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This is the second volume in which John Henry Newman collected together articles which he had written as an Anglican during the Oxford Movement and revised and republished as a Catholic in 1871.All but one are from the years immediately leading up to his conversion to the Catholic Church in 1845, thus giving a fascinating snapshot of the movement of his mind at this crucial period. The final essay was his first published article as a Catholic in 1846 in which he appeals to other members of the Oxford Movement to recognise where their Catholic theology should lead them – to Rome.The Editor has provided a detailed Introduction to each Essay, comprehensive footnotes to the text, explaining Newman’s numerous historical and other references, and a Textual Appendix giving all the variants between the original 1840s texts and Newman’s 1871 revisions.

Fr Bernard Basset SJ describes, in a fascinating manner, how John Henry Newman entered into the life of a neglected and poor hamlet three miles from Oxford, how he changed the place for the better and how he himself changed from being a well-known Anglican clergyman into a convert to the Roman Catholic Church. Every reader will be captivated by Fr Basset's accessible style and the width of his knowledge of Newman's life revealed in these pages. This book, now republished and updated by The Spiritual Family The Work, with a foreword by Bishop Robert Byrne CO, will be a delight for all who want to know more about John Henry Newman's life and are, in Fr Basset's words, 'drawn by the genius and holiness of the first Vicar of Littlemore, one of the greatest churchmen of all times'.

Michael Rear has been leading pilgrimages to Rome for decades and is well aware how exhausting, even bewildering, the Eternal City can be for the new or inexperienced visitor, especially during the tiring heat of summer. In this new guide, he pays particular attention to the practical side of any visit to Rome, supplementing his introduction to the city's incomparable heritage (both Christian and pagan) with a wealth of useful information to help the individual pilgrim or tourist make the most of their time in the city. The public transport system is fully explained, details given of individual bus and metro routes, and helpful maps show the sometimes difficult-to-find locations of bus stops. Equally important are useful web addresses, handy for checking the seemingly ever-changing opening times of Roman churches and other institutions, and essential for securing tickets for popular attractions where booking in advance is mandatory. All every visitor needs for a short visit is here; for the pilgrim there is a core daily (but fully flexible) programme for a week's stay, and for those travelling with an organised group the guide provides essential background reading. In an ancient city like Rome it is useful to follow a historical order, and that is the pattern of this guidebook, beautifully illustrated with line drawings by Hilary Griffiths. The extensive remains of classical Rome illuminate the world of the early Christians, many of whom were martyred in successive waves of persecution, and lead us on to the remarkable series of rock-hewn tombs or catacombs where they were buried, and the excavations beneath St Peter's where the apostle was laid to rest in a cemetery rich with mosaics and wall-paintings. The great basilicas founded by the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century are followed by churches, monasteries and shrines of every age up to the modern day. Particular emphasis is given to the city's Christian heritage, but Rome's many other attractions - museums, art galleries, piazzas, palaces, fountains and gardens - all have their place here, along with recommendations on where to eat and stay, while outlines of history and culture put events and personalities into their wider context. Michael Rear delights in pointing out connections which might have a special resonance for visitors from Britain and from Ireland. The pilgrim's visit is underpinned with appropriate prayers and meditations and information about church services.

An inner-city English Catholic parish, close to Liverpool docks, which embodies two hundred years of Liverpool's heritage and history. Using documentary evidence and the reminiscences of the people who have lived and worked there, this book tells the fascinating story of the parish, from its origins in the aftermath of the French Revolution with the mission of Fr Jean Baptiste Antoine Gerardot. Woven into its rich history are the threads of Recusancy, of Portuguese, Lithuanian, Italian and Irish influences, of the Great Famine, Immigration, Epidemics, Riots, the Blitz and the baleful impact of the urban planners' post-1945 dreams, the divided loyalties of the parishioners split between supporting Liverpool and Everton football clubs, and even Cilla Black, who attended the parish school.

This timely volume marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of Cardinal Basil Hume (1923-1999), Benedictine monk of Ampleforth Abbey, Archbishop of Westminster. Hume's Benedictine spirituality and his personal dedication to prayer gave him the ability to relate to other pilgrims who seek the living and true God. Hume, the monk, pastor, and preacher, still speaks to contemporary Benedictines, the wider Church, and the world. Even though, as Hume stated, 'In our public life we move further and further away from God and the things of God', he added, 'in the hearts of men and women I believe that the yearning for God is becoming more and more intense'. That yearning, as this book demonstrates, was at the core of Basil Hume's search for God-for Hume, the way of a pilgrim.

THIS SHORT, BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK serves as an introduction to Francis for all those who may be interested in the saint. His Canticle is an apt 'way in' to him, for as Chesterton pointed out nearly a century ago, it is 'a supremely characteristic work' and 'much of St Francis can be reconstructed from it alone'. This book will also be a useful resource for Franciscans, in particular for those in the Secular Franciscan Order, for possible use in formation and discussion. In the vast literature on Francis and Franciscanism much has been written concerning his poem, and though most of it has been in Italian, French or German, several valuable works have appeared in English. Each in its different way is highly thought-provoking, as well as deeply spiritual and Franciscan. Each takes its own approach to the Canticle, so that it largely complements the others and says much that is new. The approach here is different again, so that those who have already read many or all of the other books should still find fresh insights and further knowledge. Seeking to grasp and express the meaning of the Canticle, the essential key is to be found in Scripture: the Old and New Testaments were always Francis' own main sources. Scripture informs all his writing and his works are dense with biblical allusions. His Canticle is no exception-with no direct biblical quotations or references, it is the free poetry of a man thoroughly versed in Scripture, which is his constant background companion. In this fascinating introduction, John Watts provides a fresh new translation as well as the original Umbrian to provide the texture and rhythm of St Francis' original composition, shown against its historical and literary background.

THE STRONG AND CONTINUING INTEREST in John Henry Newman, particularly following his beatification by Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to Britain in 2010, inspired the idea that pilgrims might find it useful to have a guide to places in London associated with him: where he was born, where he grew up, where he spent childhood summers … the places of which he had warm memories, later recalled during his long life. The cities with which Newman is chiefly associated are of course Oxford and Birmingham, so this book obviously has information on these. Guidebooks to both cities give due attention to this great figure. But the visitor to London who seeks information about Newman has hitherto not been given much help. This book is an attempt to remedy that. The text is designed not only to help the Newman pilgrim on travels, but also to be read simply for enjoyment, and to provide background information on Newman's life and the importance he has in our country's Christian story.

This accessible little book is a study of spiritual theology, and so a reflection on the spiritual life as found in Christianity. Christian spirituality embodies in personal living the biblical revelation received in the Church of the Fathers and transmitted to its successors in every age. Like everything else in Christian doctrine and practice, Christian spirituality depends on Scripture and Tradition-the two intrinsically inter-related ways in which that revelation is communicated. Using a fusion of sources-Catholic and Orthodox, Latin and Byzantine-Aidan Nichols breaks open Spiritual Theology through eight essential themes: the Word of God as Source; the Liturgy as the Context; Meditation and contemplation; Principles of Asceticism; Asceticism: monastic, lay, and 'pastoral'; Purification; Illumination; Union. Christian spirituality is biblical in its source, it is liturgical in its context, it is ascetical in its development, and it is mystical in its outcome. 'Mystical' is a strong word, but the Dominican school does not accept the opinion that this final issue of spirituality is extra-ordinary-in the words of Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange, theologically speaking it is 'eminent, but normal'. These four adjectives-biblical, liturgical, ascetical and mystical-explain the structure of this present book and its content too.

During the Middle Ages the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury was the third most important shrine in Europe, after Rome and Santiago de Compostela. St Thomas's murder on the 29 December 1170 caused shock and outrage throughout England and beyond, but it also ushered in an extraordinary cult of devotion to the martyred archbishop who became a symbol of liberation against tyranny. Through the extraordinary wealth of miracles worked through his intercession, he quickly became a refuge and advocate for the sick and afflicted. This little book offers new devotions to St Thomas with the aim of encouraging Christians to rediscover this martyr's life and to count him among their companions on the pilgrim road we now walk. Among these devotions is a new novena for Christmas, beginning on Thomas's birthday and ending on his heavenly birthday-his dies natalis: the day of his martyrdom and feast day. There is also a programme for a pilgrimage to Canterbury based on the Catholic tradition of the Stations: this pilgrimage can be undertaken in the city itself, or spiritually at home or in one's local church. Other little prayers are offered for various needs: a new litany to the Saint, prayers for the sick, for the Church and for our priests. When Thomas was invoked miracles were poured out upon the faithful, there is no reason to discount that they can be again-physical miracles, yes, but perhaps also in this time, when the afflictions of so many are those of the mind, heart and soul, Thomas can be as effective in soothing the infirmities of modern men and women, many of whom suffer in silence and alienation.

James Ambrose Cotham OSB (1810-1883) was a Douai monk of the English Benedictine Congregation, active as a missioner monk and colonial official in early colonial Tasmania, or Van Dieman's Land as it was then called, and later as a missioner in England. When he arrived in Tasmania in 1835 local society was striving hard to shake off its despised reputation as 'the sole gaol of England' for transported convicts, and the social climate around his mission was one of hostility. Nevertheless, he was highly effective in working with transported convicts, especially women, despite inadequate resources from government departments and the personal antipathy of his Benedictine superior, Archbishop Polding of Sydney. At the start of his ministry in Tasmania he built Australia's earliest Catholic parish church, St John's in Richmond (later remodelled to plans provided by the English architect A. W. N. Pugin) On leaving Tasmania in 1851 Cotham returned to England and from 1852 to 1873 worked in the fashionable spa town of Cheltenham, which had a strong Evangelical tradition. In Cheltenham he used his mission to reconcile the aspirations of the rising professional class of English Catholics, predominantly converts, with the needs of alienated Irish immigrants, and he was responsible for building Charles Hansom's Gothic Revival church of St Gregory the Great. Cotham had a reputation for simplicity and a direct and uncomplicated manner which today we might identify as a sign of personal integrity: these stayed with him throughout his life, as did his tenacity, humour, combativeness, and an intense dislike of rain. He remained close to his family, in Lancashire and Australia, withstanding the censure this brought from some of his Benedictine confrères when he used personal financial resources for their benefit. His brother Lawrence died as an 'old colonist' whose family had become thorough-going Australians within one generation. Making extensive use of his surviving papers, Joanna Vials's new biography explores Cotham's work in both Europe and the Antipodes, and by focusing on the wide reach of his life allows us insight into the interlocking relationships of family, religion and society in developing the spirit of an age.

Allan Chapman has had a life-long fascination for ghost stories, with an imagination fired from a childhood spent in a tiny, initially gas-lit cottage in Lancashire. This imagination lies at the heart of Ghosts that Never Haunted Christ Church. With the exception of the story of the revival of Anne Greene, a welldocumented true story from 1650, and the recent 'Ghosts that might well haunt Christ Church', all the tales in this book are a curious mixture of genuine historical fact, legend, and fiction. For while many of the ghosts in these tales may not have haunted Christ Church-or at least not in the way described- the historical setting which they haunted is largely true. The names of real historical figures and Christ Church buildings which either still exist or were later demolished to be replaced by more recent ones all intermix to form an entertaining combination of fact and fiction. Over the centuries, Christ Church has displayed three notable features: the Cathedral Church, with its Canons and clerical dons; a rich and glorious musical tradition; and great distinction in scientific and medical research. They all appear, in various guises, in these ghost stories. Clergymen, choristers, organists, chemists, scientists, heroic College porters, inventors, animals, and anatomists are all there. Yet whether a tale be heart-warming, grisly, or downright horrific, each resolves into its own positive ending. For Christ Church has never been a bleak or negative place, preferring good fellowship to angst and misery; and so with its ghosts. For at the end of the day, peace comes to all. So read on, and prepare to be affrighted, amused, and delighted!

MGR TONY PHILPOT, one of the most gifted British priests of recent times, shared in his preaching and talks what flowed from faithful prayer and his years of parochialministry. As Spiritual Director at the English College in Rome and throughout the British Isles and beyond, he helped form and renew seminarians and priests alike. This book of spiritual conferences is drawn from talks to those training to become priests or to those already serving as diocesan priests. For seminarians and priests this volume will be a resource for spiritual reading, days of recollection and retreats. Any Christian, however, will be nourished by the reflections contained within these pages.