PUBLICATIONS

At the age of 96 (in 2018), Fr Ed Wood is the oldest living member of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation in Australia. He made his first profession in 1953 and was ordained a priest in 1958. Since that time, he has served in most of the Congregation’s leadership roles in Australia, and devoted many years of his religious life to teaching seminarians in Australia and Asia. He is the author of over two hundred publications, ranging from pamphlets, booklets and novenas to prayer reflections and courses of religious instruction. The Eucharist: A Few Reflections presents in a single booklet eight of Ed Wood’s reflections on aspects of the mystery of the Eucharist. The text is instructive and spiritual, ideal for quiet reading and prayer before the Eucharist.

Available for purchase in the narthex of St Francis’ Church, Melbourne.

A Guide to St Francis’ Church is the perfect souvenir of your visit to St Francis’ Church and makes an ideal gift for anyone who loves St Francis’ Church or wishes to learn more about the building. This comprehensive booklet contains over one hundred colour photographs depicting all of the main features of St Francis’ Church. The text includes a brief history of the church, descriptions of the major sections of the building, and a detailed guide to the magnificent decorative scheme in the Ladye Chapel.

Available for purchase in the narthex of St Francis’ Church and at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

Like Jesus, the late Fr Pat Negri SSS (1935-2016) preached through stories. Love deserves a return of love presents a selection of inspirational homilies given by Pat Negri between 1980 and 2015. These finely crafted homilies are rich in wisdom, love and spiritual guidance, never long or boring, and always relevant to the teachings of Christ, the Church, and the complexities of modern life. This selection compiled by Anne McLeish focuses on social justice themes and features paintings from Pat’s final art exhibition Abstract Icons (2015).

Available for purchase at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

In 1949, a seriously ill Melbourne woman was spontaneously cured after a novena of prayer at St Francis’ Church requesting the intercession of Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868), the founder of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation. Her cure was later accepted by the Catholic Church as one of the authenticated miracles that led to Eymard’s canonisation as a saint in 1962. The event was hailed as the first time that the Catholic Church had officially recognised a miracle in Australia. The Melbourne Miracle documents the history of the local miracle that is associated with St Francis’ Church and the Blessed Sacrament Congregation in Melbourne.

Available for purchase in the narthex of St Francis’ Church and at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Novena Booklet presents a nine-day series of reflection and special prayer requesting the intercession of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. St Peter Julian Eymard strongly promoted devotion to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. For each day, the novena contains a spiritual reflection and prayers to Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament. The booklet also includes the text of Mass readings for the Feast of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament (13 May).

Available for purchase in the narthex of St Francis’ Church, Melbourne.

Pat Negri (1935-2016) was a priest of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation in Australia for over sixty years. His ministry included preaching, teaching, broadcasting, retreat giving, and provincial leadership and administration. He taught at leading theological colleges and his writings on religious art and liturgy were widely published in scholarly journals. In 1990, Pat Negri was awarded a Doctor of Theology Degree at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California for a thesis on the spiritual significance of the art of the Abstract Expressionists. As an artist himself, he held many successful exhibitions and was the recipient of major public and private commissions. P. Negri: A Retrospective explores the creative journey of Pat Negri through his art, his words, and the reflections of others. This beautiful book is an ideal gift for anyone interested in the life and work of one of Australia’s finest religious artists.

Available for purchase at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

St Peter Julian Eymard: A Passionate Apostle of the Eucharist is a brief biographical sketch of St Peter Julian Eymard with particular reference to his spiritual vision and insights, the nature of his life’s work, and his teachings on the Eucharist.

Available for purchase in the narthex of St Francis’ Church, Melbourne.

St Peter Julian Eymard: Apostle of the Eucharist Novena Booklet presents a nine-day series of special prayers requesting the intercession of St Peter Julian Eymard. For each day of the novena, the booklet includes biographical notes relating to stages in Eymard’s life.

Available for purchase in the narthex of St Francis’ Church, Melbourne.

On All Saints’ Day in 1929, five priests and two brothers assumed the pastoral care of historic St Francis’ Church in the middle of Melbourne. The seven men came from Canada and the United States. They were members of the French Catholic religious order known as the Blessed Sacrament Congregation. The Road to Emmaus is the story of these men and their successors in Australia.

‘One of the most comprehensive accounts ever published about the life and times of a religious institute in this country . . . a fascinating, even enthralling story.’

— MICHAEL COSTIGAN, CATHOLIC WEEKLY

‘The publication of The Road to Emmaus marks a turning point in the writing of religious history in Australia. This is a serious affirmation, but I make it as such. We have had some first class histories of religious orders in Australia, but this is something more than that . . . I cannot recommend it highly enough . . .’

¬— FRANCIS J. MOLONEY SDB, AM, STD, D PHIL (OXON), FAHA

Available for purchase at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne and St Peter Julian’s Church, Sydney. Also available by mail order (plus postage) from the Blessed Sacrament Congregation Provincial Administration, PO Box 229, Kew East, Victoria, 3102. Tel. (03) 9859 0888.

Take a Tour is a self-guided tour brochure which identifies many of the major features in and around St Francis’ Church. It includes a brief history of St Francis’ Church and a map of the building. Visitors interested in detailed information should purchase a copy of A Guide to St Francis’ Church.

Available free of charge in the narthex of St Francis’ Church and at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

In response to the call of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) for the renewal of religious life, members of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation sought to rediscover the original inspiration and charism of their founder St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868). After many years of exhaustive examination, the Congregation’s Constitutions were reinterpreted and redrafted as a modern Rule of Life that remains faithful to Eymard’s teachings. Approved by the Holy See in 1984, the Rule of Life is a prayerful and practical guide to the spirituality, mission, and governance of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation today.

Available for purchase at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

Jo Dirks entered the Blessed Sacrament Congregation in 1960 and was ordained a priest in 1969. His service in the Congregation’s houses in New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria has included many years as a community leader and several terms as provincial leader. In The Surprise of Walking, Jo takes readers on a poetic journey along the Way of St James in western France and northern Spain – the Camino – which Jo walked in 2007. This delightful publication also includes poems on other subjects and watercolour illustrations by Jean Duboc.

Available for purchase at reception, St Francis’ Pastoral Centre, Melbourne.

Eucharist: The Basic Spirituality is an online e-book written by Fr Frank O’Dea SSS, formerly spiritual director of the Life in Eucharist (LITE) program of eucharistic evangelisation in Australia. Published as a website, Eucharist: The Basic Spirituality presents contemporary eucharistic theology in a comprehensive and scholarly text that is readily accessible to lay people and general readers. The book draws on a wide range of sources, including the original teachings Jesus gave us in the gospels, the authentic teachings of the Church, and research and insights offered by modern and ancient writers on the Eucharist. It is rich in anecdotal material, featuring contemporary accounts of over thirty people who were interviewed about their personal experience of the Eucharist. For all who seek their spirituality in the Eucharist — including lay people, parishes, pastoral associates, students, teachers, and many others — Eucharist: The Basic Spirituality will prove a valuable resource.

Available free online at: theeucharist.wordpress.com

Eymardian Places website is an online information source for pilgrims, potential pilgrims, and anyone wanting to discover the places associated with St Peter Julian Eymard in France. The website features pilgrimage sites, maps, images, slideshows, videos, information links, pilgrimage reports, tourism links, and automatic translation. Rare film footage of Eymard’s canonisation ceremony is available on the site, and scholars and other interested readers may access the complete digital texts in English of The Life and Letters of Saint Peter Julian Eymard (six vols, transl. Sr Catherine Marie Caron, digital edn, 2010). The site also includes language translation.

Available free online at: eymardianplaces.com

St Peter Julian Eymard: Eymard’s Legacy and Literature is a website exploring St Peter Julian Eymard’s writings and legacy. Fr Anthony McSweeney’s essay The Eymard Legacy and its Transmission traces the complex history of the publication of St Peter Julian’s writings and the story of the saint’s evolving personality, spirituality and understanding of the mystery of the Eucharist. A comprehensive bibliography compiled by Christabel Wescombe reveals what scholars and critics have said about St Peter Julian in over a century of scholarly literature represented in more than 2,000 books, articles, and reviews, many in print and electronic formats. Ongoing commentary on St Peter Julian is featured in a regularly updated What’s New section. The site also includes language translation.

Available free online at: stpeterjulianeymard.com