'A Worldwide Heart' -- A Biography of Father John J. Considine, a Mission Promoter and Maryknoll Legend; Published by Orbis Books - Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
MARYKNOLL, N.Y., July 15, 2013 /
Christian Newswire/ -- "A Worldwide Heart" is more than a book about the life of Father John J. Considine, a tireless mission promoter and a Maryknoll priest. It is the story that opens a fascinating window onto the wide spectrum of the Catholic missionary movement throughout the 20th century.
Born on October 8, 1897 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Father Considine joined Maryknoll as a teenager. Until his retirement during the 1970s, he served mission and his church as a researcher, promoter, organizer of Catholic missions and support institutions, innovator in communications and a mission scholar. He served the cause of mission despite never serving overseas in a mission assignment.
As the first director of the bishops' Latin American Bureau, Father Considine played a key role in promoting U.S. mission to Latin America during the 1960s. Today, Maryknoll and other mission organizations of the Catholic Church continue to serve millions of people throughout the region. Father Considine was ahead of his time in promoting a post-colonial view of mission, and he was an early proponent of World Christianity, racial justice, and the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people.
"A Worldwide Heart" offers the first critical assessment of Father Considine's life and his contributions during a turbulent and dynamic period in the history of the modern church. Written by Robert Hurteau, a former member of the Maryknoll Society and a past missioner in Peru, the book explains that the priest's career of traveling the world allowed him to engage people in conversation while studying their life situations and their relationships to Christ and the church. Father Considine remained convinced, according to the author, "that most of what he had learned in those conversations carried significance for any member of the church--or even for any human being."
Mr. Hurteau earned a doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Currently, he is the director of the Religion and Spirituality Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
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. Learn more at www.orbisbooks.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/orbisbooks.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers follow Jesus in serving the poor and others in need in 28 countries that include the U.S. All Catholics are called to mission through baptism and confirmation, and Maryknoll's mission education outreach in parishes and schools throughout the country engages U.S. Catholics in mission through vocations, prayer, donations and as volunteers. Maryknoll missioners share God's love and the Gospel in combating poverty, providing healthcare, building communities and promoting human rights. For more information, visit the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers at maryknollsociety.org and follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/MaryknollNews.
