Vol XVI. No. 39
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: waholst@telus.net
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Dear Friends:
This week, I offer the spiritual auto-biography of Herbert O'Driscoll. His book has just appeared and I am happy to share it with you. It is entitled: I Will Arise and Go Now.
Last week, I introduced Gailand MacQueen's Celebrating the Labyrinth.
Unfortunately, I suspect quite a few of you were sent the wrong link to the issue in which that book appeared.
It's great that I can share with you good writers like O'Driscoll and MacQueen. Hopefully you can enjoy them both, as well as the rest of the two available letters.
Wayne
PLEASE NOTE - If a link, below seems to be dead, cut and paste it into the address bar at the top of your web page and it should work.
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SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
I WILL ARISE AND GO NOW
Reflections on the Meaning
of Places and People
by Herbert O'Driscoll
Morehouse, New York. 2021
240 pages, Paper $20.56 CAD
Kindle $14.50 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-64065-335-1
Publisher's Promo:
""I would like to think that there are things in my own life that might attract the interest of others-even if only to spark in them a recollection of similar escapades and experiences of their own." -Herbert O'Driscoll Beloved preacher and author, Herbert O'Driscoll, offers his life story in his own words. The first section includes memories from his childhood and student years lived mainly in the south of Ireland.
""The second section tells stories from his years of active ministry in Canada, the United States, and other parts of the world church. The last portion recalls experiences from his retirement years and his facilitation of pilgrimages to the Middle East, Ireland, and Great Britain. "One could say it has been a relatively unadventurous life, but it is one in which I have been given gifts of love and friendship, and opportunities to learn and grow, far beyond my counting or deserving . . . These pages allow me to revisit in memory the times when, and places where, I was given something of lasting, permanent value-an image, an idea, an insight-and the people who gave them to me or in whose company I shared them.""
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Author's Bio:
Herbert O'Driscoll was born in Ireland and immigrated to Canada and became one of the most highly regarded preachers in the Anglican Church. Much sought-after internationally as a speaker, teacher, and leader of retreats and pilgrimages, he is known as a popular broadcaster and print commentator, prolific hymn writer, and the author of numerous books on Bible interpretation and the spiritual life, many of which reflect Celtic spirituality. O'Driscoll continues to write from active retirement in British Columbia, where he lives with his wife.
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Author's Words:
In one sense, this book is a simple retelling of scenes, from the sequence of my life. Born in Ireland in 1928, I followed in the footsteps of countless countrymen and women before me and set sail across the Atlantic in 1954, returning briefly the following year to be married, and then settling permanently in Canada. We remained here the rest of our lives and it is also home to our children, grand-children and great-grandchildren.
The first section of the book, "Old Country" is a collection of things remembered from childhood and student years, lived mainly in the small city of Cork and at my grandfather's farm in Donaguile, County Kilkenny.
The second part, "New World," tells stories from my years of active ministry in Canada, the United States, and, on occasion, other parts of the world Church.
The last portion, entitled "To Be a Pilgrim" recalls experiences from those years (loosely called retirement) during which I had the privilege to lead many groups of fellow-pilgrims on trips to the Middle East, Ireland, and Great Britain.
I have been given gifts of love and friendship. and opportunities to learn and grow, far beyond my counting or deserving. I have been given something of lasting, permanent value - an image, an idea, an insight - and the people who gave them to me or in whose company I shared them...
The memories that matter live on as much in the heart as in the head. Often these are connected to specific times and places.
The title of the book comes from W.B. Yeats, the Irish poet. Yeats was sitting in a London restaurant, but he was wafted back to a small wooded island near the shore of a lake near County Sligo in West Ireland. He writes at that point a notable line: "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree."
Did this story actually take place? I really can't say.
Love and memories of my Irish home region were formed early on. But so it is for many of us. The years of childhood and adolescence are when life is most generous in giving us a rich treasure house of memories and images that can be stored up for use in later life. I applied Yeats' famous line and made it the title of this book.
Many of these memories have been shared with my wife Paula and members of our family. What they all have in common is something I learned from people, places and times that later in life I realized had been life-forming, and stayed in mind and heart. Call it an epiphany.
In a true sense, writing them here is one way of saying thank-you to those who first provided them to me...
So let's you and I arise and go now...
- edited and shortened from the Introduction without hopefully losing too much in the process.
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My Thoughts:
I have known Herb for almost half of his life, meeting him first at a conference where he key-noted in Red Deer Alberta during the early 80's. Soon after that, he accepted the call as rector to Christ Church, Elbow Park, Calgary. During those years we spent a lot of time together as I was going though a significant vocational transition. His wisdom was profound and deeply appreciated.
In many ways, Herb speaks and preaches as he writes, and much of this book is easy to relate to, in spite of different circumstances covered.
My personal acquaintance with Herb relates to a good part of his life, but this book helps me to locate all aspects of his story from the earliest times to the present in Victoria. BC.
What an interesting way to create an auto-biography! He begins in southern Ireland, growing up in the Anglican Church in Ireland, and continues through to the Anglican Church in Canada. From start to finish are a series of spiritual anecdotes linking people, time and place to significant lessons learned as part of his spiritual journey.
Herb has never written a kind of life-summary like this! I read of his spiritual and cultural roots, early on, when A Doorway in Time: Memoir of a Celtic Spiritual Journey appeared in 1985. It is also possible to gain snippets of his life from his other numerous spiritual titles.
Only in this book do you get the full scope of his life and the narrative accompanying it. The book is structured so a reader can get the full picture, or zero in on particular situations.
I wrote a tribute to Herb about five years ago, which appeared in the Anglican Journal, January 18th, 2016. Please consider it.
I am grateful that this book has appeared and believe you will be also.
_____
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
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COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Elfrieda Schroeder,
Winnipeg, MB
In Transit Blog
May 2nd, 2021
"Listen to the Birds"
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
May 2nd, 2021
"The Rest of Us Have Rights Too"
--
Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
May 3rd, 2021
"The Eyes of Love"
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NET NOTES
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE TRC REPORT
Reflections on Reconciliation
Anglican Journal,
May 5th, 2021
--
DOCUMENTARY ON ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL
Film Portrays Him as More Timely than Ever
Religion News Service,
May 3rd, 2021
--
AFTER I HAD SHOWN GOD THE DOOR
WHAT WAS LEFT?
A Pastor Loses Her Faith
Huffpost,
May 4th, 2021
--
RELIGION BOTH HELPED AND
HURT DURING THE PANDEMIC
Good for Mental, Not Physical Health
Scientific American
April 29th, 2021
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SOMETIMES THE BEST WAY TO
MOVE FORWARD IS TO STOP
Listen and Try Something Different
Faith and Leadership/Alban Journal
April 20th, 2021
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DOORS ARE LOCKED AT
TRINITY BIBLE CHAPEL
Ontario Church Defied the Law
K-W Record,
May 2nd, 2021
--
GERMANY CELEBRATES A HISTORIC
MILESTONE OF JEWISH CULTURE
1,700 Years; Now Looking Forward
Religion News Service,
May 6th, 2021
--
ISRAELI WATCHDOG TO INVESTIGATE
DEADLY FESTIVAL STAMPEDE
With a Focus on the Ultra Orthodox Community
Religion News Service,
May 3rd, 2021
--
HOW QUEBEC WENT FROM ONE OF
THE MOST RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES
TO ONE OF THE LEAST
by Philip Jenkins
Christian Century,
April 28th, 2021
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THE EVANGELICAL SEXUAL ABUSE CRISIS
IS THE SPIRITUAL WARFARE OF OUR TIME
What Happens to Victims of Abuse
and How Trauma Works
Religion News Service
May 4th, 2021
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