"In this "life song" written by Fr. Farrell we find an array of topics and resources for inspiration, reflection and exploration. From the first page to the last there is a myriad of subjects such as personality, journaling, journeying with the poor, Eucharist, celebration, marriage, priesthood, Trinity and dying. Although very much a narrative based on his own life's journey, Farrell is able to to hold the attention of the reader and to challenge the reader to explore his or her own journey. Every sharing of his own story is a gentle but firm reminder of how unique each person is and how unique the life song that he or she sings. Using the Magnificat, Mary's song, the author draws out his other topics and his lived experience in order to assist others in composing their original tune. In his own words, he takes "a long, loving look at reality." His perceptions help to forge the attitude and action about which he writes. Whether he offers a concise summary of the growth process known as "Personality and Human Relations (PRH)", or elaborates on the steps needed for the "Tre Ore" (Trinitarian Prayer), or shares his experience in journaling his relationship with God, or his reflective questions regarding post-Vatican II priesthood, Farrell keeps teasing readers to compose their unique song stories one note at a time. This book has been a good personal and professional resource for this reviewer. I believe others may find it the same." --Anna Marie Kane, SSJ in Catholic Library World

"Father Farrell is well-known in Detroit. He was born and grew up on the Southwest side, was ordained for the Detroit Archdiocese some 40 years ago, and has spent most of his priestly life on the faculty of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. In addition, Fr. Farrell is Detroit's Celtic holy traveler, preaching retreats and workshops all over the world. He is also the author of eleven books on spirituality. His latest, No One Else Can Sing My Song is, in the opinion of this reviewer, his masterpiece. It is part autobiography, a meditation on his prayers and fruitful 40 years as a priest, part commentary on the emerging spirituality of the post Vatican II period, part reports on the small Christian communities which Fr. Farrell has fostered in Detroit and elsewhere, and perhaps most significantly, his un-jargoned, plain English explanation of such key dogmas as Trinity, Eucharist, Incarnation, love, death and the Church's preferential option for the poor. As do all of his writings, Fr. Farrell's most recent reflects his central interest in contemplative prayer in all its spiritual and psychological dimensions.... Friends of Fr. Farrell -- and there must be hundreds if not thousands of them all over the world -- will be delighted to share with him, in this latest book, the highlights of his long and productive priestly career and, to read between the lines, the secret of his marvelous success." --Genevieve Casey, former Head Librarian, Wayne State University

"Just as Mary made her personal prayer in the form known to succeeding ages as the 'Magnificat,' every person has his or her own song to sing, says Fr. Edward J. Farrell in his 11th book, No One Else Can Sing My Song published recently. 'Mary decided to pray in the first-person singular,' says Fr. Farrell, adding, 'Everyone is called to be a fifth Gospel.' The book has been 'a long time in hatching,' he says of the 7-year work in which he shares his spiritual insights as well as suggesting helpful resources for the reader. Though retired, Fr. Farrell still teaches a class in the theology of prayer at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and is in demand worldwide as a retreat leader. 'I've worked in 35 countries, and I've visited another 36 on the road,' he says from a seminary suite adorned with mementoes of his travels and his career as a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit. There are also many photographs and drawings of his key mentors, those who most influenced his spiritual development -- international figures such as the French founder of the Little Brothers of the Poor, Fr. Charles de Foucauld and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, as well as local luminaries such as Blessed Solanus Casey and Msgr. Clement Kern. Fr. Farrell recalls how he first met the not-yet-famous Mother Teresa back in 1972 when by chance they were seated next to each other on a flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City. They were both headed to the same Trappist monastery in Utah, and Fr. Farrell helped her manage her carry-ons on the return flight. As pastor of St. Agnes Parish, he later persuaded her to establish a community of her sisters in Detroit, the community now at St. Dominic Parish. Fr. Farrell writes of his enthusiasm for Personality and Human Relations, often known by its French initials PRH, which he calls 'the best process I have found in 40-plus years for people to discover what is best in themselves.' PRH is a practical way for people to become imbued with the spirituality of the Second Vatican Council, he says. Otherwise, the spirituality 'exists just in books -- there is no process to get it into the bloodstreams of people,' he says. Fr. Farrell has given work shops on PRH in places as diverse as Iceland, Bethlehem and Siberia, and he hopes to be able to give one soon to inmates at a local state prison. 'It gives people the tools by which they can continue their life-long growth,' he adds. The use of journals -- not diaries, but prayer journals -- is recommended in the book, and Fr. Farrell says people might consider beginning the practice by starting to keep one during Lent. 'I have found that most people find it very difficult to pray, to think, but keeping a journal is the surest way to lead them into deeper prayer,' he says. 'Every day look for a joy, every day look for a blessing to write about,' Fr. Farrell recommends. It needn't even take a long time to do, he says, noting that 15 minutes is only about 1 percent of the time in a day. 'There are 96 quarter-hours in the day, and I tell people if they'll take a quarter-hour a day to be present to themselves, within a month they'll find they have reached a new level in their prayer life,' Fr. Farrell adds. --Robert Delaney in The Michigan Catholic, February 15, 2002