New book by ex-Athlone friar receives Pope's seal of approval
The latest book by Franciscan priest Fr John O'Brien has earned positive feedback from none other than Pope Francis.
Fr John, who is currently based in Multyfarnham, after previously serving in Athlone's Franciscan Friary for many years, published his book Winter Past: The Spirit of Hope in May.
He sent a copy of the book to the Vatican, and was taken aback to receive a personalised response from Pope Francis recently.
The Pope's letter read: "I am writing to express my gratitude for the thoughtful presentation of your book, Winter Past: The Spirit of Hope, which was kindly forwarded through the good offices of the Apostolic Nunciature in Dublin.
"In a particular way, I appreciate the use you made of the Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti," he added.
"Indeed, it is my hope that all Christ's disciples will discern innovative ways of caring for our common home and thus contribute to the building up of God's kingdom.
"With my prayerful good wishes, I invoke upon you the Lord's blessings of joy and peace," the letter concluded.
Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Fr John said he was "absolutely stunned" when he opened the letter from the Pope.
"I bet (Pope Francis) gets thousands of books, so this was a real honour. I'm humbled - I still can't believe it!" said Fr John.
The author has written numerous books over the years on spiritual subjects, and he said the idea of writing Winter Past: The Spirit of Hope was one he had in mind for some time.
He said the book was a reflection on the theme that: "God lives in each person, so each person is sacred. It's our job to bring out the sacredness of each person, because each person is gifted, not just for himself or herself, but for everybody."
Over the course of the book's seven chapters, Fr John refers to the lives and works of a diverse array of notable people, including the mathematician and philosopher Jacob Bronowski, the artist Andy Warhol, and saints Teresa of Ávila, Charles de Foucauld and Thérèse of Lisieux.
The book's final chapter, Dance Me To The End of Love, looks at the spiritual journey undertaken by singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. Cohen's famous lyric, "There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in," mirrors a theme that appears regularly in Fr John's work.
"Leonard Cohen had a deep spiritual quest. He suffered a lot with depression, drinking too much, and womanising. But towards the end of his life he found a calm. He always wanted to be a writer, and was an accidental pop star.
"He wrote a lovely poem to Our Lady, even though he was Jewish. He said that when he read the Gospels, he could see the figure of Jesus through them.
"Christians have gotten so busy analysing the Gospels that somehow we've bypassed that," said Fr John.
* 'Winter Past: The Spirit of Hope' by Fr John O'Brien is available now from Amazon.com, Just Books in Mullingar, and St Paul's bookshop in Maynooth