Literary / Arts
Ottawa Parish Reflects Phoenix Project Values and Direction
Patrick Jamieson, Victoria
Volume 33 Issue 1, 2 & 3 | Posted: March 28, 2019
Book Review of I have Demons By Christopher Adam
Iguana Books, Toronto 2018
115 pages ISBN 978-1-77180-300-7
The author serves as parish coordinator of St. Joseph’s Oblate Parish, Ottawa which has a inner city pastoral ministry to the denizens of that zone. As such his characters in this collection of three short stories reflect the sort of preoccupations and focus of people one might encounter there.
A jaded young cleric encounters a man with a terrible secret, a lonely pensioner spends a memorable Thanksgiving affected by a local diner. A small town university graduate seeks encounter with the divine.
Dialogically driven these narratives reflect themes of the quotidian of life and the difficulties of meaningful conversations around the inner experience of life.
Book Review of I have Demons By Christopher Adam
Iguana Books, Toronto 2018
115 pages ISBN 978-1-77180-300-7
The author serves as parish coordinator of St. Joseph’s Oblate Parish, Ottawa which has a inner city pastoral ministry to the denizens of that zone. As such his characters in this collection of three short stories reflect the sort of preoccupations and focus of people one might encounter there.
A jaded young cleric encounters a man with a terrible secret, a lonely pensioner spends a memorable Thanksgiving affected by a local diner. A small town university graduate seeks encounter with the divine.
Dialogically driven these narratives reflect themes of the quotidian of life and the difficulties of meaningful conversations around the inner experience of life.
Part 2
Christopher Adam
christopherpeteradam@gmail.com
www.christopheradam.ca
The Editor: I have had the opportunity to read a few print issues of your insightful publication and I am now enclosing my subscription… Island Catholic News fills such an important and large gap in Canadian Catholic journalism – your prophetic voice and angle is very much needed.
Please find attached my recent work of literary fiction, I Have Demons. The thoughts and philosophies of two 20th Century Christian/Catholic authors Margaret Laurence and Graham Greene have influenced my thinking in the writing and this is most evident in the title story.
In light of abuse within the church, one of my intentions is to create a narrative readable to a broader audience and to present a more nuanced protagonist as priest figure.
The main character Father Solomon is in his own way like everyone, flawed but is also someone with a deep sense of pastoral response as he struggles with a difficult situation.
Over the years my involvement in Catholic parishes has shown me that many priests will endeavour to reach out pastorally, occasionally even prophetically, to people who come to them.
Hoping you enjoy my book, and all the best with your work editing ICN…Christopher Adam
Part 3
Walter Hughes
waltathome@hotmail.com
Hi Pat:
This morning Christopher Adam approached me at mass because I was mentioned in your most recent issue of ICN in connection with the Phoenix project. I should probably have introduced you to him. He is the Executive Director for St. Joe’s parish, managing the staff and the building and the various programs. He is a published writer, the son of an immigrant, and has started a couple of niche newspapers (according to him). He considered a local, independent Catholic newspaper for eastern Ontario and even checked out the prices at a print shop, and assessed the viability of such a paper. He thought that it would be a successful and ongoing venture, but he had other projects at the time, and did not pursue it. He has an interest in Phoenix, and is a regular reader of ICN. He likes its progressive approach and its book reviews.
Contact details: Chris Adam
Executive Director
cadam@st-josephs.ca
Phone: 613-233-4095 Ext. 223
In our discussion, he made several informed comments about frequency of publication, pairing hard-copy and digital subscriptions, and website.
He is also of a younger generation. I think that he was a recent graduate about six years ago when the parish hired him. He is always well-spoken. By all evidence, and I was on parish council for three years, he seems to be an excellent administrator, and a good fund-raiser for the parish.
Wally, Ottawa
Patrick Jamieson, Victoria