Have we become helpless in the face of change or can we manage the future? More and more people talk about the emptiness of modern life, they wonder where meaning is coming from and what values are shaping us; they say it is not easy being young today in spite of the choices and the freedom. We cannot assume that if we simply sit back and comment the storm will blow over, or that we will return to the old ways. The fact is we are experiencing a cultural transformation, we are witnessing the passing of a tradition, the end of an era. Every day we hear questions like Why aren t they doing something about it? or Who is responsible for this, that or the other? It is time to ask: Have I got any responsibility for the way things are?

In the 'Song of My People ' internationally acclaimed liturgical composer Liam Lawton tells the story behind his music. For the past 10 years he has been drawing inspiration from the rich and beautiful heritage of his native land, never tiring of discovering connections between people, landscape and spirituality, one constantly influencing the other. Song of My People tells the story of what has inspired him to compose. He explores what it is about the native Irish tradition that has created some of the most beautiful and lyrical melodies despite knowing times of great strife and struggle. This is not an academic study but rather a compelling look into the world that has shaped Liam Lawton s music, from the early Christian settlers in Ireland, to the stories of Famine days to the contemporary world of Irish music.

A collection of essays from the widely respected moral theologian Donal Murray, Bishop of Limerick.

Of all the seasons in he Church's year advent is in many was the most beautiful and rich in meaning. and yet it passes most of us by.This is mainly due to the fact that is falls in the weeks coming up to Christmas. While written for Catholics, 'whether they be church-going or not', everyone open to god will enjoy these thoughts. Advent's themes of expectancy (the hope of a Saviour, which requires us to recognise our need for someone to fill in our inadequacy) and waiting (that we need patience for God to do His work in us) are explained and illustrated through scripture (especially Isaiah) and other Christian writings. After two introductory sections, thirteen others of three to four A5 pages, lead us gently into a deeper appreciation of Advent. It is a book, we are reassured, to be dipped into and pondered at leisure; in other words, to be prayed. Highly recommended.- Rev. J.Nicholas Latham

This is a comparative translation into English of the two earliest versions of the Syriac (or Aramaic) Gospels (codex Sinaiticus and codex Curetonianus), with some interesting differences between the Aramaic and traditional Greek texts.

This is a comparative translation into English of the two earliest versions of the Syriac (or Aramaic) Gospels (codex Sinaiticus and codex Curetonianus), with some interesting differences between the Aramaic and traditional Greek texts.

The rapid economic, social and cultural changes that have occurred in Ireland over the last few decades has had an enormous impact on the beliefs and values of young people. This book is the culmination of years of research into the human, cultural and religious experiences that shape contemporary Irish youth. Using five personal case studies, as well as comprehensive figures from the latest surveys, the author begins by highlighting the stark reality of rapidly declining Mass attendance, disillusionment with the Catholic Church and the emergence of personalised belief systems, revealing the urgent need for positive action to prevent further decline. Dr Brennan then highlights new possibilities and offers some valuable insights gained from years of work in educational and pastoral ministry with young people. He identifies an openness among young people to the mystical and spiritual dimension of human experience, as well as a search for community; and he concludes by proposing a set of principles that encompass areas of mutual interest, which could be used to underpin a post-modern educational and pastoral approach to this new reality.

In this exciting and thought-provoking collection of essays, key Christian religious educators from America, Australia, Britain and Europe address the crucial role of education in religion and values for critiquing and shaping the major social, political and moral issues facing us in the third millennium.Professor Jeff Astley (UK) examines the challenges posed by science. He demonstrates how religious education is crucial to the proper shaping of scientific progress. Professor Friedrich Schweitzer (Germany) confronts the challenges of supranational and global developments. He argues that education in inter-religious dialogue is essential for international co-operation and for our future society.Professor Mary Elizabeth Moore (US) tackles the challenges of ethnic diversity and biodiversity. She argues that religious education holds the key to releasing the world from ethnic oppression and ecological destruction.Professor Brian V. Hill (Australia) analyses the challenges confronting young people in the global village. He maintains that religious education can enfranchise young people in their personal search for meaning.Other contributors include Dr J. Mark Halstead (UK), Dr Eleanor Nesbitt (UK), Dr Heinz Streib (Germany), Dr Andrew Wright (UK), and Professor Hans-Georg Zieberz (Germany).ABOUT THE EDITORSThe Rev. Professor Astley is Director of the North of England Institute for Christian Education. The Rev. Professor Leslie J. Francis is Director for the Welsh National Centre for Religious Education at the University of Wales, Bangor. Mandy Robins is Teaching and Research Fellow in the Welsh National Centre for Religious Education at the University of Wales, Bangor.

Bernadette Quinn's poems are a celebration of Luke's Gospel, its themes and teaching, its personalities and their actions. They bring us through the Gospel, situating Christ s planting of the seed and the diverse responses in a fresh perspective..

A collection of services and liturgies covering a range of pastoral situations from birth to death. Each of the eleven liturgies contains appropriate reflections and songs to comfort those affected by tragedy and also to help them start on the path to healing.

Emotional bereavement affects a child as deeply as it does an adult and, while nothing can take away the pain of loss, there is a great deal that can be done to help children to understand and cope with the confusing thoughts and feelings they are suddenly experiencing. This booklet addresses the many questions that arise for parents and children when someone close has died and offers practical advice on how to deal with the stages of grief and how to help children avoid the long-term distress that can be caused by hidden fears and misconceptions. Helping Your Child Through Bereavement is the eighth in the Will our Children be Okay? series. The series is designed as a resource for parents dealing with the difficulties and joys of bringing up a family in a Christian context.

Following her successful book Inner Thoughts: Reflections of Contemporary Irish Women, Valerie O'Sullivan has now photographed over sixty men from a broad spectrum of Irish life and asked them to share a personal reflection, observation or belief. Their diverse responses give a fascinating glimpse of the underlying character and personal credos that sustain and inspire them. Contributors include Dick Spring, John B. Keane, Jack Lukeman, Sean Duignan, Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Chick Gillen, Daniel O'Donnell, Ryan Tubridy, Bishop Bill Murphy, David Norris, Michael Flynn, Michael, McGlynn, D.J. Carey, John Moriarty, John Lonergan, Liam Lawton, among many others.

A guide to the sacred places in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

The title of this book, Gentlemen of the Presentation, was chosen by the author for two reasons. The first is historical. The phrase was used by Bishop John England of Charleston, USA, then resident in Cork, to describe the Brothers of the Presentation who had opened a school in Cork in 1811. Reverend England did not coin the phrase, however, for it was in use in Waterford and Cork at the time.The second reason for its use is that there is ample eveidence that gentleness in manner and behavior were ideals consciously cultivated and promoted by the Presentation Brothers during the nineteenth century. The word gentleman is not infrequently used by past students, parents and members of the public to describe many of the Brothers mentioned in this volume.The brief biographies of twenty-five Brothers, including Blessed Edmund Rice, cover the period 1762 to 1999. Some, like Jerome Kelly, are national figures, while others, like Baptist Quille, who died in 1913 at the age of twenty-five, are known only to their families and confreres. All of them, however, though differing widely in talents and personality, displayed qualities that made them respected and esteemed by pupils, parents and colleagues.