Definitive Edition of 'John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language' Increasingly Popular as Beatification Nears; Published by Orbis Books -- Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
Contact: Mike Virgintino, 914-941-7636 ext. 2219
MARYKNOLL, New York, March 7, 2011 /
Christian Newswire/ -- The recent news about the beatification of Pope John Paul II, scheduled for May 1 (Divine Mercy Sunday) by Pope Benedict XVI, has developed renewed interest in John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language.
This third and final edition of the book, originally published just before John Paul's death during May 2003, includes all 14 of his encyclicals and delivers the essence of his influential theology. With a new epilogue, Father Joseph G. Donders reflects on Pope John Paul II's legacy for millions of Christians and non-Christians. Father Donders, professor emeritus of mission and cross-cultural studies at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC, offers complex religious thoughts of Pope John Paul II in a form that can be appreciated by non-theologians.
In his summary of John Paul's first encyclical, Redemptoris Hominis (1979), Father Donders said that the new pontiff can be seen already looking ahead and that the encyclical "outlines his pontifical program."
"He refers to the great jubilee of Jesus' birth [in the year 2000]," continued Father Donders, and that "looking at Jesus Christ we see who we really are."
Father Donders continued: "This is the good news the church has to preach and respect. It is the foundation of our human rights and of our work for justice and human development. It asks for the reimagining and the restructuring of the world as we know it. It is a truth that begs for interreligious dialogue and Christian unity. It is this truth about the human person that indicates the way the church should go."
Writer and commentator Michael Novak has called John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language "the clearest and most readable way that anyone will encounter of presenting the encyclicals of this extraordinary Pope."
John Paul II: The Encyclicals in Everyday Language is available for $28 plus shipping and handling from Orbis Books, the publishing unit of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Visit
maryknollsociety.org and click on "Books."
Founded during 1970, Orbis Books endeavors to publish works that enlighten the mind, nourish the spirit, and challenge the conscience. Orbis seeks to explore the global dimensions of Christian faith and mission, to invite dialogue with diverse cultures and religious traditions, and to serve the cause of reconciliation and peace.
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers is the overseas mission outreach of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, following Jesus in serving the poor and others in need in 26 countries. All Catholics are called to mission through baptism, and Maryknoll's mission education outreach in parishes and schools throughout the country engages U.S. Catholics in mission through prayer, donations, as volunteers and through vocations.
During 2011, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers will commemorate its centennial with a theme of The Gift of Mission – The Maryknoll Journey. These missionaries will celebrate as they continue their journey into the next 100 years to share God's love and the Gospel in combating poverty, providing healthcare, building communities and promoting human rights.
