The Man in the Attic - Rebecca Cantrell - A Hannah Vogel Short Story

The Man in the Attic

A Hannah Vogel Short Story

Rebecca Cantrell

ASIN B00JCSMT8W

Wow what a great short story. I stumbled across two eBook stories by Cantrell while doing research for a different review. I picked up both this one and On the Train, without reading anything about them. I grabbed them just as a fan of the works of Cantrell I had already read. I could tell based on the covers that they were related and likely related to WWII events. The description of this story states:

“1940, German-occupied Czechoslovakia

A dark shadow lurks near Jacob's village, one dressed in tall black boots and carrying guns. He should listen to his grandfather, give up his childish games and possessions. But when two boys try to take his prize marble, he runs away to his synagogue and hides in the forbidden attic.

There Jacob uncrates a huge, dusty clay man. Could it be the creature from his grandfather's stories, the Maharal's earthen defender of the Jews of Prague? If such legends were true, no one would dare come for his marble—or his village. Legends taught that the statue could be brought to life with a single word to do its master’s bidding. But that was a childish thought, and he should give up childish thoughts. And even if it were true, the legends also told of unintended horrors once that word was spoken to the creature, that word he should not say...”

As soon as the creature in the box was described I recognized it from the St Tommy NYPD books by Declan Finn. A golem is a terrible thing to consider, it is mindless and intent on completing a most literal interpretation of its instructions. In St Tommy they are used for good, in this one things go sideways really quick. In this one a young boy, Jacob, finds one and does now really know what the consequences of his awakening it will be.  

Cantrell does an amazing job building tension, creating terror, and capturing horror in this masterfully written short story. Cantrell was looking for help renaming an older story called iFrankenstein on social media, I had suggested iGolem without even being aware of this story. 

I have now read a few stories by Cantrell over the last few months, prior to that it had been seven years since I read a book by her. Back in 2015 I read a few of the Order of the Sanguines series co-written with James Rollins, that was shortly before a major work project and then a switch in jobs and her works fell off my radar. After reading her excellent collection, Yuletide Thrills, short stories I picked up this and 2 of her other volumes. I now plan to read all of her published works, both those under this name and the two under the pen name, Bekka Black. This is an excellent short story, wonderful written. So I encourage you to pick this up and give it a try, but be warned you might become addicted to Cantrell’s stories and end up with many of her books on your wish list or ‘to be read’ pile. 

Books by Rebecca Cantrell:

Yuletide Thrills

Cigarette Boy and Other Stories

Caulbearer

The Girl Who Would Live Forever

…

Joe Tesla Series:

The World Beneath

The Tesla Legacy

The Chemistry of Death

The Steel Shark

…

Hannah Vogel Series:

A Trace of Smoke 

A Night of Long Knives 

A Game of Lies 

A City of Broken Glass 

…

A Time of Night and Fog (Omnibus Edition)

...

Hannah Vogel Short Stories\Novella’s:

Cigarette Boy

On the Train

The Man in the Attic

…

As Bekka Black:

iMonster Series:

iDracula

iFrankenstein

…

The Order of the Sanguines Trilogy with James Rollins:

0.5 City of Screams

1.0 The Blood Gospel

1.5 Blood Brothers

2.0 Innocent Blood

3.0 Blood Infernal

…

Tucker Wayne Series with Grant Blackwood:

The Kill Switch

War Hawk

…

Malibu Mystery Series with Sean Black:

"A" is for Actress or "A" is for Asshat 

"B" is for Bad Girls 

"C" is for Coochy Coo 

"D" is for Drunk 

"E" is for Exposed 

"F" is for Fred 

"G" is for Groovy 

…

The Way of the Cross According to Mark - Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

The Way of the Cross According to Mark

Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.

Emmanuel Publishing

During Lent in 2022 our parish did On the Way of the Cross with Saint Paul and it was excellent. During research I found that Father LaVerdiere also wrote this Station and also ones according to each of the other three Gospels. I was able to order 1 copy of each from Emmanuel Publishing. This was the second I have done and they are both excellent. I try and pray a Stations each Friday of the year, and I strive to pray a Stations each day during Lent. The stations written by Father Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S., are:

On the Way of the Cross with Saint Paul

The Way of the Cross According to Matthew

The Way of the Cross According to Mark

The Way of the Cross According to Luke

The Way of the Cross According to John

I do not recount encountering the works of Father Eugene prior to that first Stations. But having look at the list of volumes he published I have added several to my wish list. I discovered that Father Eugene LaVerdiere, SSS, was a distinguished lecturer at Fordham University in New York and an adjunct professor at the Catholic Theological Union. He published numerous books and articles, he published works on Scripture are Luke from the New Testament Message series, The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church, and The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark Volumes 1 and He was also the senior editor of Emmanuel magazine. The publishing company that produces this and the other Stations composed by him. The description of this volume is:

“Mark’s Gospel is the story of “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). Mark’s story to Christians who felt certain the end had come was the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross, a journey to new life, an extraordinary new beginning signaled by Jesus’ resurrection. Together in Mark’s Way of the Cross we follow Jesus on his life journey to Golgotha.”

A sample station is:

“Third Station

Leader:

Third Station: Jesus Falls the First Time Cross bearer:

We adore you, 0 Christ, and we praise you.

All:

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

You may be seated.

Leader:

Tradition has it that Jesus fell beneath the weight of the cross, not only once but three times. And well he might have. The sins of the world made for a heavy burden. Those who took up their cross and tried to follow him fell over and over again. But there was a difference. Jesus fell out of physical weakness. The disciples fell from spiritual weakness.

A Pharisee:

He had no respect for our traditions. He healed on the Sabbath. Once, he cured at Capernaum. The crowd was enthralled (1:21-28). When he retired to the home of his disciples, word spread that he had cured Simon's mother, in, law. Something had to be done (3:6). He did not even respect the traditions of the elders (7:1-23).

Simon's Mother-in-law:

I remember the first time he came to our home. He came with Simon, my son, in, law, and Andrew. James and John were with them. I was sick with a fever. He came to me, took my hand and raised me up. With that I began my ministry to them (1:29,3 1). He made our home his home at Capemaum.

Leader:

We thought of him as stricken, smitten by God.

All:

It was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings he endured. - Isaiah 53:4

Please stand.

Leader:

Let us pray.

All:

Lord Jesus,

you fell beneath the weight of the cross,

but you held on to it firmly.

We too fall, like the disciples running away,

like Peter denying that he knew you.

Touch our hearts,

fill us with your love.

May we always hold on to your cross

as we stumble and fa ll.

For this we pray to you, our Lord and Savior,

living and reigning for ever and ever.

Amen.”

I hope that sample station give you a feel for this version of this devotion. This is another excellent stations of the cross. I loved praying it on my own and would greatly enjoy doing it at church with a few different people playing the different roles. And it was just as wonderful to pray and reflect upon it on my own. I look forward to reading the other three stations by Father Eugene and some of his other books. I just wish this and other volumes were available electronically, with my dual form of dyslexia I prefer eBooks so I can change the font, font and page colour to make books more accessible and easier to read.

This is a great resource for personal, family, or parish use. An excellent version of this devotion, I can easily recommend this volume.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! 

For all other reviews of Stations of the Cross click here.

Books by Eugene LaVerdiere, S.S.S.:

A Church for All Peoples: Missionary Issues in a World Church

Acts of the Apostles

Dining in the Kingdom of God: The Origins of the Eucharist According to Luke

Fundamentalism: A Pastoral Concern

Invitation to the New Testament, Epistles II

Luke New Testament Message 5

The Annunciation to Mary: A Story of Faith, Luke 1:26-38

The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark - Volume 1 (Mark 1-8:21)

The Beginning of the Gospel: Introducing the Gospel According to Mark: Volume 2 (Mark 8:22-16:20)

The Breaking Of The Bread: The Development Of The Eucharist According To The Acts Of The Apostles

The Eucharist in the New Testament and the Early Church

The Gospel of St. Luke

The New Testament in the Life of the Church: Evangelization, Prayer, Catechetics, Homiletics

The Psalms

The year of Luke

When We Pray: Meditation on the Lord's Prayer

…

Stations of the Cross:

On the Way of the Cross with Saint Paul

The Way of the Cross According to Matthew

The Way of the Cross According to Mark

The Way of the Cross According to Luke

The Way of the Cross According to John

…

Saint Andrew Patron Saint of Scotland - Lois Rock and Sophie Piper

Saint Andrew: Patron Saint of Scotland 

Lois Rock

Sophie Piper (Illustrator)

A Lion’s Children Book

ISBN 9780745948089

ISBN 0745948081

This is the fourth and final book in this series by Lois Rock I have been able to track down and read. I stumbled across this series while trying to find books on Saint Dewi, Rock has a volume called Saint David Patron Saint of Wales. I enjoyed it so much I tried to track down the other 3 in the series. These books are for young readers, but I have read all four of them and I have love them. Lois Rock who wrote this one also has books on George, Patrick and David. This one I had to order from across the pond, I could not find a copy in Canada. This is a short picture book on Saint Andrew Patron of Scotland, it was originally published in 2005. 

Description of the series is:

“A set of 4 books on the national saints of the British Isles, published simultaneously with Saint Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland; Saint Andrew: Patron Saint of Scotland; and Saint George: Patron Saint of England.”

The description on the back of the book states:

“Read the story of one of Jesus' disciples who became the patron saint of Scotland. Find out about the customs and traditions that are linked to his special day, 30 November.”

It is the shortest description across the four volumes, and does not make reference to the other three. Even though this was a short picture book I highlighted a few passages while reading it. Some of them are:

“According to ancient writings, Andrew went to Greece and Asia Minor and what he said convinced many other people to become followers of Jesus. For this, Andrew was put to death by order of a Roman ruler.”

“Strengthened by God's Holy Spirit, Andrew and the others were soon travelling to countries far and wide, telling people about Jesus: about how to live as friends of God, and about God's promise of new life.”

“An old tradition says that Regulus was allowed to take some of Andrew's remains on his travels. He finally landed in Scotland. On the rugged east coast he set up a monastery. The place where it stood is now called St Andrews. It is a little fishing port - a suitable haven for the fisherman disciple.”

“Over the years, Saint Andrew has become an import ant symbol for Scotland. In 1314, after Scotland's Robert the Bruce had defeated his English enemies at Bannockburn, he declared Saint Andrew the patron saint of his country.”

“In 1385, the Saltire cross on a blue background became the national flag of Scotland. The flag is used throughout Scotland now as a sign of all things Scottish.”

“Andrew is still remembered in churches in Scotland and around the world on his day, 30 November.”

There is also a wonderful Prayer:

“Dear God,

As Andrew recognized that he must follow

Jesus, may we follow what is good and right.

As Andrew kept his faith in time of trouble,

may we not let evil defeat us.

Amen.”

This is another wonderful little volume in a great little series. It would be a great addition to a home, school or church library. It was a blessing to track it down and give it a read and I encourage you to give it a try, I am certain it will inspire and challenge readers of all ages.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Lois Rock:

Saint David Patron Saint of Wales

Saint Patrick Saint of Ireland

Saint George Saint of England 

Saint Andrew Saint of Scotland

…

The Day the Bomb Fell - Johannes Siemes SJ and Bruce Kent - CTS Onefifties

The Day the Bomb Fell

CTS Onefifties Book 5

Johannes Siemes SJ

Bruce Kent

Catholic Truth Society
ISBN 9781784695316

eISBN 9781784695033

ASIN B075FRS9KC

CTS Booklet CL05

Over the last several years I have read over 350 volumes from the Catholic Truth Society. In 2018 during the 150 Anniversary of the CTS they released special editions of 25 of their most popular and influential booklets, they were released as a series called Onefifties. And were released between late 2016 and early 2018 I believe. I have been slowly working my way through them. I have picked up all of them in eBook format. We are told about the series that:

“CTS Publisher Fergal Martin said, “1868 to 2018 we feel is something to celebrate. We have delved into our archives of thousands of titles and uncovered countless gems that celebrate the huge range and diversity of CTS publishing across a century and a half. The CTS archive represents a unique and valuable resource chronicling the changing concerns of the Catholic population of the British Isles and beyond over the last 150 years. There is something original and special here for everybody. Our hope is that readers can dip into the past – and find the present.”

The description of this volume is:

“Here is an eyewitness account, by a German Jesuit, of the atom bombing of Hiroshima. Appended is an account of the Christian peace movement by a well-known activist.

The morality of nuclear weapons and deterrence, and the possibility of “just war”, is still hotly debated amongst Christians.

Fr Siemes’s account of the Hiroshima bombing and its aftermath is remarkable for its level-headed, factual tone; he does not engage in the easy judgements so common in discussing nuclear weapons. All war is horrible, and so-called “conventional” explosives are quite as capable of killing civilians as their nuclear analogues.

Bruce Kent’s text on the peace movement was first published in 1970, at the height of the Cold War. Today our real concerns about security are less likely to involve the arms race and opposed great power blocs than the actions of international terrorists and rogue states. Many sincere Christians still advocate disarmament and the exclusively peaceful resolution of conflict. That other equally sincere Christians reckon them naïve or mistaken does not diminish the value of their witness; nor, however, does the sincerity of that witness tell us, in itself, anything about the value of their arguments.”

This volume is in fact the compilation of two previous released works, the first ais a first hand account of Hiroshima and the second on the concept of peace. The booklets included are:

The Day the Bomb Fell – Johannes Siemes SJ - 1984

Peace is our Problem – Bruce Kent - 1970

The chapters in the second are:

I. Time Runs Out 

II. Christians: Peace And War In History 

III. The Popes and the 2nd Vatican Council 

IV. Fr Dominique Pire O.P. 

V. Suggestions For Action

I did not highlight much my first time through this volume. Those passages I did highlight tended to be longer, they are:

“Up to 6 August occasional bombs which did no great damage had fallen on Hiroshima. Many cities round about, one after the other, were destroyed but Hiroshima itself remained protected. There were almost daily observation planes over the city, but none of them dropped a bomb. The citizens wondered why they alone had remained undisturbed for so long a time. There were fantastic rumours that the enemy had something special in mind for this city, but no one dreamed that the end would come in such a fashion as on the morning of 6 August.”

“At half-past four in the morning we finally arrived at the Novitiate. Our rescue expedition had taken almost twelve hours. Our two wounded were now, for the first time, properly dressed. I get two hours’ sleep on the floor.”

“We have discussed among ourselves the ethics of the use of the bomb. Some consider it in the same category as poison gas and were against its use on a civilian population. Others were of the view that in total war, as carried out in Japan, there was no difference between soldiers and civilians, and that the bomb itself was an effective force tending to end the bloodshed, warning Japan to surrender and thus avoid total destruction. It seems logical to me that he who supports total war in principle cannot complain of a war against civilians. The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences, which far exceed whatever good might result? When will our moralists give us a clear answer to this question?”

“Earl Mountbatten referred to the ‘military menace which would have greatly increased by 2001 A.D. unless brought under control soon.’ Then he made a vital point which is really the object of this pamphlet. ‘Peace’ he said, ‘has become too important to be left to professional statesmen and politicians.’ In other words, the ordinary people – you and me – must stop looking at peace as a specialized job at which only the experts can work. If we want peace and not world destruction, all of us, and especially Christians, have got to do some hard work and some deep thinking.”

“Winston Churchill said long ago of nuclear warfare ‘Mankind is placed in a situation both meaningless and laden with doom.’ But nuclear warfare is not the only kind of warfare. The Jews and the Arabs are so far still fighting with ‘conventional’ weapons. Korea was not fought with nuclear weapons (against the advice of General McArthur). Napalm and C.S. gas may not be conventional weapons, but the Vietnam conflict has killed hundreds of thousands without becoming a nuclear battlefield. Starvation rather than bullets has taken a toll of nearly two million lives in Africa in a non-nuclear war in which, because of arms sales, we were deeply involved.”

“But Christians have or should have special motives in working to remove the curse of war. Every time we go to Mass we say, with the priest, ‘Lamb of God…grant us peace.’ We, who claim to see Christ even in our worst enemies, should be the reconcilers. We should try to earn for ourselves the blessing of the peacemakers promised in the Sermon on the Mount.”

A note on the first piece states:

“The Day the Bomb Fell is the text of the talk given by Father Siemes to the crew of H.M.S. Tyne in March 1946, and taken down in shorthand by a ship’s writer. One of the crew, Robert J. Bloomfield, then a nineteen-year-old stores assistant and now a writer and journalist, kept a copy of Fr Siemes’s talk, and has made it available for publication. 

Fr Siemes died on 6 August 1983, thirty-eight years to the day after the events described here.”

So the date of the first work could in reality be stated as 1946 and thus very fresh to the actual events. It was only published later after the death of Fr Siemes. Both pieces were well worth reading. This would have been a great resource for a course I did many years ago called Peach and Conflict Studies. Either as a primary or secondary source for readings. Both provide different insight and perspective. I am thankful I gave it a read and will likely do so again.

To date I have only read a few of the CTS Onefifties, about a half dozen of the 25 released, but have benefited from each of them, and look forward to reading the remaining volumes. This is a great read and one I benefited from. It would be a good read for almost any Catholic. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! For other reviews of books from the Catholic Truth Society click here.

For all reviews of books in the CTS Onefifties Series click here.

Good Intentions - Karina Fabian - A DragonEye, PI Story

Good Intentions

DragonEye, PI Book 7.0

Karina Fabian

Laser Cow Press

ISBN 9781956489125

ASIN B0C9G1QBHL

I read this volume the day it released. It was so good I almost immediately started reading it again as soon as I finished it the first time. I honestly believe that with each new book I read from Karina Fabian’s masterful pen I am more and more impressed with her writing. To date, I have loved all the books and all the series I have read by her. This new novella is another excellent offering. It was great reading about a story in cold weather during a heat wave, and amid smoke air quality warnings. This is an excellent story! I could not put it down. I picked it up as soon as I saw it was available and read it in a single sitting. I have been reading stories from Karina Fabian since 2008. But in the last three years I have read or reread over 40 books and stories published by her. In that time I have read stories across most of her series, some a few times. I usually read her books and then often listen to them a second time using adaptive technology. My understanding is that this is the order of the series at least at the time of writing this review:

1.0 Murder Most Picante

2.0 If Wishes Were Dragons

3.0 Nun of My Business

4.0 Christmas Spirits

5.0 Greater Treasures

6.0 Siren Spell

7.0 Good Intentions

?.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition)

?.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition)

And the next volume I was expecting was Vern vs Godzilla which has now been renamed Idol Speculations, but alas I must await that intriguingly titled story for a longer period of time. I have the older original eBooks of Magic and Live that I picked up in 2011 and never got around to reading, and to be honest mainly because of the covers. My understanding is they are undergoing a major rewrite, and if they are as good and the seven more recent volumes, they will be well worth the wait. There are a couple of other short stories published in this universe as well:

Of Slings and Feeling Vexed

A Winkle in Time

But back to this story. The description of this book is:

“When a friend of Sister Grace and a champion of the Faerie in the Mundane is found dead, Vern and Grace can’t believe it’s a suicide. As they investigate, they become entangled in a web of love, betrayal, and the worst of good intentions.”

The chapter tiles in Fabians books are often very important, this time they are:

     Suspicious Suicide 

     Brody’s Wake 

     Party-Cashing Politico 

     Death of a Dwarf 

     The Mob at My Door 

     Damant at Death’s Door 

     Cold Under My Scales 

     Fight the Wight 

     The Wrongness of It All 

     The Dirt on Damant 

     Blindsided 

     Dragon on the Job 

     Vengeance Interrupted 

     Good Intentions 

     The Dragon’s a Hero…Again

I knew this story was about to drop from Fabian’s social media, and running a seminar on publishing via the big K. I loved the cover even though I could not put much together from it. But after reading the tail, sorry I mean tale it makes a lot more sense. This story is another mystery for Vern and Sister Grace to solve, and it is personal not only to them but to many of the Fae who have crossed the Gap. Ever since the Gap opened and the Faerie and the Mundane have been learning to live side by side. But some want to limit that or even put an end to it. And it appears they will go to any length to make it happen. But not all things are as they appear. Vern and Grace must be at the top of their game to sort through the false clues, the likely suspect, and prevent a possible riot. All while dealing with their own grief and emotions. 

  

This book is another entertaining read, in a great series. It is an excellent offering from Fabian’s masterful pen. Even if you have not read any of the other DragonEye PI stories I can easily recommend this book to you. I have said it before, and I say it again in many ways it reads like a catholic version of Robert Apsrin’s MYTH series and his Phule’s Company and also the works of Tom Holt. Give this book or the series a try; I am certain you will be entertained. A fantastic read in a great series.   

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan!

Books by Karina Fabian:

Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life
Frightliner

Worlds of FabianSpace A Story Sampler

Jovian Heat

They Also Serve

42 Years of Summer

Marathon to Mordor

...

Rescue Sisters Series:

Discovery

Antivenom 

Moonboy

These Three

Our Daily Bread

Falling Up

Wolf of Mars

Calling on a Bad Day

...

Dex Hollister Series:
The Old Man and the Void
Dex's Way
...

Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator Series :
Neeta Lyffe, Zombie Exterminator
I Left My Brains in San Francisco
Shambling in a Winter Wonderland
…

DragonEye PI Series:

DragonEye PI Novels:

1.0 Murder Most Picante

2.0 If Wishes Were Dragons

2.5 Thanks for the Mummyries

3.0 Nun of My Business

4.0 Christmas Spirits

5.0 Greater Treasures

6.0 Siren Spell

7.0 Good Intentions

8.0 Idol Speculations

9.0 Gapman

10.0 Magic, Mensa and Mayhem (Revised edition)

11.0 Live and Let Fly (Revised edition forthcoming)

... 

DragonEye PI Short Stories:

Of Slings and Feeling Vexed

A Winkle in Time

Perfect Ten

Los Lagos Heat

Ted Talk

...

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem 

Live and Let Fly

Greater Treasures

...

DragonEye PI Original First Editions:

Magic, Mensa and Mayhem 

Live and Let Fly

Greater Treasures

...

Space Traipse Series:
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 1
Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 2

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 3

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 4

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 5

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 6

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 7

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 8 

Space Traipse: Hold My Beer, Season 9 

...

Space Traipse Stories

Doall's Do-Over

…

Madness of Kanaan Series:

(formerly The Mind Over Series)

Madness Bound

Madness Unbound

Madness of Worlds

Madness of Love

…

Edited by: Karina Fabian:
Infinite Space, Infinite God I
Leaps of Faith
Infinite Space, Infinite God II
...

Zach Augustine Series:

Stowaway to Saturn

Escape to Enceleadus! 

…

Nonfiction with Deacon Steven Lumbert:

Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life

There You Are, God! Finding God in the Everyday

...

Contributed to:
Firestorm of Dragons
The Zombie Cookbook
The Book of Tentacles
Twisted Fayrie Tales
FRIGHTLINER: And Other Tales of the Undead
Mother Goose is Dead
Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary
Image and Likeness Literary Reflections on the Theology of the Body
Corrupts Absolutely? Dark Metahuman Fiction
Weird Noir
The Complete Guide to Writing Paranormal Novels
Manifesto UF
Avenir Eclectia
Planetary Anthology: Jupiter
Planetary Anthology: Pluto
Planetary Anthology: Luna
Planetary Anthology: Uranus
FlagShip Science Fiction and Fantasy v2i5
My Little Book of Headdesks
To Be Men: Stories Celebrating Masculinity

Cracked An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories

Overmorrow Stories for our Bright Future

Pilgrim Tales An anthology of fiction by the Catholic Writers Guild 

...

Author Profile and Interview With Karina Fabian

A Walsingham Prayer Book - Philippe Lefebvre and Lawrence Lew O.P

A Walsingham Prayer Book

Philippe Lefebvre (Editor)

Lawrence Lew O.P. (Photographer)

Gracewing

ISBN 9780852448533

This is the second volume I picked up that Father Lawrence Lew O.P. has a part in creating. This one he provided the photographs the other he wrote and provided the photographs, it was: Lenten Devotions Stations and Meditations from the Rosary Shrine. I have also read a couple of books about the shrine at Walsingham and have a great personal interest in it. The first of those was Message of Walsingham The Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham by R.W. Connelly part of the CTS Christian Shrines Series. As soon as I saw that Fr Lew has contributed to this volume I started tracking down a copy. The description of this book states:

“For nearly one thousand years, pilgrims have been finding their way to England’s national shrine of our Lady.

In 1061 in the small Norfolk village of Walsingham, the Saxon Lady of the Manor, Richeldis, received an instruction from the Virigin Mary to build a copy of the Holy House of Nazareth where the Annunciation occured. Here a venerable image of Our Lady was enshrined and began to attract pilgrims from all over Christendom.

Walsingham was one of the four major places of pilgrimage in Europe until the Reformation in 1538 and the destruction of the shrine. However, the restoration of the Slipper Chapel in 1896 marked the return of the pilgrims and today 'England's Nazareth' attracts some 150,000 visitors each year.

This prayer book contains the most popular prayers, litanies and hymns associated with devotion to Our Lady of Walsingham, as well as beautiful colour photographs of the shrine itself. It is ideal for both individuals and groups.”

The chapters and prayers in this volume are:

Prayers:

Our Lady of Walsingham

Prayer of Erasmus

Prayers of Blessing for Pilgrims

Prayer to Mary Queen of All Creation

Prayer at the Holy House

0 Blessed Virgin Mary

A fifteenth-century Prayer

Litany of Our Lady of Walsingham

Prayer at the Feet of Our Lady of Walsingham

Prayer to Our Lady of Walsingham

Our Lady of Ransom

Visit to the Holy Ghost Chapel

Mary Star of Hope

Prayer for England

1hc Mysteries of the Rosary

The Angelus

Salve Regina

Regina Caeli

Hymns:

Walsingham Pilgrim Hymn

In Splendour Arrayed

O Queen of the Holy Rosary

O Mother Blest

Ladye of Walsingham

Immaculate Mary 

I'll Sing a Hymn to Mary

O Mother, dear Mother

Daily, Daily Sing to Mary

Mary of Walsingham

Ave Maris Stella

Hail Queen of Heaven

Lady of Walsingham

Consecration to Our Lady

The beginning of the book gives thanks to Fr David Hartley, Fr Joseph Welch Cong Orat and Fr Noel Wynn SM. In the introduction Fr Hartley states:

“I first came to Walsingham in my teens, as part of a parish pilgrimage, and have been back many times since, to a place that changes little, while my life seems to chat 1ge so much. Walsingham speaks of the eternal, but most importantly the entry into our time and space of the Creator of all. The eternal Word of God was born as a baby in a village to be our Saviour, and here in a small settlement the Saxon Lady of the Manor, Richeldis, received the news that she was to build a copy of the Holy House of Nazareth. Here a venerable image of Our Lady of Walsingham was enshrined, and began to attract pilgrims from all over Christendom. In time the whole village has grown to be a place of encounter with God, at Our Lady's invitation, as she shows us how we can be at home with God because he has made his home with us.

Our individual pilgrimages of life turn out to be part of something so much greater than our family, our parish. Our ups and downs of life and faith are set in a new perspective.

Whether you are on pilgrimage, in Walsingham, or at home, this book will provide prayers and hymns to give shape to your personal prayers, and will inspire you with its beautiful photographs.”

Many of the prayers I was familiar with but a few were completely new to me. Including the Litany and the Consecration to Our Lady of Walsingham

The Litany of Our Lady of Walsingham:

Mary pray to the Lord for us.

Mary, without sin, pray to the lord for us.

Mary, God's Mother, pray to the Lord for us.

Mary the Virgin, pray to the Lord for us.

Mary taken to Heaven, pray to the Lord for us.

Mary at Bethlehem, pray for all mothers.

Mary at Nazareth, pray for all families.

Mary at Cana, pray for all married couples.

Mary at the Cross, pray for all who suffer.

Mary in the Upper Room, pray for all who wait.

Mary model of womanhood, pray for all women.

Woman of Faith, keep us in mind.

Woman of Hope, keep us in mind.

Woman of Charity, keep us in mind.

Woman of suffering, keep us in mind.

Woman of anxiety, keep us in mind.

Woman of humility, keep us in mind.

Woman of poverty, keep us in mind.

Woman of purity, keep us in mind.

Woman of obedience, keep us in mind.

Woman who wondered, remember us to God.

Woman who listened, remember us to God.

Woman who followed Him, remember us to God

Woman who longed for Him, remember us to God.

Woman who loves Him, remember us to God.

Mother of God, be our Mother always.

Mother of Men, be our Mother always.

Mother of the Church, be our Mother always.

Mother of the World, be our Mother always.

Mother we need, be our Mother always.

Mother of the Unborn, pray for all children.

Mother who went on believing, we thank God for you.

Mother who never lost hope, we thank God for you.

Mother who loved to the end, we thank God for you.

All Holy and ever-living God, in giving us Jesus Christ

to be our Saviour and Brother, you gave us Mary, his

Mother, to be our Mother also; grant us, we pray you,

to live lives worthy of so great a Brother and so dear a

Mother. May we come at last to you the Father of us all,

through Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with

you and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace

with you.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Let us pray

Father, give your people the joy of continual heath in

mind and body. With the prayers of the Virgin Mary to

help us, guide us through this life to eternal happiness in

the life to come. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

The consecration is an amazing prayer as well. Both have been added into my daily prayers. This is a wonderful little resource. While it was sitting on my desk my youngest two children ages 15 and 11 both loved it so I have had to order them copies of it as well. 

I am thankful I picked up this volume. And believe it would be a great addition to any church, school, or home library. Like many volumes I have read from Gracewing I absolutely loved this book, I just wish it was available electronically as well. I have a dual form of dyslexia and prefer eBooks so I can change the page colour and font and font colour as well, and my son has eye tracking issues and prefers eBooks. And the added advantage of eBooks is you can have them with you all the time on your phone or tablet. But even without a digital copy this is an excellent little prayer book that I can easily recommend.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2023 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Books by Lawrence Lew OP:

Lenten Devotions 

Mysteries Made Visible 

…

Books with Photographs by Lew:

A Walsingham Prayer Book 

A Short Guide to Praying as a Family

…

Books about Our Lady of Walsingham:

A Walsingham Prayer Book - Philippe Lefebvre and Lawrence Lew O.P

Message of Walsingham - R.W. Connelly - CTS Christian Shrines Series

The Dowry of Mary - Dr Raymond Edwards and Mgr John Armitage - CTS Concise Histories

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Prayer of the Day Our Lady of Walsingham Prayer

Prayer of the day The Litany of Our Lady of Walsingham

Prayer of Erasmus

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