Two Religious from Australia – Fr Gerald Arbuckle SM and Sr Mary Coloe PBVM – have won awards for their recently published books at the Catholic Media Association conference in Portland, Oregon.
New Zealand-born but Australian-based Marist Priest, Fr Gerald Arbuckle’s latest book took out first place in his category at the CMA Awards which recognise the outstanding work of publishers, authors, and book editors that support the faith-filled life of Catholic readers.
Fr Gerald Arbuckle SM.
The book, ‘The Pandemic and the People of God: Cultural Impacts and Pastoral Responses’, published by Orbis Books, was named the winner of the "Future Church" category in the book section of the awards, at the CMA’s annual awards, held in Portland, Oregon, last week.
The judge said the book was timely for the pandemic situation but also held ongoing relevance to the future of the Church.
“I understand the timely decision to connect this wonderful book to a current concern, but it seems to me that this book is about much more than the pandemic", the judge said.
“It would be unfortunate if it was dismissed because of the title. Fr Arbuckle provides a new vision for understanding how to make the “Kingdom of God,” present and alive for new generations. It is a book brimming with hope and the confidence of the creative spirits of the human person who desires to live in solidarity, with compassion, and a commitment to justice.”
Fr Arbuckle is a practical theologian and a Cambridge University trained anthropologist. He is the author of several award-winning books and a consultant on maintaining Gospel values in public and private health systems in North America and Australia. He is co-director of the Refounding and Pastoral Development Unit, Marist Fathers, Sydney.
Australian Presentation Sister Professor Mary Coloe’s first volume of a feminist interpretation of the Gospel of John was also recognised in the CMA Awards, reports Vox.
Professor Coloe’s book, John:1-10, received an honourable mention in the category of Scripture: Academic Studies.
Sr Mary Coloe PBVM.
John: 1-10 is the first of a two-volume commentary on the Gospel of John published in the Wisdom Commentary series with Liturgical Press in 2021.
The Wisdom Commentary series is the first scholarly collaboration to offer a detailed feminist interpretation of every book of the Bible. The 60-volume collection will make the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format to aid preachers and teachers in their advancement toward God’s vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all.
In the introductory commentary, Professor Coloe writes:
“On the world stage women seem to be constantly in the shadows of written his-tory, watching on as if non-existent. Their lives and experience are not worth recording.
“Within the limits of an ancient text that emerged from within a patriarchal social context, I wish to invite women to take their place within the Johannine narrative.”
This article is drawn from articles published by the CMA and Vox, via CathNews.