Fr John O'Brien, and the cover of his new book, ‘Boken but Holy: Becoming Human’. Former Athlone friar's new book focuses on finding hopeThe sense of satisfaction that comes with completing the writing of a book is a feeling Fr John O'Brien knows well. Reflecting on the book's completion, Fr John said that initial feeling of accomplishment is soon followed by a murmur of trepidation. "What I didn't say in the last book, I'm saying in a different way in this book. So when I speak of hope against hope, it's very much against that background as well, that when you're sick it doesn't mean you're useless.

Source: Irish Independent January 06, 2026 16:06 UTC