By Diarmaid O’Murchu.  Published by Orbis Books, 2016. Reviewed by Susannah Grant 

Of all the Religious orders and congregations founded, approximately 75 per cent no longer exist. In New Zealand, as elsewhere around the world, membership of vowed Religious communities has been in decline for decades. And as we journey forward the future of many individual congregations seems uncertain. Some may look to that future with sadness, some with fear, others with resignation or perhaps resentment. Diarmuid O’Murchu’s new book addresses the tough questions facing Religious life in the 21st century with determined hope.

This book is not so much concerned with individual communities as with the “grand narrative” of Religious life. O’Murchu counters modern assumptions of immortality by framing the cyclical rise and fall of Religious life in evolutionary terms. In order to fulfil their liminal role in the face of radical social change he argues that Religious orders must accept the prospect of death, embrace the grace of mourning, and enter into the paschal hope of resurrection.

O’Murchu is a Religious and social psychologist and author. This book picks up from and refers back to his earlier works and will appeal to those who already enjoy O’Murchu’s writing. He challenges Religious, in particular, to prepare for the prospect of Spirit-led refounding. O’Murchu is at his best in the realm of parable, charging his stories with a compelling sense of creative energy. Often, however, the text becomes bogged down in jargon and unduly dense. There are perhaps too few stories and too many theories without solid grounding in scholarship or social reality.

This is not a light read, but it is packed with food for thought and conversation. O’Murchu raises questions about the relationship between Religious and the Church, and between Religious and the laity. He draws attention to the prophetic calling of Religious Life, reimagines and renames the Religious vows, and addresses issues of Religious and sexuality. Study questions at the end of each chapter may be helpful for those interested in exploring these ideas further.

This is a thought-provoking book for those interested in Religious life: it invites us to a disposition of receptivity and encourages a sense of hope for the future based not only on the lessons of the past but on faith in God’s ongoing purpose for Religious in our changing world.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 221 November 2017: 28-29.