Among the new titles from CTS for Summer 2013 comes a collection of the words of the Holy Father during his first days as bishop of Rome, in First Addresses of Pope Francis.

They include the first Urbi et Orbi given by Pope Francis from the central Loggia of St Peter’s Basilica; his Audience with the Media Representatives; First Angelus Address; homily during the Inaugural Mass on the Feast of St Joseph; Homily during Palm Sunday Mass, Good Friday: Way of the Cross at the Colosseum; Homily during the Easter Vigil on 30 March.

First Addresses of Pope Francis has an insightful 2,500 word Introduction by leading Catholic journalist, writer and broadcaster, Peter Jennings, Press Secretary to the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham, which captures the immediacy and excitement of the historic election of the first Pope from Latin America, the first Jesuit Pope, and the first to take the name Francis after St Francis of Assisi.

Archbishop Bernard Longley gave an enthusiastic welcome to the publication. He said:

“I congratulate the Catholic Truth Society on the imagination and understanding that it has shown in gathering together the First Addresses of Pope Francis delivered by the Holy Father during the first two months of his pontificate. They offer us the earliest indications of Pope Francis’ priorities and his sense of the Church’s mission. They also give us uplifting insights into the humanity and spirituality of our new Holy Father.

This little booklet will always be a memento of the early days of Pope Francis’ ministry and will encourage us to pray for the Holy Father as he serves the Church with such a generous heart.”

H E Nigel Baker, British Ambassador to the Holy See, also added his praise for the new booklet saying:

“Much, already, has been written about Pope Francis. We all think we know him. This booklet encourages us to step back from the commentary and return to what Pope Francis actually said in the first few weeks of his Pontificate. One of the things I have learned since taking up my appointment as Ambassador to the Holy See is that everyone has an opinion, but few take care to study the original source.”

Read an extract from the booklet First Addresses of Pope Francis, and order online from CTS for just £2.50.

Of related interest:

	Pope Francis Biography -Amidst the many media reports on the newly elected bishop of Rome and his possible effect on the Church, it is easy to lose sight of who he is and where he really came from. This booklet gives you the facts
	Francis: Pope of a New World – Who is Pope Francis, elected in one of the shortest conclaves in history? Who is the man chosen to be the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope?
	Pope Francis Poster (A3) – One large poster perfect for your home, parish or school. With a golden border and the new Holy Father’s coat of arms included on it. Printed on excellent quality paper, finished beautifully and specially packed in a tube, it is a great way to show your support and affection for our new Pope.

At an event at the Centre for Youth Ministries in Oxford UK earlier this week, a new booklet for young people was presented by one of its authors James Kelliher.

With World Youth Day just around the corner, many young people around the United Kingdom are waiting in great anticipation to see Pope Francis at this year’s event which takes place in Rio. One of these young people, James Kelliher, happens to be currently living in Brazil and volunteering in the offices of the World Youth Day organisers.

Alongside all the internal and external offices communications, general office admin, and networking linked to World Youth Day, James has also been working on this new booklet containing stories and testimonies of pilgrim’s experiences at World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011. When asked how the idea came about in producing a Catholic Truth Society booklet about World Youth Day, James said:

“Madrid was such an amazing experience for myself and many other young people, I therefore wanted to share these stories with the greater Catholic community. It has been a long process in the making, yet I am really happy with the outcome and hope many will enjoy the read.”

Archbishop Vincent Nichols who happened to write the forward of the booklet and to have endorsed it, was present at the Centre for Youth Ministry on Tuesday evening and congratulated James on his determination and act of faith in putting this resource together.

The 72 page booklet can be ordered directly from CTS, and will be a great resource for all pilgrims preparing for this year’s event as well as those who want to reminisce on what they experienced in Madrid.

Read an extract of, and order World Youth Day – Inspiring Generations, by James Kelliher, Paula Mendez and Jo-Anne Rowney from CTS priced £2.50.

Of related interest:

	World Youth Day Bundle 2013 -Designed to be squeezed into the bags of pilgrims going to the World Youth Day in Rio in July, this pack is crammed with indispensable material. From a small biography of Pope Francis, to prayer books for the journey, all at a very special price.
	Be Firm in your Faith – Pope Benedict’s homilies and addresses from World Youth Day 2011, Madrid.
	YouCat Prayer Book – A special prayer book for young people from the same team who wrote the internationally bestselling Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, YouCat.

A national Bible conference held at the historic venue of Ushaw College, near Durham, has been affirmed as beginning a potential ‘sea change’ in the Catholic Bible apostolate in England and Wales.

Bishop Peter Brignall (Wrexham) and member of the Bishops’ Conference Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis, attended the Word of the Lord conference, 24 – 26th April, along with more than 70 delegates from across England and Wales. He commented:

“This gathering is the first of its kind in a generation. The Word of God lies at the heart of Catholic life and initiatives such as this conference are pivotal to encouraging others to read, study and pray with the Scriptures. The conference is one of a series of bible-focused initiatives that have been generated by a new working group established by the Bishops’ Department for Evangelisation and Catechesis in partnership with Bible Society. It’s hoped that more and more people will receive the invitation to listen to and proclaim, through many different means, God’s Word, which is the Word of Life.”

Other contributors to the conference included Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, former Master of the Dominican Order worldwide and Dom Henry Wansbrough of Ampleforth Abbey, one of the leading Catholic Scripture scholars in England and Wales.

Among many speakers was Group Chief Executive of Bible Society, James Catford, who was presented with an icon of Saint Mark in appreciation of the assistance provided by the Society to organise the conference. He said:

“This conference represents an exciting next step in our journey together with the Scriptures. The themes of the conference have challenged us to consider afresh how we pass on God’s word in the written scriptures, through the Arts and through the witness of our lives. It has been a timely invitation to ‘be the word’ for others.”

One of the highlights of the conference was the launch of a new study guide, entitled The Word of the Lord, produced by the Department and published by the Catholic Truth Society.

The guide is designed to assist reading of Pope Benedict’s Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini which was issued in response to the Synod of Bishops on the Bible held in Rome in 2008. Delegates also visited Durham Cathedral and prayed at the tomb of the Venerable Bede, doctor of the Church, and patron of Scripture scholarship in these lands.

Fr Adrian Graffy, who helped write the guide, said:

“The whole event was so energising. The delegates were so positive and the speakers excellent. In the Year of Faith it was an opportunity to deepen our appreciation of Scripture at the heart of the Church in this country and to make plans for the years ahead.”

Word of the Lord – Discovering ‘Verbum Domini’ is available from CTS priced £4.95

Of related interest:

	The Gift of Scripture -The Bishops of England and Wales, and of Scotland, in their teaching document The Gift of Scripture, build on Dei Verbum and subsequent Church teaching.
	Understanding the Story of the Bible – In order to recover our sense of the narrative as a whole, we need to understand Salvation History as the true history of the world, from creation and fall to salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ,leading to eternal happiness in God.
	Desire & Delight – This book examines the joys and pleasures of the Christian life through the Song of Songs and the Psalms. These two ancient books, contain some of the most poetic and gorgeous imagery of the whole bible, and are simply explained in this text..

“O blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England thy ‘Dowry’ and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee it was that Jesus our Saviour and our hope was given unto the world; and He has given thee to us that we might hope still more.

Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother. Intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the supreme Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son.

Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith fruitful in good works we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee, in our heavenly home. Amen.”

Please, remember to pray for Pope Francis today as well. Before he became bishop of Rome he was called Jorge Mario Bergoglio, so today is also his sant’s day!

The new biography of Pope Francis will be published on 30th April. Below you can read the first chapter.

In the first extract, expert Vatican watcher Andrea Tornielli recounts the historic moments of Cardinal Bergoglio’s election and his first days in office.

The second takes us back to the future Pope’s childhood.

Francis: Pope of a New World is available to pre-order from the CTS priced £14.95.

N.B: U.S customers can purchase this title from Ignatius Press.