Hours of opening

The Library is open on weekends only at the following times: -

• Saturday evening - 30 minutes before the 6pm Mass
• Sunday morning - 20 minutes after the 7.30am Mass
• Sunday morning - 30 minutes after the 9.00am Mass
• Sunday evening - 30 minutes before the 6pm Mass

Note: There is a box in the Library where you can return books and DVDs if no one is on duty.

Location

The Library is situated in the room at the end of the passage beyond the Sacristy.

The library theme for May is 'Catholic Truth'.
The Book of the Month for May is Unapologetic by Francis Spufford - subtitled Why, despite everything, Christianity can still make surprising emotional sense.  

The Library contains approximately 2600 books - of which many are recent additions - and (so far) about 20 DVDs. The material is predominantly Roman Catholic in its subject matter.

Topics covered include

• THE BIBLE - Old & New Testament, Gospels, Apostles, Commentaries on the various Books of the Bible etc.
• ROMAN CATHOLIC FAITH - Dogma & Doctrine of the Church, Jesus, God, the Trinity, Science & Religion, Apologetics etc.
• DEVOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL READING - Prayer and Meditation, Personal Experiences.
• LITURGY & THE MASS - the Sacraments & Social Theology
• CHURCH HISTORY BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES e.g. John Henry Newman, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Oscar Romero, Desmond Tutu etc.
• BIOGRAPHIES - Lives of the Saints & the Popes e.g. Teresa of Calcutta, Therese of Lisieux, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, St. Augustine, etc. OTHER BIOGRAPHY - Mary, Mother of Our Lord (include the Rosary & Apparitions).
• CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS - Catholicism (traditions & customs), Anglicans, Baptists, Presbyterians etc.
• NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS- Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Agnosticism, Atheism.

Library Committee

The library is managed by a committee currently consisting of 6 members and managed by a Library Co-ordinator. A list of current Committee members and their contact details is available both in the library and on the library notice board in the church porch. The Library Committee is responsible for the selection, purchase and processing of all library reading material.

Library users

The library is intended exclusively for the use of registered parishioners of St. Michael's Catholic Church, Rondebosch. Unfortunately it is not open to parishioners from other Catholic churches within the diocese, nor to the general public.

Volunteers

The Library is manned by a large group of volunteers who give generously of their time to provide a wonderful service to our parishioners.

How the Library is organised

Books are colour-coded for your convenience and are covered in plastic for protection and hygiene. An expanded version of the Dewey decimal classification system's 200 category (Religion) is used. Four manual indexes (red A4 files on the lower shelf on the left of the window) are available in the library for consultation - categorised according Author, Title, Classification and Accessions. They are updated at least two to three times a year. An online catalogue is currently in the process of being developed and should be available for use in the near future.

Unfortunately the location of the Library does allow for research or reference work at present.

For any queries / requests, please use the form provided in the library / on the notice board in the church porch. Otherwise, kindly contact the Library Co-ordinator, Winnie Thomson, or any of the other Library Committee members (details in the library and in the church foyer).