Books received

Catholic New Times, Dec 18, 2005

Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession by John Peter-Pham, New York, Oxford University press, 368 pp 2004 Unfortunately the timing of this book was less than serendipitous. Nevertheless Pham gives us a Vatican insider's look at papal succession-and papal politics.

Mary Magdalene: A biography by Bruce Chilton, New York, Doubleday, 2005, 220 pp. Professor of religion and priest at the Free church of St. John in Barrytown, N. Y. Chilton, the author of Rabbi Jesus and rabbi Paul sets his critical acumen on Mary Magdalene. Why has the church marginalized her? Chilton probes the history of misogyny in the Church and the ancient world as he attempts a new portrait of the elusive Magdalene.

Henri Nouwen: His Life and Vision by Michael O'Laughlin, Novalis, Orbis, St. Paul University, 2005, 172 pp. A short history of the notes spiritual writer who died in 1996 and who continues to inspire. This gem of a book is beautifully illustrated with 140 photos of Nouwen at various stages of his rich life. Michael O'Loughlin, Nouwen's teaching associate at Harvard has done a superlative job in producing this aesthetically pleasing addition to the Nouwen corpus.

Educating Leaders for Ministry: Issues and Responses by Victor Klimoski, Kevin O'Neil, Katarina Schuth, Collegeville, Minn, 2005, 200 pp. this little book tapped the experiences of nearly 150 educators and administrators over a six year period. Their task was discovering and confronting the difficult pedagogical challenges facing theological education. Particularly valuable are the responses from the wider church.