The Fatima Guide: The essential companion for English-speaking pilgrims

(Fatima - Ophel Books; €15 to Irish Catholic Readers)

Timed to coincide with the impending visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the famed Portuguese shrine this year (May 13), The Fatima Guide is being offered to be a visitor's resource containing a wealth of detail that belies its convenient carry-size.

Split across 17 chapters, the guide offers a history to the shrine with a day-by-day retelling of the 1917 apparitions, a chronology of the life of Sister Lucia before offering step-by-step guidance through the major sites that are part of or linked to the Fatima site (together with fold-out map).

'Peripheral sites' such as museums and even local cinemas are included, not forgetting, of course, accommodation listings for the intending pilgrim. A valuable guide for both the first-time visitor and the returning pilgrim eager to know more of the much loved shrine. P.K.

(The Fatima Guide is available through the Fatima-based website: http://www.theotokos.org.uk/leomadigan/ —Irish Catholic readers can source the book direct from the publisher by contacting Leo Madigan, Apartado 303, 2496-908 Fatima, Portugal. Cheques for €15 should be made payable to ''Leo Madigan''.)