Books by Mark Turnham Elvins

Devotion to the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood lies at the heart of the spirituality of St Francis, and his vision was to inspire the Church's development over the succeeding centuries. Writing in this Franciscan tradition, Br Mark offers his own insights on the Eucharist and St Francis, insights that were first shared at an annual retreat of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. This book provides a unique series of meditations for Eucharistic devotion.Although each is a separate reflection on the Eucharist in the life of the Church, there is an implied centrality of the Sacrament in the life of any Catholic wishing to deepen the life of prayer. In this St Francis can be our model and our guide, as one of the original pioneers of extra-Eucharistic devotion. Just as in the thirteenth century his example helped to renew the life of the Church, confronted by many crises, so in our own day the Church, hedged about with conflict and compromise, and with declining vocations, is seeing a revival of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament as perhaps the first sign of renewal. He writes about spirituality as a lived experience of God, shared by all, whether they know it or not . Mark Elvin's book will hopefully deepen our awareness of God's presence in both the Eucharist and the world. + Rt Rev Patrick O'Donoghue, Bishop of LancasterBr Mark (Fr Mark Elvins) is a Capuchin friar. Born in 1939 at Whitstable, Br Mark took an MA at London University, and a graduate diploma in spirituality at Dublin. He is the author of Cardinals and Heraldry, and of three other books published by Gracewing: Catholic Trivia, Gospel Chivalry and Towards a People's Liturgy.

Illustrated throughout by the well-known Catholicartist and cartoonist John Ryan (inventor of CaptainPugwash), Catholic Trivia sets itself to reclaimthe hidden history of Catholicism in Britain. Manycommon words and expressions, place names, pubsigns, diseases and customs betray the deep influenceof the Catholic Church on our national consciousness,despite every attempt to root it out. Not without agleam in the eye, Mark Elvins reveals the origins ofsaluting the quarter deck and kissing the papal toe,of Charing Cross and Covent Garden, of kicking thebucket and going on the dole. From the sublime tothe ridiculous, he collects a treasury of informationwith a multitude of uses, for the conversationalist or thestudent of history, for the devout, the undevoutor the quiz-show host.There is a joy about being a Catholic - and this informativebook is a joyful and fascinating celebration of the sayingsand quirks derived from the Faith.