The Rock from Which You Were Hewn:
The Lives and Legacy of Holy Irish Men and Women
Fr John S Hogan (editor)
Dr. Patrick Kenny (editor)
ISBN 9781621647492
eISBN 9781642293326
I have waiting a long time to read this volume. And it did not disappoint. Originally it was to be released by Veritas, but they have shuttered their doors. I reviewed the World wide edition that was released by Ignatius Press, there is a UK edition by The Cenacle Press as well. It was well worth the wait.
The description of this volume is:
“This book presents brief, inspiring biographies of over 40 Irish men and women whose causes for canonization are in progress, along with others who enjoy a strong reputation for sanctity. Written in response to Pope Benedict XVI's call to the Irish to renew the Church in Ireland by drawing on the legacy of their ancestors, it details the heroic lives of twentieth-century saintly models, as well as a few older ones, to encourage contemporary Catholics to seek holiness.
Featuring chapters by various contributors, including the postulators of some of the causes, the book offers moving insights into its subjects and the times and places in which they lived. Some lived and died in Ireland, while some were missionaries in other countries. Some were priests or consecrated religious; others were devout and dedicated laypeople. Some died as martyrs; others were distinguished by lives of humble service. What unites them all is their profound love for Christ and his Church.
This is a timely, important work given the decline of Christianity in Western society, and the need for the Church to embrace a process of spiritual renewal and evangelization. While it deals with Irish models, it is a work for the universal Church since the saints have relevance for all of us, regardless of where they are from.
Those whose inspiring stories are told include Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, Fr. Willie Doyle, S.J., Father Edward Flanagan, Frank Duff, Sister Clare Crockett, Venerable Patrick Peyton, Venerable Matt Talbot, Venerable Edel Quinn, Blessed John Sullivan, Blessed Columba Marmion, and many more.”
The chapters in this volume are:
Foreword
Introduction
A note on the process of canonization
Part 1: Causes in Progress
1. Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy; Father John S. Hogan
2. The Martyrs of Ireland; Father John S. Hogan
3. Father John Meagh; Patrick Corkery, S.J.
4. Venerable Nano Nagle; Sister Elizabeth Maxwell, P.B.V.M.
5. Venerable Catherine McAuley; Sister Brenda Dolphin, R.S.M.
6. Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice; Brother Donal Blake, C.F.C.
7. Venerable Mary Aikenhead; Sister Phyllis Behan, R.S.C.
8. Sister Alice O’Sullivan; Sister Louise O’Connell, D.C.
9. Father Patrick Ryan; Deacon Gaspar DeGaetano
10. Margaret Mary Healy Murphy; Cecilia Gutierrez Venable, Ph.D.
11. Father William Doyle; Dr. Patrick Kenny
12. Blessed Columba Marmion; Father Columba McCann, O.S.B.
13. Venerable Matt Talbot; Father Brian Lawless
14. Blessed John Sullivan; Father Conor Harper, S.J.
15. Bishop Joseph Shanahan; Sister Angela Ruddy, M.S.H.R.
16. Venerable Edel Quinn; Father John S. Hogan
17. Father Edward J. Flanagan; Steven R. Wolf
18. The Columban Martyrs of Korea; Father Seán Coyle, S.S.C.
19. Mother Mary Kevin Kearney; Sister Cecilia Sweeney, F.M.S.A.
20. Alfie Lambe; Father Oliver Skelly
21. Frank Duff; Father Eamonn McCarthy
22. Venerable Angeline McCrory; Sister Maria Therese Healy, O.Carm.
23. Venerable Patrick Peyton; Father David S. Marcham and Dave Kindy
24. Father Declan O’Toole; Father Philip O’Halloran, M.H.M.
25. Sister Clare Crockett; Sister Beatriz Liaño, S.H.M.
Part 2: Irish Men and Women with a Reputation for Holiness
26. Bishop William Walsh; Father John S. Hogan
27. Father Andrew Mullen; Father John McEvoy
28. Father Luigi Gentili; Father Joseph O’Reilly, I.C.
29. Father Paul Mary Pakenham; Father Paul Francis Spencer, C.P.
30. Father Henry Young; Dr. Patrick Kenny
31. Father John Spratt; Professor Fergus A. D’Arcy
32. Archdeacon Bartholomew Cavanagh; Tom Neary
33. Father Thomas Nicholas Burke; Father Terence Crotty, O.P.
34. Ellen Organ; John Donovan
35. Olivia Mary Taaffe; Dominic Dowling
36. Father James E. Coyle; James Pinto
37. Father James Cullen; Father Bernard McGuckian, S.J.
38. John McGuinness; Dr. Patrick Kenny
39. Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty; Fiorella De Maria
40. Mother Mary Martin; Sister Isabelle Smyth, M.M.M.
41. Tom Doyle; Liam Hayden
42. Dame Judy Coyne; Mary Wilson
43. Father Colm O’Brien; Father Michael Mullins
44. Mary Ann Gemma O’Driscoll; Megan McNulty Henderson
Contributors
Notes
The forty contributors wrote moving pieces. A few of the people listed I was familiar with a few I had heard of and some this was my introduction. And there are three I have deep personal devotion to: Father Willie Doyle, Matt Talbot, and John Sullivan. A few I have added to my list to research and find out more about.
This book should come with a warning; it will challenge and encourage you. I took my time reading this volume only reading 1 or 2 a day and my son who is 16 now wants to read it. There are so many inspiring stories in this volume, men and women of faith, service and a number who made the ultimate sacrifice. I only highlighted a few passages but kept a list of people to do more reading on. Some of those highlights are:
“The editors and contributors trust that this volume will encourage members of the Church in Ireland at this time. They take their cue from Pope Benedict, who, quoting Isaiah in his 2010 pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland, asked us to remember “the rock from which you were hewn”. The prophet wrote these words to put fresh heart into the beleaguered Jewish people during their exile in Babylon, surrounded at the time by the trappings and temptations of a powerful foreign culture and already beginning to forget the heritage and faith of their fathers:”
“Pope Saint Paul VI famously said, “The Church needs her eternal Pentecost; she needs fire in her heart, words on her lips, a glance that is prophetic” (General Audience 11/ 29/ 72). I am convinced that the Spirit is already actively at work in Ireland, calling, as in past generations, the “saints next door” and inspiring the charisms that will be needed for a new springtime of growth and abundance in faith.”
“In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter to the Catholics of Ireland addressing the historic scandals, urging the Church in Ireland to take action, while also calling the faithful’s attention to a deeper and more positive legacy that may have been forgotten.”
“This book is a modest response to Pope Benedict’s call to remember our local holy men and women and to seek inspiration from the example of their lives and virtues. Ireland was once known as the land of saints and scholars, but this saintly heritage is not a mere relic of the past. Ireland has a vibrant living tradition of holiness and heroism, extending even up to the present day.”
“This book is a modest response to Pope Benedict’s call to remember our local holy men and women and to seek inspiration from the example of their lives and virtues. Ireland was once known as the land of saints and scholars, but this saintly heritage is not a mere relic of the past. Ireland has a vibrant living tradition of holiness and heroism, extending even up to the present day.”
“Secondly, we wish to draw attention to the lives of certain heroic Irish men and women who show great holiness but for one reason or another do not have an active canonization cause.”
“Our third hope for the book is that it will be a source of good news for a Church sorely in need of it. We are all familiar with bad news within the Church, but bad examples should be abnormal in the Christian life—they are the exception, not the rule. The saints are those who have followed Christ. Theirs is the normal path we should follow; they show us what it truly means to be a Christian. It is those who were faithful to Christ who show us what Christianity means, not those who denied the Gospel by their crimes.”
“Every single person profiled in this book was an ordinary human sinner, with human weaknesses and defects of character just like us. But they were not complacent in their weakness; they strove for holiness, even in the face of setbacks, persecutions, sickness, and their personal limitations.”
“The first step on the road to being declared a saint is a very informal one. A reputation for sanctity on the part of a deceased person develops among the faithful. They recognize the holiness of the person’s life, and they ask him in prayer to intercede for them in Heaven.”
“There are three types of causes: heroic virtues—those who are canonized because of a life of great holiness (for example, Blessed Columba Marmion or Blessed John Sullivan); martyrdom, in the case of those who were killed in hatred of the Faith (for example, the seventeen beatified Irish Martyrs and potentially Father James Coyle); and a third type, recently introduced by Pope Francis—the “offer of life” in which a candidate willingly laid down his life as a “martyr of charity”.”
“Martyrdom is the supreme act of witness a Christian can make to Christ and the Faith. The story of Christianity is, for a great part, the story of martyrdom as men and women, enlivened by their faith, unite themselves with Christ in his sacrifice.”
“The authorities did not see it that way, nor could they see that those who rebelled against the Crown should not also be made to answer for their religion. Many times, those captured in rebellions were interrogated with regard to their Catholic Faith, and it was their refusal to adhere to the new religion that was often the greater cause for concern for the authorities and led to their condemnation and execution. This has created a problem that has to be overcome when examining the cause of Irish martyrs—politics and faith have to be separated.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for the volume. The quotes all come from the first part of the book before we get into the first biography. Occasionally when reading a book I know it will be one I return to again and again. This volume like some of Alice Curtayne’s works on Irish Saints and some of the people in this volume are one I will read and reread the rest of my life.
This is an excellent volume. One any Catholic would benefit from reading. The reader will be challenged in their own faith and action, but also inspired and encouraged. And especially if one is Irish or has Irish heritage this is one that will have a deep personal impact. An amazing volume one I am very thankful to have read. I can easily recommend this book.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!
Books by John S. Hogan:
Edmund Arrowsmith (Saints of the Isles)
A Book of Martyrs: Devotions to the Martyrs of England, Scotland and Wales
Devotions to St Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket Defender of the Church
A Book of Martyrs: Devotions to the Martyrs of England, Scotland and Wales
Devotions to St Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket Defender of the Church
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Books in the Living Fruitfully Series:
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Books by Dr. Patrick Kenny:
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