RICHARDS, Hubert J. 1921-

PERSONAL: Born December 25, 1921, in Weilderstadt, Germany; son of Richard (a master butcher) and Bertha (a homemaker; maiden name, Lung) Richards; married Clare Milward (a teacher), December 22, 1975; children: Pedro and Blanca (adopted twins from Colombia). Ethnicity: "British." Education: Gregorian University, Rome, Italy, L.Th., 1946; Biblical Institute, Rome, L.S.S., 1949. Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES: Home—59 Park Lane, Norwich NR2 3EF, England.

CAREER: Ordained Roman Catholic priest for Westminster diocese, 1946; St. Edmund's College, Ware, England, lecturer in scripture, 1949-65; Corpus Christi College, London, England, principal, 1965-72; research fellow at St. Edmund's House, Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, at Ecole Biblique, Jerusalem, Israel, and at King's College, University of London, London, England, between 1973 and 1975; released from priestly vows, 1975; University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, lecturer in religious studies, 1975-87; part-time lecturer, reviewer, publisher's editor, and author, 1987—. Lecturer in England, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Scandinavia on the biblical and theological problems facing teachers of religious education; broadcaster for British Broadcasting Corp. and Associated Television.

WRITINGS:

God Speaks to Us, Darton, Longman & Todd (London, England), 1963.

(With Peter De Rosa) Christ in Our World, Chapman (London, England), 1965.

What the Spirit Says to the Churches, Chapman (London, England), 1965, P. J. Kennedy (New York, NY), 1966.

An ABC of the Bible, Chapman (London, England), 1967.

(Editor) Forty Gospel Songs, Chapman (London, England), 1969.

Ten Gospel Songs, Chapman (London, England), 1969.

Heart of a Rose (songs), Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1972.

The First Christmas: What Really Happened?, Fontana (London, England), 1973, 3rd edition, Twenty-Third Publications (Mystic, CT), 1986.

The Miracles of Jesus: What Really Happened?, Fontana (London, England), 1974, 3rd edition, Twenty-Third Publications (Mystic, CT), 1986.

The First Easter: What Really Happened?, Fontana (London, England), 1975, 3rd edition, Twenty-Third Publications (Mystic, CT), 1986.

St. Paul and His Epistles, Darton, Longman & Todd (London, England), 1979, published as Reading Paul Today, John Knox (Atlanta, GA), 1980, 2nd edition, St. Paul's Public, 1989.

Death and After: What Will Really Happen?, Fount (London, England), 1980, 3rd edition, Twenty-Third Publications (Mystic, CT), 1987.

Pilgrim to the Holy Land, McCrimmon, 1982, 4th edition, 1998.

The Gospel in Song, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1983.

A Way of the Cross for Children, McCrimmon, 1986, 2nd edition, 1989.

A Carol Service for Children, McCrimmon, 1986.

The Our Father for Children, McCrimmon, 1987.

The Hail Mary for Children, McCrimmon, 1987.

The Rosary for Children, McCrimmon, 1988.

The Ten Commandments for Children, McCrimmon, 1988.

The Beatitudes for Children, McCrimmon, 1988.

The Parables for Children, McCrimmon, 1988.

The Sacraments for Children, McCrimmon, 1988.

Focus on the Bible, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1989.

Some Parables for Children, McCrimmon, 1990.

The "I Confess" for Children, McCrimmon, 1990.

The Passover Meal, McCrimmon, 1990.

A Maundy Service for Children, McCrimmon, 1990.

The Mass for Children, McCrimmon, 1990.

The Creed for Children, McCrimmon, 1990.

The Gospel According to St. Paul, Liturgical Press (Collegeville, MN), 1991.

God's Diary, Twenty-Third Publications (Mystic, CT), 1991.

What Jesus Taught, Liturgical Press (Collegeville, MN), 1991.

What Christians Believe, Liturgical Press (Collegeville, MN), 1991.

Some Christian Prayers, Liturgical Press (Collegeville, MN), 1991.

Christus Natus Est, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1992.

Tenebrae, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1994.

Worship Anthology for Advent and Christmas, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1994.

Worship Anthology for Lent and Easter, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1994.

Pilgrim to Rome, McCrimmon, 1994.

Worship Anthology on the Beatitudes, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1995.

Worship Anthology on the Creed, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1995.

Processional Songs, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1995.

Worship Anthology for Christian Festivals and Holydays, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1997.

Quips and Quotes, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1997.

Philosophy of Religion: A Beginner's Guide, Heinemann (Exeter, NH), 1998, 2nd edition, 2000.

An Anthology for the Church Year, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1998.

Who's Who and What's What in the Bible, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1999.

The Bible: What Does It Really Say?, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 1999.

Jesus: Who Did He Think He Was?, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 2000.

(With wife, Clare Richards) Advent Adventures, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 2000.

(With Clare Richards) Lenten Journey, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 2000.

Plain English Bible, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

More Quips and Quotes, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001.

1600 Quips and Quotes, Mayhew (Grand Rapids, MI), 2003.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Updating Pilgrim to Rome, retitled Rome, for Pilgrims and Others: A Practical Guide.

SIDELIGHTS: Hubert J. Richards once told CA:"My overwhelming interest at the moment is in the cultural relativity of all theological statements, including biblical ones. This has inevitably led me to ask awkward questions about the relationship between Christianity and other world religions. Have Christian claims been expressed too absolutely? If they have, can a 'relativized' Christianity survive? If they have not, can other religions survive?

"Our adoption of twin children from South America in 1980 has not made these questions less urgent, but more so. What do Christian faith statements actually mean? What is their cash value? Could you explain them faithfully in a way a child could understand? To teach children about religion is a far more demanding task than writing books of theology. Children, unlike theological readers, cannot be fooled."