Edited by Helen Bergin and Susan Smith. Published by Accent Publications, 2016.  Reviewed by Anne Tuohy 

With A Church in Change: New Zealand Catholics Take Their Bearings, Helen Bergin and Susan Smith bring another local spiritual/theological anthology to the New Zealand scene. Like their previous publications, this book offers a wide range of reflections from a diverse group of people centred around a unifying theme; in this case that of being Church. Drawing on a variety of life experiences, the different chapters in this book vividly demonstrate that the time when the word “Church” suggested a universal picture of Catholic life has gone. The experience of Church for contemporary Catholics living in Aotearoa New Zealand is now one of diversity and change.

The book is divided into three sections with each of the 23 chapters generally reflecting on both the past and present realities of the authors’ experiences of Church with an eye to future challenges and future possibilities. In diverse ways, each chapter contributes to the rich landscape that is New Zealand Catholicism. What emerges from these contributions is an appreciation of both the broad and the singular influences our religious voices have contributed to the shaping of our land, life and culture. From the long-held conversations around education and social justice, to the emergent ecological dialogues, it is clear that while the New Zealand Church may be numerically small it has certainly covered a lot of ground.

One thing that struck me when reading this book was the engagement with, or tension between, continuity and change. The Catholic Church has had a long history of — and much practise with — surviving in the face of change and adversity. I think this ability to affirm unity while navigating the changing currents of the contemporary experiences of diversity comes from the sacramental imagination that lies at the very heart of our tradition. It reflects a commitment to take the mission of the Church seriously while still acknowledging that “we are prophets of a future not our own” (Archbishop Oscar Romero Prayer).

In presenting thematic perspectives into the rich and diverse reality that is our Church, this book offers something for readers across a range of ages and experiences. It caters to different levels of theological and religious literacy appealing particularly to the non-specialist reader.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 214 April 2017: 28