The latest issue of our newspaper Catholic is being wrapped and is on its way out to our subscribers. In this present edition's editorial Fr Michael Mary speaks about our reconciliation with the Holy See and makes some important reflections.
There are a host of richly illustrated accompanying articles in which we learn about the Pope whose 50th Anniversary we commemorated yesterday, Pius XII, and his prodigious workload; we study some of the background of the apparitions, 150 years ago, at Lourdes with a beautiful narrative from a 19th century Jesuit; and we join an English amateur archaeologist in his quest for buried holy treasure in County Durham. We also have a chance meeting and attend a magnificent funeral in Pistoia and set out for the Arctic Circle to find out what people yearn for in religion. Msgr Vernon Johnson tells us about how best to approach long-term physical suffering, while Msgr Gaume takes us through the world of plants, trees and fruit in his Catechism of Perseverance. We hear of the exodus of Oriental Catholics from Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq and join a Spanish Mother who discovers she is building little cathedrals at home. All this and more, with the accompanying columns, news, competitions and regular features such as the Papa Stronsay Telegraph, goes to make a feast of uplifting reading. We try to make our publications a haven where the reader will find nothing dangerous in writing or image and where he or she can relax and take pleasure learning about the True Faith. We feel that there are endless forums today where Catholics may argue but few in which they can grow.
Then there is this edition's book. We always take particular care with our books, trying to make excellent old works come alive for the modern reader. Everything is newly typeset and richly illustrated. The text is divided into small sections to facilitate reading by everybody.
The latest offering is Trench Priest, an exciting and very moving story of an Irish Jesuit, Fr William Doyle, his lifelong war on himself and finally his magnificent triumph in the trenches of Flanders where he laid down his life for Our Lord and his Irish Battalion in the First World War. Anybody who comes to the final chapters will not fail to be moved by the descriptions of the gallant and courageous soldiers and their child-like love for their priest who went out with them into the firing lines to anoint and console them as they fell. The book is full of pictures of Fr Doyle's life and of the places and battles he describes. There are also numerous maps so that you can follow him through the maze of trenches.
But, when all is said and done, the best way to form an opinion about our publications is by reading them yourself. So why not take the opportunity and subscribe now? We are still wrapping and your name can easily be added into our new plastic wrapping machine.
For those who have not yet subscribed, or for those others who are no longer able to purchase their copy at church, we have five agents around the world where you may mail your subscriptions.
In the United Kingdom please send your subscriptions to: Golgotha Monastery Island, Papa Stronsay, KW17 2AR, Orkney IslandsIn the United States of America: Transalpine Redemptorists, P.O.Box 76950, Washington D.C. 20013In Australia: Transalpine Redemptorists, P.O.Box 71, Edensor Park, NSW, 2176In New Zealand: Miss Lenore Hayes, 6 Woodbank St, Christchurch, 8024 In South Africa: Mr. D.S. Whyte, P.O.Box 18456, Quigney, 5211And in India: Mr Darryl Lewis, B/4 Anand Mahal, Manuel Gonsalves Rd, Bandra, Mumbai, 400050(Please make cheques payable to "Transalpine Redemptorists", except in India where they should be made out to “Mr Ajay Satyanaryan Sharma” and in South Africa where they should be made out to “Mr D.S. Whyte”.)
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It is our joy to be able to give something back to our subscribers in each edition and a pleasure four times a year to be able to share with you the beauty and peace of our "Desert in the Pathless Sea". We look forward to serving you with our publications.