LETTERS FROM ROME AND BEYOND
Gerald O’Collins, SJ, AC
Paperback, 280 pages
ISBN: 9781922449528
$29.95
June 2021 Release
During more than thirty years of teaching at the Gregorian University
in Rome (1974–2006) and later, Gerald O’Collins, SJ, AC, often wrote to
his family and friends. This volume contains over 150 of his letters.
These letters blend public news of church and state with vivid details
about foreign visitors and new, Italian friends. They enter into a
struggle as professor and dean of theology to update the oldest Jesuit
university, a West Point of the Catholic Church which continues to train
future bishops, cardinals and popes. The letters also vividly describe
what O’Collins did during summer vacations—on lecturing tours that took
him to every continent.
A leading modern theologian, Fr O’Collins has published 76 books that
he has authored or co-authored, including seventeen with Oxford
University Press and four with Connor Court: A Midlife Journey (2012),
On the Left Bank of the Tiber (2013), From Rome to Royal Park (2015) and
Portraits (2019). As well as receiving numerous honorary doctorates and
other awards, in 2006 with Nicole Kidman he was created a Companion of
the General Division of the Order of Australia, the highest civil honour
granted through the Australian government.
‘This is a gem of a book! In this collection of letters, covering
some thirty years in Rome, Gerry’s vibrant faith and warm personality
come to life.’
-- Lord Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury 1991-2002
‘Fr Gerry O’Collins’s delightful letters to his family over many
decades present a colourful kaleidoscope of insights - personal,
ecumenical and theological: here is the indefatigable Jesuit priest at
work in Rome and so many other places across the world, not just
observing the transformation of the churches in the later 20th century
but in such important ways (always genial and compassionate) urging us
forward to deeper union
and mutual understanding. There is so much in these archives that restores hope at a time desperately in need of it.’
-- Rev’d Professor Sarah Coakley, FBA, Norris-Hulse Professor of
Divinity Emerita (University of Cambridge), and Professorial Research
Fellow (Australian Catholic University).
The collected letters of eminent theologian, Fr Gerald O’Collins SJ,
present a wonderfully vivid insight into his life, his teaching and his
writing. From Rome to the USA, from England to Australia, his native
land, we read of the many extraordinary people he met, the warmth of his
wider family life, the depth of his theological insights, his sense of
humour and, above all, his remarkable capacity for friendship at every
level. This is a gripping collection that makes for enjoyable and
inspiring reading.
- Prof Dorothy A. Lee FAHA, Trinity College, University of Divinity
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