Bishop Books

This is my prefered edition of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Anyone leading a parish RCIA program should be familiar with these rites. As in all official liturgical ritual books, there is an official introduction which sets forth the official theology and expectations for the use of these rites.

The rites are as follows: (1) acceptance into the order of catechumens with optional rites (2) period of the catechumenate with liturgy of the word, blessings, anointings etc (3) rite of election (4) the scrutinies with special rites for Holy Saturday (5) sacraments of initiation.

The modifications to the above cycle are given for children who have reached catechetical age, adults in exceptional circumstances, for those in danger of death, for those already baptized seeking full communion, and for uncatechized adults (Catholics baptized but not raised in the faith).

An appendix gives the forms for the various rites when combined with other rites. A variety of songs and hymns are included as are the national statutes regarding the catechumenate i.e. the national implementation of the material provided as a forward.

This book is the entire text of the RCIA rites. Chapter Headings include: Period of Evangelization and precatechumanate; Election or Enrollment of Names; Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy; Rites for Particular Circumstance; Additional (Combined) Rites; Acclamations, Hymns and Songs. This is not commentary and opinion on the RCIA rites, this is the rites themselves.

The Foreward begins "This edition of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults" contains the approved English translation of the 1974 emended second printing of the "Ordo initaitionis christianae adultorum" prepared by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) and a number of other rites and liturgical texts approved for use in the dioceses of the United States of America."

So I think you get the picture -- this is probably a good book for pastors, deacons, and lay people who are running an RCIA program. It may also be useful for those catechumenates (like myself) who are very detail-oriented and want to know the exact text of each rite, and what we are going to have to say when it comes time for our part.

Unless you like reading liturgy, this book is not for the average catechumenate. To that person, it will seem extremely dry.

But definitely not a "romance novel." In fact, it was so dark, sometimes I wondered why I was reading it.

The story is more of a psychological study about how people and relationships can be damaged, wounded and emotionally poisoned. At first it is the story of two families coming together, and Mary Dacre's attempts to make a family, and deal with puzzling aspects of her new husband's behavior, especially his contemptuous treatment of his gifted elder son. She discovers his cruel tongue and harsh judgment can be turned without warning against herself, which poisons the marriage.

Finally, when the situation seems hopeless, a full picture of her husband's past and suffering is revealed. However, even that wasn't quite enough for me to accept some of his actions, which included brutal abandonment of someone entirely dependent on him. Two abandonments if you count his first wife.

The strong points of the book include Bishop's ability to write a gripping story, to build suspense that keeps you reading. This was never a story where I could guess what was coming next. I enjoyed Walsingham's cameo appearance in the story, and found him a more believable character than in, say, the recent movie "Elizabeth."

I am not necessarily sorry I read the book, but it is definitely not a pleasant story about two people discovering each other and falling in love. I had to dock it a star because it was not the light evening's reading I was expecting, or that most purchasers would expect.

An historical tale that tells of the integration of two familes. It explores some of the problems of step children, it tells of the time when to be Catholic or Protestant could mean death by torture. Mary Dacre is left a widow with four children, she marries Edward Garnham who has three. Her new husband has a deadly hatred of Catholics, and has been racked for his faith. Mary slowly pulls the family together.

Not a Regency but well worth reading.

Samuel Brown writes a slim tome (42 pgs), about struggling with his sexuality in a deeply religious family in Pennsylvania. Samuel discusses his early family life with his siblings and parents, who were leaders in the Church of God in Christ ministries, and the struggles he faced coming to terms with this.

The author weaves an emotional story of what it feels like to be black and gay with the burden of trying to understand himself, and his place in the traditional black Church; An institution that has historically not been overly affirming to people like himself.

Samuel writes with sincerity and honesty but the book succeeds most importantly by providing solace and comfort to those like Sam who are fighting similar demons.


Recommended!

Samuel Brown writes a slim tome (42 pgs), about struggling with his sexuality in a deeply religious family in Pennsylvania. Samuel discusses his early family life with his siblings and parents, who were leaders in the Church of God in Christ ministries, and the struggles he faced coming to terms with this.

The author weaves an emotional story of what it feels like to be black and gay with the burden of trying to understand himself, and his place in the traditional black Church; An institution that has historically not been overly affirming to people like himself.

Samuel writes with sincerity and honesty but the book succeeds most importantly by providing solace and comfort to those like Sam who are fighting similar demons.


Recommended!

I started this book with high hopes that were quickly dashed. The book jumps around both geographically and chronologically. Seidensticker will talk about one ward of Tokyo, then move on to another, and 20 pages later start talking about the first ward again. Likewise, he'll discuss the Meiji period, then the Taisho, and then back to Meiji. The maps of Tokyo also have some errors. Seidensticker also relies, it seems, way too much on the recollections of Nagai Kafu, who he admits was a close personal friend. The redeeming quality of this book is that if you can wade through this and make heads or tail of it, there is a wealth of information on the transformation of Tokyo into a modern metropolis. It's just painful to extract it.

Low City, High City is a lively and informal account of Tokyo's history from the end of the Tokugawa regime (in 1868) to the destruction of the city in the 1923 Kanto earthquake. During that half century, Tokyo was transformed from a feudal pre-industrial city of samurai and commoners to an imperial capital of bureacrats, businessmen, factory workers, and flappers. Seidensticker, a distinguished translator of Japanese literature, has written a highly readable cultural and social history of Tokyo that captures the colorful introduction of "Western" urbanism and chronicles the slowly fading old city. An absolute must for anyone with even a casual interest in Tokyo's past.

The author, Jean Plaidy, who is also known to her legion of fans as Victoria Holt, is a masterful writer of historical fiction. This book, the ninth volume in her "Queens of England" series, is an engrossing portrait of Lady Mary of York, daughter of King James II of England, who would be a future Queen of England. The story is expertly woven with sufficient historical detail so as to satisfy the most discerning readers.

Growing up the beloved daughter of the Duke of York, an ardent Catholic who would one day be crowned King James II of England, Mary was reared as a Protestant to conform to the will of the people. At fifteen years of age, she was forced into a political and loveless marriage with her Protestant first cousin, the dour and reserved Prince of Orange, William. She then left her beloved England to live in Holland with William.

Mary was to spend a number of lonely and desolate years in Holland with William, during which her uncle, King Charles II of England, died. Her father, the Duke of York, was then crowned James II. In turmoil over his avowed Catholicism, England was ripe for change. Mary's husband, William of Orange, being an ambitious man who coveted the English crown, lost no time in making sure that England stayed Protestant and took on his royal father-in-law. His victory over James II paved the way for the reign of William and Mary.

The author paints a portrait of a woman in conflict, torn between her love for her father and her loyalty to her husband. It details the political intrigues of the day that were to have such impact on Mary's life and shape her destiny. It is a wonderful and engrossing blend of fact and fiction. This richly textured novel is sure to delight those who enjoy historical fiction.

I got this book because I love anything having to do with Dutch history, of which William of Orange is an important figure. Better known as the William half of England's William and Mary, he helped cement Protestantism in England and make the fledgling Netherlands an actual power in Europe.

However, the novel's narrator, Queen Mary, takes a rather dimmer view of William. I suppose it's her prerogative, since she had to live with him. Still, I would rather Plaidy had based her condemnation of William on something a little more than the fact that a spoiled princess didn't like his serious nature. This is a symptom, of course, of the larger malady that aflicts any historical novel that features women characters. Invariably, even the most powerful queens are reduced to vapid, fluttering girls who rule their countries by batting their eyelashes and choose kings by virtue of how their manly legs look in tights, then express vague, hurt confusion when things go wrong.

Here, vapid Lady Mary becomes vapid Princess Mary and, eventually, vapid Queen Mary when her uncle, King Charles, dies and the people (with the help of William) oust her Catholic father, James II. Mary, who has been sent to Holland after her marriage to William and hates it, is torn between loyalty to her father, whom she loves but has no respect for, and her husband, whom she has respect for but mildly despises. William spends a lot of time off at war or diddling his mistress, Mary pouts but manages to be a reasonably competent ruler in his absence, then she forgives both her father and husband and dies of smallpox. That's about it.

I was disappointed, but I think that's more because I had very specific expectations for this book - I wanted to read more about Mary's life in Holland and the politics there, rather than her endless dithering about whether she's betraying her father and how mean William is to her. The actual politics and history - which are hugely significant, and also complimentary to Mary, who as I said turned out to be a pretty good Queen - are downplayed, and somewhat condescendingly so.

A perfectly nice, easy read for anyone interested in the period, but it would make little sense to anyone who's not.

Do you think 3 years is a long time? That is how long it took George Bishop to write a book called the world of clowns.
Clowns are not all fun and games. It takes alot of hard work to be a clown. In the old days if you were not good enough you would be put to death. That was in the day in the life of a clown.
Thanks to the Bernam Baily circus that has all changed.Now Clowns can do there job with no worries of being put to death.

There are many great Clowns in history such as Emitt Kelly, Lou Jacobs, Henry Dann adn even Charlie Chapman. Yes, Charile Chapman the famous comedian is a clown.
My favorite part is on page 122 the picture of all the famous clowns. The sadest part of the book is when it talks about Tom thumb a midget
A Great book

Found large b/w closeups very useful in reproducing the specific clown makeup (for porcelin dolls). Until I read this book I didn't realize how specific the characters are that the great clowns are portraying. ie. Emmett Kelly was not the original "Tramp". He , Chaplin, and Red Skelton were working with a very specific character type. I'd read that a clown protects the face pattern by patent. I'm still searching for a catalog of these. But within five minutes of scanning just the pictures in this book, I realized that the makeup is only a part of creating the entire character. Every shoe lace, every tuft of hair, every eyebrow curve contributes to the type. My porcelins are going to be better now that I can see a clown isn't just a smiley face dressed in stripes & poka dots. I loved seeing the female clown isn't a man in drag. She is a specific character portraying the funny things women do, no matter who is under the paint.

It arrived when it was supposed to, the price was good, and the book was in good condition.

I enjoyed reading this book as much for its footnotes as for its lively and engaging text. McLynn has done a superb job of piecing together bits of information from many sources to provide a new interpretation of Ambrose's career, especially his relations with the imperial court. The basic argument, that Ambrose didn't win all the battles he himself presented as victories, is refreshing but not always convincing. Of necessity the author must speculate a great deal, and at times his arguments border on special pleading -- as, for example, when he insists on reading Theodosius's famous law of 391, usually interpreted as the final blow against the public practice of pagan rites, as a minor statute directed only at a few officials. All in all, though, this is a masterly work of scholarship, and bound to give the reader new insight into the life and character of a key figure in the advance of Christianity as a political force.

America's Bishop is a much needed addition to historical biography. Francis Asbury single-handedly established the Methodist Church on American soil. His commitment to remain in the States rather than return to England during the Revolutionary War established him as Methodism's leader. Academic neglect of this legendary figure is unacceptable. Thanks to Darius Salter, that problem has been partially fixed.

Despite lifelong physical difficulties, Asbury maintained a strict regiment circuit riding, preaching, leadership development, and spiritual discipline. Without his commitment to the American mission, Methodism would be a minor sect or nonexistent on American soil. Francis Asbury is truly on of the most neglected heroes in American religious history.

America's Bishop reads like a cross between a biography and scholarly work. Dates, places, and people are recorded with attention to detail. The chapters are a combination of chronological movement and theological/personal development of Francis Asbury. It is not necessarily a smooth read because of the details, but it is certainly a worthwhile read.

Writing from a unique prespective and weaving together two apparently unrelated topics, Mr. Campbell does a wonderful job exploring how to claim being a southerner without taking on the mantle of racism. This book especially is of benefit to clergy exploring how to stand in the light of the gospel while excavatingthe past and looking to the future.