By Fr Chris Hayden
On Sunday 8th May, a new book will be launched at St Patrick's College Maynooth by Bishop Kevin Doran. It is written by Fr Chris Hayden, a priest of the diocese of Ferns who currently serves as Spiritual Director at St Patrick's College Seminary, Maynooth.
'A Better Vision' is about understanding, living and sharing the Catholic vision for human sexuality.
According to Fr Chris: 'This book started out as a series of homilies. The series of homilies was prompted by repeated requests from parents to address some of these issues in my preaching. In a twin sense, this is a parents’ book: it has been catalysed by parents’ concerns, and it seeks to equip parents – and other teachers – for their task of passing on the wisdom of faith to their children. It is the parents who are the experts, the first teachers of their children. For priests, being able to assist in some way is both a joy and a challenge.
On the back cover of the book it states: 'In order to understand Catholic teaching on sexuality as a blessing rather than as a burden, we need to understand not just what the Church teaches, but why. is book is intended to help us do just that. It shows how Church teachings are rooted in a wise and coherent understanding of the human person, and how they can be commended and defended as the lifegiving wisdom they are'.
Respected authors and commentators who endorse the book include Petra Conroy, founder and director of the 'Faith on Fire' movement. She writes: 'A lucid and uplif ing exposition of how the Catholic vision for human sexuality holds its own at the bar of reason. Every teacher, priest and parent should have a copy to hand - and a spare to pass on'.
The Hook of Faith congratulates Fr Chris for this courageous and timely publication that sheds much needed light on a subject at a time of confusion.