From 1948 to 1952 the lives of Trappist monk Thomas Merton and British novelist Evelyn Waugh were closely intertwined. During these years, Waugh became enthusiastic about American Catholicism, and in particular, monasticism as seen through the eyes of the author of The Seven Storey Mountain. He agreed to edit Merton’s autobiography and the subsequent Waters of Siloe for publication in Britain. In this close examination of their friendship, throu ...
Phyllis Tickle has had a significant impact on the religious landscape in America over her 50-year career. As a college dean, a publishing gadfly, and an advocate of the church's emergence, she has garnered a loyal following in the tens of thousands. Among those she's influenced are influential church leaders themselves, including Diana Butler-Bass, Brian McLaren, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Peter Rollins, Doug Pagitt, Jon M. Sweeney, Jana Reiss ...
This joint biography illuminates the lives of Francis and Clare and their way of life. It shows how they were bound together by devotion to God as well as the violent objections of their families to religious life. It explores a variety of issues they faced, including the treatment of lepers in medieval society, corruption in the church, and attitudes toward the created world. You will learn how Clare’s spirituality influenced that of other prom ...
Originally published in French in 1894, Sabatier’s was the first modern biography of Francis of Assisi. It was a worldwide bestseller, and in 2003 when this new edition was first published, it again sold more than 60,000 copies and was a selection of History Book Club. This new 120th anniversary edition includes a dozen additional annotations and a new preface by the editor, putting Sabatier’s influential work into its historical context ...
The first fully-realized biography of Julian of Norwich—theologian, anchorite, and visionary of the Middle Ages. A groundbreaking and sometimes controversial biography that offers full tribute to the mystic Julian of Norwich. In May 1373, a thirty year-old woman living in East Anglia suffered an illness. She received visions—what she later called «sixteen showings»—revealing to her secrets of the love of God. When she fully recovered, Ju ...
Biographies of St. Francis will only take you so far. It’s impossible to truly understand him without reading his writings. Sweeney has compiled all of the ones that we are most certain come from Francis himself, including his first Rule of life, the Rule he wrote for the Third Order, letters to friends, letters to people in power, messages to all Franciscans, songs, praises, canticles, and his final spiritual Testament. An introduction and expl ...
These stories of St. Francis and his first followers have inspired millions of people over the centuries. Since they were first committed to paper, they have motivated people to become better followers of Jesus (not St. Francis). For that reason, they have endured unlike any other early Franciscan literature. Many of the stories are known to us from other biographical sources, but in some cases, here they are expanded or made more florid. ...
No one can teach a Christian to pray, like Teresa can. This lively little book introduces postmodern readers to one of Christianity's most endearing prayer warriors, and guides them through her most radical teachings. Here, Teresa of Avila is not a lofty, inaccessible saint; she's a companion, taking readers on a rollicking journey through their own interior castles. The secrets of Teresa's intimate devotional life are rev ...
St. Therese's autobiography was first published soon after her death in 1897 at the age of twenty-four. Combining charming descriptions of family and community life with a sense of humor and intense devotion to God, it was an instant bestseller. But earlier editions often excluded passages, and refined her use of the French dialect often spoken by peasants. This remarkable new translation includes every word of the original text, retaining ...
