Thursday 7 February 2019

Glastonbury: A Pilgrim's Companion - David Baldwin - CTS Christian Shrines Series

Glastonbury: A Pilgrim's Companion
CTS Christian Shrines Series
David Baldwin
Catholic Truth Society

ISBN 9781860828805
eISBN 9781784694074
ASIN B073H1RGPB
CTS Booklet D763


This is now the fourth book in the CTS Christian Shrines Series that I have read. I have long had an interest in Pilgrimage. I have written about personal pilgrimage, and desire for pilgrimage previously. While in university doing a Religious Studies Degree with a specialization in Roman Catholic Thought I would have loved to have had this book, other in this series, and many from the CTS catalogue. This book would have been a great resource for two specific courses: ‘Sacred Spaces’ and ‘Faith Quests’. What I love about this series and specifically this book, is learning about shrines that I am less familiar with. I love learning about the history, the devotion, and the prayers associated with Christian shrines. David has written many of the books in this series and this one is another great little read. The book is written to be a companion for visiting the shrine but can be read an enjoyed even if you never plan to make it to Glastonbury. The sections in this volume are:

Foreword
Glastonbury
Setting the Scene
The Abbey
The Restored Shrine of Our Lady of Glastonbury
The Tor
Other Places of Interest

For those who plan to visit Glastonbury the last chapter will be of specific interest. As this section contains 18 locations of interest associated with Glastonbury and in and about the surrounding region. But in the forward rhe Right Reverend Dom Charles Fitzgerald-Lombard states:

“This welcome Pilgrim’s Companion is much more than a guide. The tenth in David Baldwin’s series on Christian Shrines, it manages to combine a poetic, almost mystical narrative, beautifully encapsulating the spirit of the place, with a minimum of tourists’ directives, ensuring that the pilgrim neither loses the way nor misses the point.”

And that is in part of what is attracting me to this book and the series. The sense of mystical, the sense of divine and the captured spirit of Glastonbury and other sites explored through the series. Part of the description of this book is:

“Glastonbury is the oldest Marian Shrine north of the Alps. It is a place of myth, mystique, legend, tradition and faith, which, for many reasons, has a high profile in Britain and abroad and to where many head, seeking truth. Arguably, after Walsingham, it is the second most prominent Marian shrine in England and Wales.”

So give this book a try and either virtually or physically go on pilgrimage and immerse yourself in the history, prayers and legends of this shrine.

The CTS Christian Shrines Series seems to have two main styles of books. Pilgrimage companions and books focusing on the message from the shrine. This book is from the second category. There are also numerous other books from CTS that could support your quest for knowledge on pilgrimages and Christian shrines. This was a great little read, and I look forward to exploring more in the Christian Shrines Series. And highly recommend this wonderful volume. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2019 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

Other Books in the CTS Christian Shrines Series:
Message of Assisi
Message of Fatima
Message of Guadalupe
Message of Walsingham
Santiago: Santiago de Compostela - The Pilgrim Way of St James






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