CONTENTS
July 2002

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How has Catholic identity changed in recent years? Micheal Hornsby-Smith, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Surrey, examines the changes but then ponits to the challenge of evangelising a society which has shifted from modernity to postmodernity. Only after listening can dialogue begin.
Chrys McVey is an American Dominican who has spent forty years working in Pakistan. He was on home leave in the States when the events of 11 September happened. Here he gives the reflection of an outsider, but he insits we need to discover what the appropriate Christian response might be in a world that has changed simce 11 September
Rob Esdaile, who is a priest of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton and Roman Catholic chaplain to Sussex University, draws on some personal experiences to explain why he has discovered that disillusionment is not a bad thing but in fact an essential step on the path to salvation.
Joanna Lumley is one of Britains best-known and most popular actresses. What she is less well known for is her passion for a more compassionate treatment of animals, particularly farm animals. She sees this as an issue in which the Church could take a lead as we are still at the beginning of a long road.
Do artistic images help or hinder in explaining Christianiy to children? Vivien Northcote, who is a deaconess in the Church of England and author of a book on using art in religious education, shows how images can cause confusion and urges instruction about the history of Christian images to be an essential part of the religious education curriculum.
Many parishes have St Vincent de Paul societies. Fergus Kelly, who is a member of the Congregation of Mission (Vincentians) and national spiritual director to the St Vincent de Paul Society, describes the life of the great saint who inspired the charitable work the society does. Vincent was a diocesan priest in seventeenth-century France who heard the cry of the poor for food food for the body and food for the soul.
Canon Peter Turbitt is the parish priest of St John Vinney, Wantage, in the Portsmouth Diocese. Here he offers some reflections on the lectionary readings for the Sundays and Solemnities of August.
How can couples be prepared for the commitment of marriage today? Marriage Care holds some of the answers, as Ann Knowles Foster explains. Ann is Area Manager with Marriage Care in the North West and responsible for Marriage Support, which includes marriage preparation work. She is a former editor of The Universe and recently moved with her family to live in the Leeds Diocese.
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