A new book on Pilgrimage has been launched on line. Holy Faith past pupil, Mary Farrelly, and Holy Faith sister, Vivienne Keely, edited Pilgrim Paths: Journeys of Transformation published by Inter-Disciplinary Press, Oxford. The book grew from a conference on Pilgrimage held in Oxford in July 2014.
Irish related contributions include a sensitive treatment of Seamus Heaney’s ‘Station Island’, by Japanese scholar, Jenny Kwok, who situates the poem in the larger framework of Heaney’s work and the poem’s socio-political context. Eileen Moore Quinn writes on the burial places of infants who died without baptism in rural Ireland. These places were regarded as ‘non-sacred’ and Moore Quinn brings to light the re-sacralisation of these burial sites and the role of the local community in the process .
The present and future are featured in the book. William Plews-Ogan traces the development of some present-day prison inmates in the US who conceptualise their journey through the justice system as a pilgrimage based on the pilgrim-poet in Dante’s Divine Comedy. We see how Dante’s text transforms the experience of inmates helping them to reflect on past decisions, connect with others on the same journey and change the patterns of behaviour which led to their incarceration.
The Gaza Visioning Project is introduced by Ian McIntosh who introduces us to a visioning exercise focussing on pathways to peace and prosperity in the Middle East. Participants ‘stand in the future’, and look back to the present. Employing this technique, the role of pilgrimage as an avenue for the reconciliation of individuals, political factions, states, and religions is explored.
How Do I get the Book?
Go to the publisher’s website at www.inter-disciplinary.net; click on Publications; in the search box type Pilgrim Paths and the details will pop up. There you can view the complete Table of Contents and download the book for 7.95 sterling.
