‘My name is Mary Brown. My family is my life. My faith is my life. When the children were small, all of us, together with their father, would pray together each evening. But now I don’t even talk to them about God any more, because they either laugh at me or become defensive because they think I’m disappointed in them.The other day an old friend of mine in the parish, Tony, who was an altar server for as long as I can remember and is now a eucharistic minister, said to me, ‘You know, Mary, as Roman Catholics we are on the last bus.’ Then he shrugged and added ‘No we’re not, we’re running after the last bus!’He laughed ruefully but I hadn’t the heart to laugh with him. The last bus, a sinking ship – these images grieve me. I feel confused and discouraged and yet keep on, as others keep on. I suppose we are still what used to be called ‘the faithful’. For perhaps it’s true that where there is love, there is God.’The Mass and Mary Brown is a deceptively simple and light-hearted book, easy to read, humorous and realistic. It speaks on behalf of the ordinary Catholic layperson faced with the difficulties of staying loyal in today’s church and today’s society. It is written for the Mary and Joe Browns in our parishes.
Anthea Dove is a grandmother living with her husband in Whitby in Yorkshire. She is a Roman Catholic with a strong commitment to ecumenism and justice and peace. Previous titles: The People of God (McCrimmon), Why Can’t We Stay As We Are? (DLT), Out of the Ordinary (SPCK), One Day for God (SPCK), Beginning with Me (St Paul’s) as well as several Advent booklets for CAFOD.
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