Keep at It, Riley!
About the book
This is a story of how Catholic faith accompanied my family through the sickness and death of my elderly parents. What could mistakenly be seen as a downward spiral was actually upward. As my parents were called home to God, those around them caught a glimpse of heaven. Ministering to them during this time was challenging, yet a blessing, not a burden... I discovered my source of strength was my Irish Catholic upbringing, the sacraments, and my God. Our family motto, ‘Keep at it, Riley!’ sums it up well. We don’t give up; we give it to God.
Endorsements
Keep at It Riley! is a wonderful piece of practical theology. Noreen McInnes infuses her real- life experience into the narrative of sacramental theology and succeeds in integrating her academic studies with her personal faith. There are some passages that moved me to tears, while at other times her wonderful sense of humor had me howling with laughter. I commend her for this important work
Keep at It, Riley! is an Irish sweater woven with sacraments, Irish spirituality, and family stories. McInnes’s life experiences shed light on the value of Catholic rituals in real-time. A great read!
In Keep at It, Riley!, Noreen Madden McInnes has skillfully woven into a deeply personal testimony to the life and death of her parents an intricate reflection upon the sacramental life of the Church and the depth and breadth of Catholic faith and spirituality. The author’s mastery of the Church’s liturgical theology is constantly embedded within the profoundly human realities that form the sacramental nature of our life on this earth.
In a world that often pushes death and suffering to the margins, Noreen McInnes proposes another possibility: welcoming the sick, the suffering, and, yes, the dying, into the center of our lives. Part family history, part memoir, Keep at It, Riley! weaves together personal experience and theological reflection to illuminate God’s nearness to us. Anyone who has accompanied a loved one to the threshold of this life will recognize McInnes’ honesty, humor, and humility as marks of deep faith.
