Staff and friends of Mount St Benedict Centre Library have recommended new resources that expose Australia’s compassionless refugee policies and nurture peace through song.
Something to read…
No Friend But the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani (translated by Omid Tofighian) (book, 2018).
We recommend reading this newly published and powerful book – a first-hand account of life in Manus Prison. The book, written in Farsi by Kurdish journalist and poet Behrouz Boochani on a mobile phone and smuggled as thousands of texts off Manus Island, intimately details the conditions on Manus and the devastatingly cruel effects of imprisonment. A must-read for all Australians.
Something to watch…
Chasing Asylum by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Eva Orner (DVD, 2016).
This confronting documentary is selected for its graphic disclosure of the deprived conditions suffered by vulnerable people seeking asylum in Australia. Filmmaker, Eva Orner, with unprecedented access to detainees and workers on Manus Island, exposes Australia’s compassionless refugee policies. We witness their agonising stories of persecution and the debasing reality of their existence – all sanctioned by our government, and actively hidden from the Australian people. Chasing Asylum, the book, by Eva Orner, is also available.
Something to listen to…
Deep and Lasting Peace by Michael Joncas (CD, 2018) – recommended by Elizabeth Brennan SGS.
Deep and Lasting Peace is a new collection composed by Michael Joncas over the last five years. While some of the hymns are cathedral style, there are pieces that a Sunday congregation or a prayer group would be enthusiastic about including in their worship. Two such hymns are: “Deep and Lasting Peace”, a prayerful hymn for Communion, and “A Place Called Home”, to a familiar tune, “Finlandia”, by Sibelius. The texts and the music of the whole album are worth exploring.
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If you’d like to see the full list of new resources available at Mount St Benedict Centre Library, download the Library’s October 2018 newsletter here.
The Library is located within the Mount St Benedict Centre in Pennant Hills, Sydney. A ministry of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, the Centre is a place of spirituality and formation. In an environment of peace and beauty, the Centre offers hospitality, education and support for life’s journey by sharing its Benedictine traditions and resources.
Mount St Benedict Library carries a diverse collection of contemporary resources specialising in the areas of spirituality, scripture, contemplative prayer and meditation, liturgy, and is home to a significant collection of resources in the area of Benedictine studies.
The Library supports the congregation in its commitment to community life, prayer, justice, hospitality and compassionate service. It also welcomes members of the public and supports them in their spiritual journey to stimulate thinking, expand perspectives and nourish the soul.
You can access these resources as a member of the Library. Cost is $35 per year. Please contact the Library if you would like to borrow resources or become a member.
Phone: (02) 8752 5395
Email: msblib@goodsams.org.au
Website: http://msblib.goodsams.org.au
