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Reviews of Pastoral Books|
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Francis Phillips reviews Diary of a City Priest, by Pastor Iuventus, Family Publications, £8.95
"Fr Dominic Allain, who has edited this volume, is, as is now generally known, ‘Pastor Iuventus’ himself; here he has made selections over 12 months of his very popular weekly column in the Herald. I do not mean to flatter him when I say that his is always the first item I read in the newspaper; this is partly because of the themes he tackles but more especially because of the way in which he writes about them."
Francis Phillips reviews The Wisdom of Nazareth, Family Publications, £8.95
"The stories of Catholic family life collected in this volume originated in Nazareth Journal. I first discovered this inspiring Canadian quarterly magazine – alas, now defunct - in the early 1990s and was bowled over by the frankness and faith of the contributors. Every time it arrived on the mat I would drop everything and read it from cover to cover. And thus “Catholic family life” changed from being a pious ideal which it seemed impossible to measure up to, into vivid stories of ordinary men and women who, despite the usual hardships and difficulties of outrageous fortune, were leading lives of steadfastness, humour and fidelity to the teachings of the Church according to the theology of the body articulated by John Paul II. Key influences behind the stories are the papal encyclicals Familiaris Consortio and Humanae Vitae."
Francis Phillips reviews Mothering: A Spiritual and Practical Approach. By Anna Melchior. St Pauls. £8. 95
"That grand old war-horse, Sir Winston Churchill, once said, “There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.” Despite these wise words of an elder statesman, it has been the aim of the Labour government during the ten years of Tony Blair’s premiership to get as many mothers as possible into full-time paid work, lured by promises of crèches for babies, nursery places for toddlers and ‘wrap-around care’ for schoolchildren."
Francis Phillips reviews A Mother’s Rule of Life, By Holly Pierlot
"The author, who lives in Canada and who home-schools her five children, describes her ‘Rule’ as a way to ‘bring order to your home and peace to your soul.’ This sounds a tall order for all those mothers who find their homes are often very disordered and whose souls (and tempers) frequently feel a little frayed in consequence."
Francis Philips reviews Marriage and Gift: A Catholic Perspective, by Josephine Robinson
"Many modern books on marriage treat it as a formula which can be successfully acquired: how to snare your man, how to keep him, how to be sexually compatible. They have turned an estate of sacred dignity into a commodity to be bought. The great strength of this book is the kindly wisdom of the Christian perspective on marriage which Josephine Robinson brings to her theme. Married herself for many years to the broadcaster Robert Robinson, she writes with warmth, humour and compassion on this most natural and ancient state, much undermined in recent years."
"Halloween is now over and the shops are no longer filled with all the gaudy paraphernalia of a witch’s Sabbath. But given the restless and curious spirit of the times it is fitting that the voice of the Church, in these memoirs of the chief exorcist of Rome, is on hand to give us a timely warning."
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Theotokos Catholic Books - Book Reviews Section - www.theotokos.org.uk