Psallite Sapienter: The Liturgy of the Hours

edited by Joseph Briody

As the proceedings of the eleventh Fota International Liturgy Conference, held in 2018, this book is a polydisciplinary study of the Church's constant prayer, the divine office or the liturgy of the hours. Touching on its origin and development, it illustrates the manner in which the psalm cursus evolved, the biblical, hagiographical and patristic readings were chosen and adapted for use in the divine office, as well as identifying the principles underlying the various reforms undergone by the Breviary throughout its long history. It shows the importance of antiphons and hymns for the sung office. The role of Sacrosanctum concilium is considered along with some aspects of the post-conciliar reform of the office and the application of the principles established in the conciliar texts.



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Resourcing the Prayers of the Roman Liturgy: Patristic Sources

edited by Joseph Briody

This collection consists of the papers delivered at the tenth Fota International Liturgy Conference, held in 2017.  It is hoped that  Resourcing the Prayers of the Roman Liturgy: Patristic Sources, will help people enter more and more into the Sacred Liturgy as they come to understand its ancient sources and venerable antiquity. A greater appreciation of what we have received brings a stronger realization that the Liturgy is not something we invent. It is something we receive as gift: 'this is what I received from the Lord and in turn pass on to you' (1 Cor 11:23). Indeed it was the will of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council that the rites would 'be restored to the vigor which they had in the days of the holy Fathers.'

Correspondence from the papers of Canon Sheehan of Doneraile 1888-1913
edited by James O'Brien
 This book is a collection of canon Sheehan of Doneraile’s in-coming correspondence drawn from more than half a dozen archival deposits in the United States and in Ireland. While swathes of his papers were destroyed after his death, substantial quantities of material are still extant due mainly to Fr Herman J. Heuser’s preparations for his biography of Sheehan which appeared in 1917. Most of it has not been previously published.

Extending over the period 1888–1913, the book is a pendant to The Collected Letters of Canon Sheehan of Doneraile, compiled in 2013 to commemorate the centenary of the poet pastor’s death.

Verbum Domini: Liturgy and Scripture
edited by Joseph Briody

​Proceedings of the 9th Fota International Liturgical Conference, 2016

The articles of this volume highlight the bond between Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Liturgy. The Liturgy is where Scripture emerges into light. Like the Fathers and saints of the Church we are encouraged to accept the Word, ‘not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is at work in you believers’ (1 Thess 2:13). This volume is an invitation to pray and read Scripture from the heart of the Church and the Liturgy. May this book foster a more intentional and receptive hearing of the Word of God, personally and in the Sacred Liturgy: that the seed which is the Word of God may bear much fruit (Mt 13:23), and that we may acquire more and more ‘the surpassing knowledge of Christ Jesus’ (Phil 3:8).

A Chose Race, a Royal Priesthood, a Holy Nation - Aspects of the Priesthood of Baptism
edited by Joseph Briody

​Proceedings of the 8th Fota International Liturgical Conference, 2015
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This book seeks to provide a depth of insight into the vocation of the lay person in the Church and world. Its aim is to afford a theological, spiritual and pastoral foundation for a more profound understanding of the royal priesthood of the faithful. Hopefully this volume will equip the lay person to take up his or her role confidently in the Church and the world. It highlights the gift and call of Baptism and reveals the Church’s rich vision for the lay apostolate.
In presenting the Church’s vision, this work seeks also to clarify the distinct nature of the priesthood of baptism. It clears the ground for a proper understanding of the complementarity between the royal priesthood of all the faithful and the ministerial priesthood. The teachings of the Second Vatican Council recognized the need for a clear understanding of the ministerial priesthood and how it differs from the common priesthood of the baptized ‘in essence and not only in degree.’
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Publication Date: 29th June

A Diary and History of 1914-1918, World War I. Hardcover – 2015
by Kath Julian (Author)


Veterans of WWI seldom spoke of their war journey. When they did their experience was harrowing. When Kathleen Julian (née O'Sullivan) found the diary of her father, Dan O'Sullivan, veteran of WWI, she realised what a treasure she had in her hands. She embarked on a three year journey of research to give us a rare insight into the logistics of serving in the forces in The Great War. Kathleen's research provides an insight into what the experience was like for the participants, the troop movements, the eight week journey from New Zealand with full battalions on board, the journey to the battlefront at Gallipoli, the months of conflict, the subsequent evacuation, the new expedition to the Western Front in France, the letters home to parents, it gives a fly-on-the-wall view of the life of a WWI soldier. Based on military records, Kathleen gives the dates, the ships, the officers for each of the four men's journeys together with their final return to civilian life in New Zealand. Each journey is accompanied by maps and liberally illustrated by photographs of the war action in which the brothers found themselves. Life in training, strict secrecy, only later to discover two brothers in the same fleet unknown to each other are part of this narrative of the commonwealth forces of the Allies. Truly a fascinating read, Kathleen published the result of her research privately in New Zealand. She has now made it available here - the Irish edition. The O'Sullivan brothers were proud New Zealanders, but they were proud, too, of their Irish and Cork origins. I hope this book will find a place on the shelves of WWI centenary historians and in the homes of many in Ireland who will treasure the research Kathleen O'Sullivan-Julian has done. The Irish family members will be proud to read this remarkable story.
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Marriage and family in sacred scripture - Biblical Foundations for Catholic Teaching 
by Joseph Briody
It is thus becoming a [...] necessity once more to hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person.

Benedict XVI, Caritas in veritate, 44 

Marriage and family in sacred scripture - Biblical Foundations for Catholic Teaching 
by Joseph Briody

with a foreword by Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

  • Series: Smenos Pamphlet Series
  • Softcover:Foreword and introduction  i-x; pages 1-56
  • ISBN 9781910388150
  • Publication date: 14 September 2015

Sacrosanctum Concilium - Sacred Liturgy and the Second Vatican Council 
edited by John M. Cunningham, O.P.

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Sacrosanctum Concilium - Sacred Liturgy and the Second Vatican Council 
Proceedings of the Sixth Fota International Liturgical Conference, 2013


Essays in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the promulgation of the conciliar constitution 1963–2013

Series: Fota Liturgy Series
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN 978-1-910388-14-3 hb
Publication date: 8 September 2015

It is Right and Just! - The Responses of the Roman Missal
by John M. Cunningham, OP

Smenos Publications are pleased to announce what will be a new series of pamphlets on scripture, liturgy, catechesis and ecclesiastical history.

The first in the series "It is Right and Just! - The Responses of the Roman Missal" by John M. Cunningham, O.P the Publication date will be 1 July 2015.

More details to follow.

  • ISBN 978 1910 388136
  • 40 pages
  • Foreword by Card Pell and an Introduction

Agere in persona Christi - Aspects of the Ministerial Priesthood
edited by Mariusz Biliniewicz

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‘Priests (...) by the power of the sacrament of orders, in the image of Christ the eternal high Priest, are consecrated to preach the Gospel and shepherd the faithful and to celebrate divine worship, so that they are true priests of the New Testament (...) They exercise their sacred function especially in the eucharistic worship or the celebration of the Mass by which, acting in the person of Christ and proclaiming His Mystery, they unite the prayers of the faithful with the sacrifice of their Head and renew and apply in the sacrifice of the Mass, until the coming of the Lord, the only sacrifice of the New Testament namely that of Christ offering Himself once for all as a spotless Victim to the Father.’ (Lumen Gentium, 28). The idea of acting ‘in persona Christi’ is an important theological concept developed further and pondered upon in this valuable collection of essays. The question of priesthood is discussed by a pool of acclaimed scholars and analyzed from biblical, patristic, systematic, historical and canonical points of views. The input made during the Seventh Fota International Liturgical Conference is an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the character and essential identity of the ordained priesthood. 

Special  Price:
€25 + Postage & Packaging


  • Series: Fota Liturgy Series
  • Hardcover: 216 pages
  • ISBN-10: 1910388106
  • ISBN-13: 9781910388105


Further details available here

Revisiting Canon Sheehan of Doneraile 1852–1913: Author  •  Activist  •  Priest
 edited by Gabriel Doherty

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This book began as a series of papers read at a two day conference held in University College Cork in April 2013, marking the centenary of the death of Canon Sheehan of Doneraile,  prolific author, activist and priest.  They illustrate two salient features of the life and work of a remarkably gifted and cultured person: The first is the emphasis upon the individual, and the unique nature of personal experience, which  was such a hallmark of his literary output, reflecting many contemporary political, philosophical, literary and religious concerns. The other is the truly international, indeed global, reach of Canon Sheehan’s output, which was catholic as well as Catholic in its appeal. It is difficult to find many other Irish authors of the last century who come even remotely close to this type of international popularity.

Introduction - Gabriel Doherty 
1. Canon Sheehan of Doneraile: A literary life - James O’Brien 
2. Canon Sheehan’s apprehensions about the Ireland of his time - Ruth Fleischmann 
3. The canon of literature and the obstinate quill: Matthew Russell, S.J. and the Irish Monthly - Declan O’Keeffe 
4. The Canon in Germany: the context of his reception - Eda Sagarra 
5. European catholic literature, and the reception accorded to Canon Sheehan in Czechia - Martin C. Putna
6. Sheehan and Heuser: collaborating for the upbuilding of the church - Joseph G. Hubbert 
7. Canon Sheehan’s dystopia: ‘Godless science’ and ‘Survival of the fittest’ - Don O’Leary 
8. Canon Sheehan and the Fenians: history, memory and depiction - John O’Donovan

RRP: Hardback: € 35 + post & package
SPECIAL OFFER
€ 25 + post & package

Further Details available here
BOOK REVIEWS

"The attempt by this excellent publication and the conference that prompted it to claim for Sheehan his rightful place in the pantheon of Irish writers is to be highly commended."

 Irish Catholic 1 March 2015
  J. Anthony Gaughan 
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Celebrating the Eucharist - Sacrifice and Communion
edited by Gerard Deighan

Sacrifice and communion are central concepts in any serious discussion of the Eucharist, but have seldom been without controversy, either in themselves or in relation to each other. The essays in this book, originally delivered as papers at the fifth Fota International Liturgical Conference, seek to re-examine both these aspects of the Eucharist. The authors come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, and the subject-matter is treated from a scriptural, patristic, liturgical, dogmatic, spiritual and canonical point of view. Taken as a whole, the contributions demonstrate not only the historical importance but also the abiding relevance of these essential eucharistic categories. 

Further details available here
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Canon Sheehan of Doneraile 1852-1913 
Outlines for a Literary Biography 
James O'Brien

As a preliminary for a more extensive literary biography, this book traces the broad outlines of Canon Sheehan’s literary oeuvre which encompasses not only novels, for which he is best remembered, but also poetry, essays, lectures, sermons and short stories. It sketches the historical religious and socio-political contexts in which it evolved not only in Ireland but, more importantly, in the wider intellectual world of the Catholic Church in Europe and in the United States during the last decades before the Great War. 

Further details available here
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The Collected Letters of Canon Sheehan of Doneraile 1883-1913
edited by James O'Brien

This collection of the letters of Canon Sheehan of  Doneraile consists of 293 letters, drawn principally from  three  archival sources: the Sheehan papers in the archive of the  Presentation  Sisters, Southern Province; the Russell papers in the  archive of the  Irish Province of the Jesuit Fathers; and the Heuser papers in the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Historical Research Centre,  Overbrook,  Philadelphia.

Further details available here