Books published by Gracewing

Presented in the ancient Japanese form of Haiku poetry, this vivid and deeply moving new translation of the Psalms is vivid and deeply moving. The rhythm of the 17-syllable verse, with its carefully structured pattern, introduces a meditative element to the ageless Psalms, reflecting the life of silent prayer and contemplation of a monk on the island monastery of Caldey.Here are praises to spiritual power presented in a stark and clear fashion. They will challenge those familiar with the Psalms to new insight, while introducing these ancient prayers to a whole new audience.Father Richard Gwyn was born in Pembroke Dock, Dyfed in 1918 and was a Brother of the Christian Schools for forty years, working in London and overseas - firstly in Rome, and then Canada, India, Jamaica and Nigeria. He transferred to the Cistercian Abbey on Caldey Island off the Welsh coast, where he was ordained priest.

Elizabeth Prout stands at both the heart and the crossroads of nineteenth-century history. From her birth in 1820 as the daughter of a cooper in a brewery, beside a cotton mill and an ironworks in the suburbs of Shrewsbury, to her death of tuberculosis, beside the glass and chemical works of St Helens, in 1864, she experienced the industrial, educational, social, economic and religious changes that transformed English society at that time. It was, however, her close friendships with those two giants of the spiritual life, the Passionists Blessed Dominic Barberi and Father Ignatius Spencer, that transformed her own life, enabling her, in turn, to transform her own environment. Slight in build, fragile in health, Elizabeth Prout spent her life in the service of the poor: the mill girls of Manchester, the refugees from the Irish Potato Famine, the needy of Sutton, St Helens and the unemployed of Ashton-under-Lyne during the Lancashire Cotton Famine. Through her work she implemented educational changes that raised up the Catholic population. She provided Homes for the motherly care of Catholic working girls. Most important of all, in partnership with Father Gaudentius Rossi CP and Father Robert Croskell of the Diocese of Salford, she founded a religious Order for the poor, the Sisters of the Cross and Passion - enabling others, too, to educate, to nourish family life in parish visitation and the instruction of converts and to enrich the drabness of people's lives with the beautiful vestments they made for their churches. In 1994 the Cause for the Canonisation of Elizabeth Prout (Mother Mary Joseph of Jesus) was opened by Archbishop Derek Worlock of Liverpool in the Church of St Anne and Blessed Dominic Barberi, Sutton, St Helens, where her remains are interred, like those of Father Ignatius Spencer CP, in the shrine of Blessed Dominic. In 2008 Archbishop Patrick Kelly completed the Liverpool Archdiocesan Process and forwarded Elizabeth Prout's Cause to Rome.

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.