Steal my Bible will ya??

Blog readers of a delicate nature should turn away now....

From the Guardian...

A group of Franciscan friars furious at the theft of bibles from their church in Florence have taken the unusual step of praying for the thief to be struck down by diarrhoea.

Friars at the 15th century church of San Salvatore al Monte, which was a favourite of Michelangelo, were irritated when a rare and expensive bible disappeared from the lectern, and they flew off the handle when a replacement bible donated by a worshipper also went missing and within a few hours.
In a note, pinned up in full view of worshippers, the friars say they hope the thief sees the error of his ways. But in case he does not, they add: "We pray to God that the thief is struck by a strong bout of the shits." This turn of events will, they hope, "encourage him to carry out no further thefts".

Described by La Stampa newspaper as "the product of the Tuscan ability to be ironic about anything", the note and its unorthodox request will be forgiven, claim one of the friars. "It is not exactly clean language," the friar said, "but we couldn't put up with it any longer. The Lord and the faithful will understand."

Interior of San Salvatore al Monte

Now there's a proper group of biblenerds if there ever was one!

Senior Cycle Religion-The Inner Circle

For any teachers getting ready to return to work next week, make sure to get a copy of the workbook for the Senior Cycle religion book The Inner Place which has just been published by Veritas. I'm going back to school (literally) next week, to teach Senior Cycle Religious Education (i.e. there's no exam in the subject but it's taught as part of the commitment of the school to its ethos) and to train to be a fully qualified second level teacher. There may be a bit of slant to my posts in the next year!

The workbook contains worksheets to encourage students to explore further the ideas and concepts which are presented in the textbook and as any teacher of a non exam subject will attest, we need all the resources we can get!

According to the website blurb "there are also many suggestions for project work which will enrich the students’ involvement in the religion class and encourage further reflection on what is being presented." A mere €4.99 (plus €1.50 handling fee) it's well worth the investment. I'll let you know how it works out!

Resources for "Mary"

Published here with the kind permission of Intercom (subscribe today!!)

In honour of the Feast of the Assumption on August 15^th it is useful to look at some websites that offer helpful resources on Mariology and the various feast days associated with the Mother of Jesus.

The BBC website is always an excellent starting point for any theme which you wish to explore. The website here gives the history of the Feast of the Assumption and the teachings of the Vatican on the Assumption. The layout and text is simple and straightforward and would be a useful teaching tool and basis for further inquiry and study, which can be found on the various articles on the Feast of the Assumption and Mary on the website of the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

The website of the The MarianLibrary/International Marian Research Institute in Ohio and this Mary Page offers resources covering a wide range of materials.  Information is provided on recent bibliography, references to Mary on magisterial documents, and gives access to the data files of the Institute on all aspects of Marian studies, such as Scripture, the Liturgy, Mary through History, the special relationship between Mary and women, Mary in ecumenism and World Religions such as Asian religions and Marian devotions. Make sure to have a look at the contemplation on a fifteenth-century Greek Orthodox icon as a reflection on the Feast of the Assumption.

The website of Loyola Press, the Jesuit publishing company provides excellent resources on various Marian themes and is a great starting point for anyone who wishes to increase their understanding and prayer life. The site provides a downloadable PDF book on the life of Mary, information on Marian Celebrations and Feast Days, guidance on praying the Rosary and some meditations on the Rosary itself. There are also various Marian prayers and some helpful articles on Mary in Scripture, the Holiness of Mary and the Immaculate Conception. There are also links to the large variety of books the publishers have available, from those which would be helpful to younger children, to those who wish to follow a more in-depth study.

The website of the publication Scripturefrom Scratch hosts an article by Daniel W. Casey, Jr., is Professor of Biblical Interpretation at the Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies. It is a very accessible piece on the “Magnificat" and would be an excellent resource for either personal information or for use in the classroom.