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The mystic and the Nazis

meins_01.jpgThe University of Missouri Press has just included in its catalogue a book on Etty Hillesum by Meins Coetsier (pictured here), who spent some years in Ireland as a scholastic. Etty Hillesum was a Dutch Jew who died in Auschwitz in 1944, aged 29. For the last two years of her life she kept a diary in which her descriptions of life under German occupation became more and more infused with mystical reflections on God and her own spiritual development. Meins, who, like Hillesum, is Dutch, began his work as a postgraduate thesis in the Milltown Institute, and it comprises an attempt to correlate the mysticism of Hillesum with the philosophy of Eric Voegelin. The title is Etty Hillesum and the Flow of Presence: A Voegelinian Analysis. For more details, see the publishing house website.

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General ::

The God solution

conway_morris.jpgProfessor Simon Conway Morris, of the School of Earth Sciences at  Cambridge University, gave this spring’s Studies / Iona Institute lecture at the Davenport Hotel, Dublin, on 21 February. Using a Powerpoint presentation, he gave a fascinating description of the origins, diversification and convergence of species. A practicing member of the Church of England, Prof. Conway Morris has provoked controversy by his religious views among more secular-minded colleagues. He is a particularly strong critic of Richard Dawkins’ recent bestseller, The God Delusion. One of the world’s leading palaeontologists, his most recent book, in its title alone, explains many of his views. It is called Life’s solutions: inevitable humans in a lonely universe. The next lecture in the series will be on 2 October: Professor Keith Ward’s topic will be “Is religion dangerous?”

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General ::

Pobal Dé conference: Is love enough?

gerry_ohanlon.jpgGerry O’Hanlon SJ (pictured right) is one of the speakers to address the Pobal Dé conference this year, which will be held in Milltown Park on Saturday 1 March (from Registration at 9am to Eucharist at 4.30pm). Pobal Dé, a group of committed Catholics who are interested in empowering lay people to meet the challenges of the age, take a different theme for each of their annual conferences. The theme this year is Is love enough?: Action makes love real. Besides Gerry, both Alice Leahy, director of TRUST, and Nuala O’Loan, formerly Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, will address the conference. For more details, email njmcguinness@yahoo.com.

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General ::

Untangling the web of 19th century inter-church relations

rafferty_book_01.jpgOliver Rafferty SJ, who taught at various colleges in England, Ireland and the United States, has just brought out a new academic work about Catholicism in 19th Century Ireland. The Catholic Church and the Protestant State: Nineteenth-century Irish realities pays particular attention to the deep complexities and ironies in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the various Protestant churches in Ireland in the decades after the Act of Union. The book can be purchased from the publishers, Four Courts Press.

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: Education, General, Media ::

The mind of Benedict

pope-benedict-xvi_04.jpgMichael Paul Gallagher SJ, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, was back in Ireland recently to deliver a lecture on the theology of Pope Benedict. In an interview for RNN, he spoke to Piaras Jackson about the Pope’s theology and attitudes. Michael Paul was asked what themes he sees in the Pope’s writings. You can listen to or read the interview here. Audio courtesy of RNN.

 
icon for podpress  The thought of Pope Benedict [8:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
MPG: Pope Benedict has insisted, over forty years of his life as a theologian and a thinker, that faith is very simple. It is a love story between God and humanity. And how can we find the language for that today? He’s worried that this is difficult. Read more »

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General ::

Work experience for Jesuit novices

eddie_cosgrove.pngTwo novices, Eddie Cosgrove from Ireland (pictured) and Phil Harrison from Britain, are currently in Dublin on work placements. Eddie is working in Gardiner Street and Slí Eile, while Phil is working with the JUST project in Ballymun. Along with the other first-year novices, they finished their month-long Spiritual Exercises retreat two weeks ago. The two second-year novices, Wouter Blesgraaf from the Netherlands and Maurice King from Ireland, continue their Long Experiments with L’Arche in Lambeth and the Nechells parish in Birmingham respectively.

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General ::

Belvedere hold out against Clongowes

clongowes_belvedere_sct.pngIn a dramatic finish, Belvedere snatched victory over Clongowes in the semi-final of the Leinster Schools Senior Cup on February 24 in Donnybrook. Clongowes were ahead, 7-5, in the dying minutes when Belvedere winger, John Conroy, dodged a number of tackles to make a touchdown. Clongowes made a frantic rally in injury time, getting a number of penalties only to have a try disallowed in the final seconds. Belvedere, who won 12-7, will face either CBC or St.Mary’s in the final on March 16th.

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General ::

Garnered from Gardiner Street

amathews1.jpgThe opening chapter of RTE broadcaster Aidan Mathews’ new book, In the Poorer Quarters, begins with memories of the Jesuit church in Gardiner Street, Dublin. This sets the tone for a man seriously engaging with modern faith issues in the context of a tradition. The book, written by the former Gonzaga student, is based on his RTE radio programme of the same name. It is a contemporary dialogue with the Gospel of Mark taken from twelve months of his broadcasts. The book is currently being serialised in the Irish Catholic. Chapter 12, entitled Crossings, was reproduced in last week’s edition. Read the first chapter on CatholicIreland.net; for details on the book, see www.veritas.ie.

Added Tuesday 26 February 2008 :: Category: General, Media ::