Bøger af William Keenan

A college coed takes a summer job as a fire watch in the Oregon Siuslaw National Forest. Through the eyes of one student, we move away from the politically charged university community into a national forest. For the first few weeks she finds the peace and serenity in nature that she was seeking. Then the situation takes a sudden shift that will challenge her to the core and change the direction of her life forever. The outcome is uncertain.The 1960s were a tumultuous time in the US with seismic cultural changes taking place. The reactions to these events changed the course of many lives, especially college age students. All manner of rules and protocols were being tested, modified, or discarded. Female students had curfews. dress codes, and restrictions where they could live for the first two years of their college education.This is a tale of a young woman who sought the peacefulness of the nature she grew up around to help her find her way forward in life. She experiences various adventures with growing confidence while meeting the people whose mission was to preserve and protect the national and state forests. The book is illustrated with colorful lithographs and paintings of the Pacific Northwest scenery.

To the Ends of the Earth is the final book of a compelling, three-volume biography of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. Covering his later years in Rome, To the Ends of the Earth charts the dramatic spread of Opus Dei across five continents. The book also details Josemaría Escrivá's battles within the church to get the most important spiritual message of our time heard: that holiness is not just for priests and nuns but also for ordinary men and women, who can become saints through their everyday lives and work. Initially branded a "madman" and "heretic," Escrivá lived to see his teachings affirmed by Vatican II. To the Ends of the Earth also tells the story of how Josemaría Escrivá became a saint, and the Vatican's investigations into numerous miracles accredited to him, resulting in his canonization by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 2002.

The first volume of Keenan's biography of Josemaria Escriva, The Day the Bells Rang Out, (Batchwood Press http: //www.amazon.com/dp/1463768699) covered the life of Opus Dei's founder from childhood to November 1937, when, in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, he and his companions were planning to escape from the "Red" zone of Spain to be able to continue their apostolate in freedom. This new volume picks up the story and sees Escriva on his "path through the mountains" to the other side of Spain via the Pyrenees, Andorra and Lourdes, France. The title, however, has a much deeper sense: in spreading the message of Opus Dei, Escriva and his followers were cutting a new path of holiness and apostolate in the world, and when they met difficulties, which came abundantly, he would remind them of the words of Scripture, inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae - the waters will make a path through the mountains (Ps 103/104: 10). Notably, Escriva quoted this verse in the first chapter of his classic work The Way: "Let those very obstacles give you strength. God's grace will not fail you: Inter medium montium pertransibunt aquae! You shall pass through the mountains! Does it matter that you have to curtail your activity for the moment if afterwards, like a spring which has been compressed, you will reach incomparably farther than you ever dreamed?" The Path Through the Mountains is divided into three parts, the book consisting of 87 short chapters, ending up with Escriva's first stay in Rome in June 1946. The Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, just months before the outbreak of World War 2. Keenan shows Escriva and his companions living in dire poverty, filled with irrepressible good spirits and fired with zeal for apostolate, no matter what. The book fills in the rather sketchy picture of Escriva's life at this time offered by Joffé's film There Be Dragons, supporting Joffé's inspired artistic impression with historical facts. Far from being a dry, historical document, however, the book is enlivened from the start with the humour, homely details and breathtaking vision that were so evident in Escriva himself, as a result of his deep, active faith and love.

This book is a combination travelogue and cultural memoir of true stories of an American couple who lived in Morocco for four years. They traveled extensively throughout the country while working as buyers for a company that was exporting Berber carpets, jewelry, and clothing. Their travels took them on multiple tours of Morocco's imperial cities - Marrakesh, Fez, Rabat and Meknes. They roamed the mountain villages, countryside, and desert oases looking for antique kilims. They spent countless hours exploring the museums, sights, souks, and bazaars, getting to know the shop owners, craftsmen, weavers, and street food vendors.Much of the book focuses on traditional Moroccan culture and mysticism which is revealed by their Moroccan business partner Naima as she takes them to family weddings, social gatherings, and visits to a traditional Moroccan psychic known as a shawafa. The shawafa is possessed by a djinn spirit who conveys unexplainable knowledge about the lives of the two Americans in stunning detail, and then offers sage advice. Through their firsthand experiences the two Americans learn that Moroccans hold a deeply mystical perception of reality. Consequently, Moroccans do not perceive time and space as we do in the West. For Moroccans time is a circle rather than a line, and that which happened fifty years ago is as relevant as that which happened yesterday. We have much to learn from the Moroccan Mystique.The book is filled with colorful tales, photos and paintings that give the reader a deeper understanding of the enormous contribution Morocco has made in architecture, design, weaving, music, dance, cuisine, and mysticism.

To the Ends of the Earth is the final book of a compelling, three-volume biography of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei. Covering his later years in Rome, To the Ends of the Earth charts the dramatic spread of Opus Dei across five continents. The book also details Josemaría Escrivá's battles within the church to get the most important spiritual message of our time heard: that holiness is not just for priests and nuns but also for ordinary men and women, who can become saints through their everyday lives and work. Initially branded a "madman" and "heretic," Escrivá lived to see his teachings affirmed by Vatican II. To the Ends of the Earth also tells the story of how Josemaría Escrivá became a saint, and the Vatican's investigations into numerous miracles accredited to him, resulting in his canonization by Pope John Paul II on October 6, 2002.

This compelling biography, covering the early years of the life of St Josemaria Escriva, reads like a thriller. But it is much more than a breathtaking adventure. Here is the story of a fugitive priest at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, caught up in the bloodbath of the religious persecution in which 13 bishops, 4,184 diocesan priests, 2,365 priests and brothers of religious orders and 283 nuns were slaughtered. Through the personal and intimate notes of this priest, we experience the terror unfolding day by day. Amongst the chaos and horror there are vivid glimpses into the soul of a man searching for sanctity in a world that has gone mad. All the while, St Josemaria, after receiving a vision from God, was slowly, but surely, spreading one of the most important spiritual messages for our time: that holiness is not just for priests and nuns, but for everyone. For an ordinary man or woman a way to holiness can be found through daily work and the everyday duties of a Christian. Here is the fascinating story of St Josemaria Escriva's own work. Founding Opus Dei in 1928, he was a major contributor to the rediscovery of the apostolate of the laity in the Church. Born in 1902 in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees, his inspiration has now spread throughout the world. St Josemaria was canonized by Pope John Paul II on 6 October 2002. William Keenan is a journalist, playwright and novelist. He writes a regular column for the Catholic Herald and is the author of three mystery novels and numerous plays for BBC radio. His plays include Margaret Clitherow, the heroic story of the Catholic martyr from York, a young wife and mother crushed to death for her faith in the reign of Elizabeth I and now one of the canonized Forty Martyrs of England and Wales; and Fatima, which recounts the apparitions of Our Lady to the shepherd children.

Including chapters on music, architecture, festivals, ritual, artefacts, dance, dress and magic, this book offers a useful resource to students of sociology and anthropology of religion, art, culture, history, liturgy, theories of late modern culture, and religious studies.