Sr Joanna Coleiro fsp offers a selection of reading material for parishioners both big and small.  Books are available online from Pauline Books & Media or why not visit the book shop at 7 Denmark Hill Road, East Hawthorn.  Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and Saturday 9.00 am to 12 noon.

Community

by Henri Nouwen

“Community is not a human creation but a divine gift which calls for an obedient response.  This response may require much patience and humility, much listening and speaking, much confrontation and self-examination, but it should always be an obedient response to a bond which is given and not made.” – Henri J. M. Nouwen

Henri Nouwen wrote and spoke often about community during his life and ministry as a pastor, priest, professor, and prolific author.  His search for community propelled his writing and many of his life’s most significant life choices, including his decision to leave an academic teaching position in 1986 to serve as chaplain to the L’Arche Daybreak community in Richmond Hill, Ontario.  There, living alongside those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their assistants, his understanding and commitment to community ripened and matured.  And yet, surprisingly, he never wrote a complete book on the subject.  Now, drawing on a number of articles as well as previously unpublished material, this book provides a picture of why Nouwen thought community was such a necessary and integral part of the spiritual life in all its many dimensions.

Available online from Pauline Books & Media

Seriously, God? Making Sense of Life Not Making Sense

by Michael White & Tom Corcoran

A friend’s child dies; a parent gets a cancer diagnosis; your spouse loses their job.  Sometimes life and God’s plan don’t make sense and we end up feeling hurt and angry.

In Seriously, God?, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran explore the denial, doubt, and betrayal we experience when we face hardship, pain, and grief, and they encourage us to lean into our feelings and to take each circumstance as a chance to learn more about God.

For anyone who has battled suffering, walked away from faith under the pressure of crushing doubt, never felt safe giving faith a chance, or cared about someone who struggles with these realities, this book treats the problems of suffering and evil not as an argument to be overcome but as an invitation to a deeper faith.

Each chapter relies on biblical stories that provide a wonderful introduction to scripture to those who are not familiar with the Bible and a fresh perspective to those who are.  Each chapter also includes questions for self-reflection and discussion. 

This is the book to give as a gift to friends or family members who are grieving, those struggling with doubts about their faith, or those who are new to faith.

Available online from Pauline Books & Media

Stand up!  Fearless Women in the Gospel of Mark

Johannes Eckert, OSB

We usually associate the Gospel of Luke with giving us stories about women and their encounters with Jesus’.  In this book, German Benedictine Abbot Johannes Eckert draws out for us six stories of women from the Gospel of Mark.  These women were a real provocation to their fellow human beings: they spoke confidently, corrected their elders, and trusted and believed unconditionally.  Mark consistently presents them as models for the disciples.  Yet, their names are not known.  This sends Abbot Eckert on a biblical search for clues about the women.  Along the way Abbot Eckert reflects on issues such as clerical celibacy and the role and status of women in the church.  This is an unconventional look at six nameless women of the Bible and their stirring message for today.

Available online from Pauline Books & Media

For our young families

Tree Beings

by Raymond Huber

Imagine if someone invented a machine that fights climate change, is powered by the sun, makes clean air for us, gives animals a home, grows delicious food, makes it rain, saves the soil, cleans up pollution, and is intelligent and beautiful! 

Hard to imagine something like that?  Get ready to meet the tree…

We depend on trees for our survival, yet few of us understand just how fascinating these beings really are.  With a foreword by the world-renowned anthropologist Jane Goodall, Tree Beings is an adventure through the secret world of trees.  Challenging the perception that trees are just ‘silent statues’, it focuses on four big ideas: Trees give life to the planet; Trees can help save us from climate change; Trees are like beings; Trees need our help and protection.

Children will meet some of the scientists and explorers who helped uncover the mysteries of some of the world’s oldest living things.  You’ll encounter the eccentric British professor who travelled the world for seventy years telling people how trees can save us, and you’ll learn about the 9-year-old-boy who has a plan to plant a trillion trees to save the planet.

They will also learn the science behind trees, including discoveries about how they ‘talk’ and why they are our best allies in the fight to slow down climate change. Explore tree wisdom from many different cultures and some famous and fascinating tree species, brought to life in a vibrant combination of illustrations and text.

Trees are essential to our world. Tree Beings is your guide to appreciating trees through the stories of people who love them.  So strap on your hiking boots, and enjoy this informative adventure through the wonderful world of Tree Beings.

Available online from Pauline Books & Media

Peace

by Paul Miranda

Illustrated by Paul Baptiste Paul 

Peace is on purpose. Peace is a choice. Peace lets the smallest of us have a voice. From a hello and pronouncing your friend’s name correctly to giving more than you take and saying I’m sorry, this simple concept book explores definitions of peace and the actions small and big that foster it.

Award-winning authors, Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul, have teamed up with illustrator Estelí Meza to create an inspiring look at things we can all do to bring peace into our lives and world.

By Sr Joanna Coleiro fsp

Sr Joanna Coleiro, fsp, is a Daughter of St Paul with a long-time interest in the spiritual growth, faith development and religious experience of both adults and children.  We are grateful to Sr Joanna for her monthly contributions to our newsletter.

Pauline Books & Media is run by The Daughters of St Paul, which is an international congregation of religious women founded to spread the Gospel through the channels of the modern media.