Owen F Cummings

Many books exist devoted to the life, thought, and writings of Blessed John Henry Newman, the premier Catholic theologian in nineteenth-century England. His influence has been enormous, perhaps especially on Vatican II (1962-65). This book is a Newman primer, and not only a primer about Newman himself, but also about his time and place in church history. It attends to the papacy during his lifetime, his companions and friends, some of his peers at Oxford University, the First Vatican Council (1869-70), as well as some of his writing and theology. It should be especially helpful to an interested reader who has no particular background in nineteenth-century church history or in Newman himself. ""In John Henry Newman and His Age, Owen Cummings provides us with a fine and lucid account of the complex framework of nineteenth-century European social, political, and ecclesiastical changes and challenges. With this aid we are better able to understand Newman and the key figures, friends and opponents, who influence him and who he in turn influences. This helps clarify the momentous decisions he came to and the key relationships which helped forge his complex, and in Cummings' telling, attractive character. The author is generous in his citing of the full range of Newman biographers and commentators. The sheer range and depth of their comments enables Cummings to reveal just why Newman remains so fascinating to those who come after him."" --David B. McLoughlin, Department of Theology, Newman University ""This is the ideal introduction to a great man, a deep thinker, and a saint. It not only brings the life and times of Newman alive, and communicates clearly something of his wisdom, it also makes fascinating connections with our world and the church today."" --David F. Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus, University of Cambridge ""There are certain men whose life and thought reward our revisiting, but first familiarity can dull the senses. This masterful study by Owen Cummings refreshes our appreciation of Newman through commanding control of hundreds of bibliographies and historical studies. It describes the thicket in which to find the rabbit now camouflaged by hasty expectations. Cummings introduces the novice to Newman, and those already acquainted with Newman to the context of his remarkable life."" --David W. Fagerberg, Professor, University of Notre Dame Owen F. Cummings is Regents' Professor of Theology at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon. He is the author of some twenty books in theology and church history, and is a deacon of the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

The book emerges from the author's personal experience as a deacon, conversations with hundreds of deacons, and ongoing personal study. He takes for granted preparatory work on the diaconate that deacons will have undergone during preordination formation. The first chapter picks up Cardinal McElroy’s statement: “We are living in a wonderful moment in the life of the church.” The following chapters reflect on issues that are particularly significant: being rooted and founded in Jesus the deacon, and the spirituality of the deacon.Endorsements"Deacon Owen Cummings has written another gem on ministry and life for deacons in the United States. He reminds deacons of the necessity to be rooted in 'Deacon Jesus,' to be formed and reformed by the words of Scripture, especially the Gospels, placed in our hands at ordination, and to be ministers who find joy in living lives of spiritual discipline, which are but means to the end of our diaconal imitatio Christi Servi. Deacon Owen has distilled much scholarship and pastoral experience into a short work. His distillation produces deep wisdom for deacons, our lives, and our ministries."—Deacon Scott Dodge, director of the Office of the Diaconate, Diocese of Salt Lake City"Deacon Cummings, a master teacher, engages with the pressing questions of the day that concern the diaconate. Cummings draws upon the classic, rigorous academic tradition of the Church and his own thirty-plus years of pastoral experience, to provide a contemporary theology of the diaconate that is both easy to read and thought provoking. This volume will serve as an excellent update to his classic 2004 text Deacons and the Church."—Deacon Scott Pearhill, DMin, director of communications, Diocese of Boise; editor of the diocesan newspaper, Idaho Catholic Register"Owen Cummings's Deacons is a sane, balanced, and optimistic assessment of the diaconate in the twenty-first century. It's also a call: to renewed faith, hope, and love in the service of Christ—to radical self-emptying, not just for deacons but for the whole Church."—Deacon Chris Anderson, professor emeritus of English, Oregon State UniversityOwen Cummings has been a permanent deacon for thirty-four years for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. He has been teaching theology for fifty years in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Currently he is Distinguished Regents' Chair of Theology at Mount Angel Seminary, Oregon.†

Grace is a key reality for all Christians of any denomination. More than that, it is a central experience. The history of grace is fascinating in and of itself. This little book offers a series of windows through which to see and understand how Christians in the past and in the present have thought about grace.

This book presents a solid Catholic teaching about angels through Scripture and tradition. It includes the ideas of modern theologians such as Bernard Cooke and Karl Rahner.In Angels, Owen Cummings presents a level-headed, clear-eyed survey of Catholic teaching on angels through Scripture and tradition, including the thought of theologians such as Bernard Cooke and Karl Rahner.Inspired by a question from one of his grandchildren, here Cummings takes a topic that is often treated with childish sentimentality and superstition and grounds it in the authentic tradition of the Church.Owen F. Cummings studied Semitic languages at University College, Dublin, and did graduate work in theology at Trinity College Dublin and the University of Glasgow. For the last twenty-five years he has taught systematic theology at Mount Angel Seminary, Oregon, as the Distinguished Regents' Professor of Theology. He has been a permanent deacon for thirty-two years, incardinated in the Diocese of Salt Lake City.†

Owen Cummings explores the traditions regarding Mary that have developed since New Testament times. In addition to the patristic themes usually covered, he includes other traditions such as Syriac and Celtic. He includes Islam since their tradition comes from Christian sources such as the Protoevangelium of James, and more is written about Mary in the Qu’ran than there is in the New Testament. After surveying church history, especially in Europe and including the Reformation, he examines Vatican II, the relatively recently defined Marian doctrines, and devotion to Mary. †

Do you wish to understand something of the contemporary Catholic Church? If you do, then this book is for you. It offers a careful overview of the history of the church from the mid-nineteenth century, with Pope Pius IX, until the present day, with Pope Francis. It deals with two major councils of the church, Vatican I (1869-70) and Vatican II (1962-65). Furthermore, it provides a detailed and accurate summary of the major theological movements in the church during this period.

Do you wish to understand something of the contemporary Catholic Church? If you do, then this book is for you. It offers a careful overview of the history of the church from the mid-nineteenth century, with Pope Pius IX, until the present day, with Pope Francis. It deals with two major councils of the church, Vatican I (1869-70) and Vatican II (1962-65). Furthermore, it provides a detailed and accurate summary of the major theological movements in the church during this period.

Owen Cummings insightfully reflects this awareness through his intuitive, right-brain approach to liturgical theology, as he offers us a kaleidoscope of snapshots viewed through the lenses of a "great cloud of witnesses" that includes but is not limited to poets, novelists, and preachers.