What sustains you?M. E. Colman, a life-professed member of the Convent of St. John Baptist, has been leading groups to Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall for years, taking Celtic Journeys to sacred sites: a pilgrimage for some, a return to roots for others, or simply a vacation. During these visits, she has the opportunity to speak to many of the local people, religious, lay, young and older people, and after one such journey, a little voice spoke to her, saying, "Return, listen to their stories." And so sometimes a star was born. Her Celtic Journeys are visits to past sites; sometimes a star, however, is a visit to the present, an attempt to address the gap between many of the books that are being written on Celtic spirituality, and what M.E. Colman was actually seeing and hearing on her trips to Ireland. The result is fascinating. sometimes a star is a collection of conversations between M.E. Colman and a wide array of people: a retired steel worker; Tony Flannery, a Redemptorist priest and author; a student; a young journalist; a Church of Ireland member; a farmer; one of the founders of the Alpha movement; a former religious who now does charity work for the “travelers” in Ireland; Liam Lawton, a priest and a composer and performer of spiritual music—and many more, from all walks of life. Of each person, in addition to letting the conversation flow naturally, Colman asks the same questions, “What sustains you? Where do you see the future of the Church?” and the answers are vastly different. The book presents a true palette of the range of opinions and hopes and fears of the Irish at present. M.E. Colman wanted to get a spectrum, different perspectives, especially different ages. She also wanted people to feel free and comfortable to talk about why they weren't going to church, if they weren't going to church. And people were eager to talk. Topics of discussion include Celtic Spirituality; the ways in which the Catholic Church has changed over the years; how young people feel about the Church and why numbers are dropping; what needs to change and what shouldn’t change; music; celibacy in the priesthood; and what keeps people going in troubled times. You’ll find yourself thinking deeply about these topics too, and asking yourself, "What sustains me? What is life-giving for me in my life?" As M.E. Colman says, "If we take the time to ponder some of the words spoken with such sincerity and truth, perhaps we all may be led toward healing and transformation." This book is a first step. |
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