Creating the New Man
The Editor

The case of the disappearing male
Paul Hypher
Where have all the men gone? Paul Hypher, who is parish priest of Our Lady and St Ethelreda's in Newmarket, traces the recent decline in church-going and concludes 'for the Church to become a coherent and well-motivated community of belief will require a thoroughgoing restructuring of parish life and priorities'.

What difference does gender make?
Anne Murphy SHCJ
How can we see the recent questioning of the roles of men and women in some sort of perspective? Anne Murphy, who teaches theology at Heythrop College, London, provides a historical context in which to understand them. 'They deserve to be taken very seriously because they have addressed what has clearly been a major issue of the twentieth century.'

Men ministering to me
James Parker
James Parker is a member of a committee that organises annual weekends away for men. Here he describes what happens at these events - and the effects they have on the men attending. He is single and is employed by the diocese of Westminster in a full-time administrative post.

Men behaving badly?
Tina Beattie
Tina Beattie, a mother of four, theologian and author, insists that, in a time of great change, the Church needs to uphold her traditional family values. But 'if the Church is to offer a convincing alternative to the prevalent values of the age, she is unlikely to do so by retreating behind an ever more rigid and authoritarian approach to questions of sexual ethics and lifestyles'.

Men, priesthood and the prodigal father
Angela West
How do the changing roles of men in our society affect our understanding of those who are 'fathers' in the Church? Angela West, author of Feminism and the Mythology of Sin, suggests they might take 'paternity' leave away from the sanctuary and see how the paternal role is led in 'the globalised society, where Christians like others are exposed to its all-consuming forces'.

The Vatican: it's still a man's world
Robert Mickens
The Vatican is very much a man's world. Robert Mickens, who is a journalist working at Vatican Radio, explains how this world works and what the advantages are of a celibate male workforce. But he also wonders about 'the effect this has on the people who work there and the attitudes they form towards the rest of our growing Church and changing world'.

Naaman's message: catechetics in the parish
Christine Dodd
Are there principles we can follow to make our catechetics effective? Christine Dodd is the adult education adviser for Hallam diocese and acting chair for the Committee for Home Mission of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Here she takes the biblical story of Naaman to illustrate some of these useful principles.

Caribbean man
Peter Espeut
Why does the Church in the Caribbean fail to attract more men? Peter Espeut, who is a married permanent deacon and a sociologist, and is on the Faculty of St Michael's Theological Centre, Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica, gives reasons and suggests some solutions.

Teaching another to pray
Nicholas Hutchinson FSC
Nicholas Hutchinson is a De La Salle brother working in prayer ministry. Here he answers a young man's request. 'Teach me how to pray' - and presents his response in the form of a prayer. His advice is applicable to people of all ages and both sexes, but may have particular resonance for men.

A priest in Peru
Michael Garnett
The daily lives of priests are very different. Here Michael Garnett, who was ordained for Westminster diocese in 1965 but has worked in the northern Andes of Peru since 1972, gives an account of one of his days on the job.

Preaching and teaching the Word
Deborah Jones and Tony Philpot
Deborah Jones, our assistant editor, offers some reflections on the Sunday lectionary readings for September, while Tony Philpot, one of our most popular contributors, does the same for the month of October.

Correspondence

Book reviews

Still Flowing - Women, God and Church, by Gillian Paterson
WCC Publications £6.25

REVIEWED BY MARY GREY

Holy Daring: the fearless trust of St Thérèse of Lisieux by John Udris
Gracewing, Fowler Wright, £6.99

REVIEWED BY TIMOTHY J.BUCKLEY CSSR

The Flowering of Mysticism: men and women in the new mysticism 1200-1350 by Bernard McGinn
Crossroad Publishing Co, $29.95

REVIEWED BY RICHARD WOODS OP

A Spiritual Theology of the Priesthood. The mystery of Christ and the mission of the priest by Dermot Power
T & T Clark, £13.33

A Man to Heal Differences. Essays and talks on St Francis de Sales by Elisabeth Stopp
St Joseph's University Press, $15

REVIEWED BY AIDAN NICHOLS OP

Postscript: Saying sorry
Brian Green

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