshing reframing of prayer, not as performance or formula, but as presence woven through daily life... Read More

How can the Church ensure that its worship, life and mission flow from an encounter with the God of love, mercy and faithfulness? How can its members develop and sustain a loving personal relationship with Jesus? How can it ensure that it places itself in all it does and thinks under the guidance of the Holy Spirit? In other words how can it 'Realise the Sacred' both in the sense of 'coming to kno... Read More

Professor Akhtarul Wasey, professor emeritus of Islamic Studies, released the book titled: A Vision for Muslim-Christian Cooperation, edited by scholars Herman Roborgh and Joseph Victor Edwin SJ, on Saturday 16 August, at the Indian Social Institute. The event saw the participation of members from the Minhaj Interfaith and Welfare Foundation, alongside theology students from Vidyajyoti. The book i... Read More

Hibernian FC are celebrating their 150 years on Wednesday, 6th August, with an exhibition in the St Mary's Street Training Centre in Edinburgh and later a special dinner for 300 guests at their Easter Road stadium. The first biography of the founder, Catholic priest, Fr Edward Hannan goes on sale that day, initially at St Pat's church around the corner from St Mary's Street, but in several other E... Read More

Irish missionary priest, Dr Patrick Devine, has published a seminal book entitled: 'Persistent Conflict Between the Pokot and Turkana: Causes and Policy Implications.' The book is based on the PhD dissertation he did some years ago at the University of Nairobi. The book is a timely and deeply insightful look into one of Kenya's longest-running inter-ethnic conflicts. Focusing on the Pokot and Turk... Read More

'Laudate Deum: A Last Call for the Planet' is inspired by Pope Francis and the legacy of his social teaching on ecology. Edited by Revd Prof Joshtrom Kureethadam SDB and Dr Tobias Thornes, the online book launch on 17 June was hosted by the Laudato Si' Research Institute, based in Campion Hall at the University of Oxford, with support from Partnerships For Change. In 2015, Pope Francis' landmark e... Read More

Sir Ed Davey MP has been leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2020 and MP for Kingston and Surbiton since 2017, and previously from 1997 until 20I5.He was Energy Minister in the Coalition Government . He is also my MP. Sixteen years ago I climbed scaffolding with him at a local historic Catholic church in Surbiton to write an article! Whilst autobiographical, this book is no political polemic; it... Read More

Gerard Lemos is an Indian born cradle Catholic and sociologist by background, with active roles promoting understanding of the needs of vulnerable people in financial services, prisons, housing, English heritage and the arts, and now through a book called Childhood and Contemporary Catholicism. His book focuses on the significance of Catholic education in the lives of young people, shaping their m... Read More

American author and essayist Shemaiah Gonzalez has released her latest book, Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight, a luminous collection of essays exploring joy as a resilient and sacred force. What many readers may not expect is that the book's spiritual heart was partly formed during her transformative stay at a quiet, active Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery nestled in... Read More

Pilgrims gathering in Rome for the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly at the end of May will receive a special children's Bible. Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has prepared a fresh version of its Child's Bible which has been translated into more than 190 languages since it was first published in 1979. The Catholic charity will distribute 10,000 copies of the little book d... Read More

The last stage of the three-year Synod journey was the Final Synod Document . (officially 'For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission'), a beautiful but rather technical document that Pope Francis took into church teaching and we are to implement. Join the School for Synodality online each week as Dr Avril Baigent and a global cast of synod experts as they will be 'Reading the... Read More

Elizabeth Glendinning Kirkwood (1895-1968), a significant writer, especially of Christian history, a missionary, and a mould-breaker, was born in the west of Scotland and her secondary school education was at Wellington School, Ayr. When Elizabeth was a pupil there, the school was owned and led by two women who were committed to encouraging young women to fulfil their full potential. Their influen... Read More

While Cambodia is now best-known for Angkor Wat and tourism, its enchantment hides a recent history and a poignancy beyond imagining. Next week sees the 50th anniversary of the fall of its capital Phnom Penh on 17th April 1975, setting the stage for one of the most barbaric regimes in modern history. By mid-afternoon on that fateful day the whole population of this elegant city was being forced in... Read More

Christian fundraiser and author, Primavera Moretti has founded a new independent publishing company to help raise funds for charity. Each charity partner will be linked to a specific title and will receive £1 per copy sold. Lumina Publications is a whole new concept in publishing. Although it's just starting out, Lumina Publications has a vision: to bring light to the world by creating educating ... Read More