Religious communities and monasticism Books

Book SynopsisThe Tibhirine Journal of a Martyr Monk (1993-1996)

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Trade ReviewAs an aspiring monk, I found the first edition of Monastic Practices to be a treasury of both wisdom and practical information for living the monastic life. Each chapter covers an aspect, beginning with `Sacred Reading' and concluding with `From Death to Life.' And now, as a professed monk of several years and vocation director of New Melleray Abbey, I am excited to have the opportunity to recommend the new edition of this fine book to the next generation of aspiring monks. Br. Paul Andrew Tanner, OCSO, New Melleray Abbey, Peosta, Iowa"The author's personal, conversational style are very engaging and it is obvious that he has a mastery of the subject, having lived it since 1960. Whether you have a monastic library or are looking to build one up, or you wish to the book to someone who is seeking to deepen their spirituality, you can't go wrong with this book."Karl A. Schultz"Fr. Charles Cummings's revised Monastic Practices is an insider's guide to life in the monastic world. Although specifically directed at monastics, it offers secular readers much worthy of pondering value. Drawing on his lifetime in a Trappist abbey, Fr. Charles offers a richly austere, very beautiful volume. For many topics, Fr. Charles provides both the historical practice and the ways in which it has been modified more recently, assisting someone living in community to understand some of the more mystifying customs, or a secular reader to comprehend something of the way monks adapt to the changing world. The meditative bits that appear scattered throughout-discussion of silence, the quality of the cell, and the presence of death-add to the overall balance between instruction and reflection, history and now, individual and community that make Monastic Practices a distinctive and valuable contribution to the body of monastic literature."Marjory Lange, Western Oregon University"The revised edition of Monastic Practices continues to be useful for forming human lives, monastic or lay. In re-reading, I have found myself deepening my own understanding and renewing my own commitment to these fundamentals of our life. I continue to be grateful for the wisdom and charm of this book. Thank you, Fr. Charles."Cassian Russell, OCSO, Cistercian Studies Quarterly

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Book SynopsisAn Anthology of Syriac Christian Mysticism

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Book Synopsis How did the monks of the Egyptian desert fight against the demons that attacked them with tempting thoughts? How could Christians resist the thoughts of gluttony, fornication, or pride that assailed them and obstructed their contemplation of God? According to Evagrius of Pontus (345 ''399), one of the greatest spiritual directors of ancient monasticism, the monk should talk back to demons with relevant passages from the Bible. His book Talking Back (Antirrhêtikos)lists over 500 thoughts or circumstances in which the demon-fighting monk might find himself, along with the biblical passages with which the monk should respond. It became one of the most popular books among the ascetics of Late Antiquity and the Byzantine East, but until now the entire text had not been translated into English. From Talking Back we gain a better understanding of Evagrius''s eight primary demons: gluttony, fornication, love of money, sadness, anger, listlessness, vainglory, and pride. We can explore a central aspect of early monastic spirituality, and we get a glimpse of the temptations and anxieties that the first desert monks faced. David Brakke is professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences of Indiana University. He studied ancient Christianity at Harvard Divinity School and Yale University. Brakke is the author of Athanasius and Asceticism and Demons and the Making of the Monk: Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity, and he edits the Journal of Early Christian Studies. Trade Review"This work makes available to the English readership a work that not only offers a fuller appreciation of the spirituality of Evagrius and his psychology but provides as well a more concrete understanding of the psychology and struggles of the early monks in the Egyptian desert."Cistercian Studies Quarterly"This is a very practical, dealing-with-the-issues kind of lectio divina. The monks of Evagrius' time considered this a read spiritual treasure. The same treasure is now available to us in English."American Benedictine Review"With much wisdom and thought, Evagrius of Pontus is a must read for anyone who wants to best understand ancient Christianity and learn about its roots."Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisSpiritual Meadow by John Moschos

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Book SynopsisA new edition of a treasured contemplative classic. The author takes readers on a journey based on biblical themes and urges them to seek a personal inner hermitage in which to seek and to reach God. 'Not everyone, obviously, can and should live as a monk or hermit. But no Christian can do without an inner hermitage in which to meet his God.'

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Book SynopsisA Doctrinal and Spiritual CommentaryTrade Review. . . the most important commentary on the RB that has appeared in our generation.WorshipA superb and essential book, presenting the results of decades of scholarship by Vogüé.Religious Studies Review. . . an important book by one of the great contemporary scholars of the Benedictine tradition . . .Review for Religious

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Book SynopsisThe Life of Antony constitutes, in the words of patristics scholar Johannes Quasten, 'the most important document of early monasticism.' Here is one volume are translations of the text in the Greek written by Athanasius and in the Coptic. Two short contemporary coptic texts further manifest the powerful influence of 'the father of monks.'Trade ReviewThis translation makes a number of significant early writings about Antony available, and that at a reasonable price. It is very welcome.SobornostDo not miss reading this treasure, giving it as a gift to others, teaching it in Sunday School, or help get it introduced in college Curriculum.Saad Michael Saad Watani

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Book SynopsisThe living link through whom the ascetic principles of hellenistic philosophers passed into monasticism, Evagrius molded christian asceticism through his own works and through his influence on John Cassian, Climacus, Pseudo 'Denis, and Saint Benedict.Trade ReviewEvagrius received the desert traditionabout prayer that had been developed over several generations before him. But he was the first to organize it into a coherent system.Coptic Church Review

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Book SynopsisA shrewd observer, a master psychologist, an accomplished raconteur, Dorotheos is a learned man with a prodigious capacity for assimilating in an organized harmony the wisdom of his predecessors in the life of the Spirit. The ideal spiritual master to introduce modern readers to the spiritual universe of the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, and Syria.Trade Review. . . no text I know renders the ascetic spirit more accessible to the modern reader.Religious Studies ReviewDorotheos lets us glimpse a little of the life in his distant time and place . . . He doesn't write about theological abstractions, but about the passions and sins that every one of us recognizes in ourselves, monk or lay. We know what he is talking about.Epiphany Journal

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Book Synopsis`Give me a word, Father', visitors to early desert monks asked. The responses of these pioneer ascetics were remembered and in the fourth century written down in Coptic, Syriac, Greek, and later Latin. Their Sayings were collected and read by generations of Christians as life-giving words that would help readers along the path to salvation.Trade Review. . . the only English translation of the most complete version of the Apophthegmata Patrum, a compilation of sayings from the desert monks of Egypt, Syria, and Palestine in the fourth to sixth century, likely to be widely read and enjoyed for their own sake.ChoiceA delightful insight into the lives of ascetics who left all to follow Christ . . . a very readable translation of an important collection of sayings.Sisters Today. . . should be on the shelf of every library concentrating in spirituality.Abba

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Book SynopsisSpiritual Friendship is today the best known and perhaps most influential of the 13 surviving works of Aelred, abbot of the English Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx from 1147-1167. This fresh new translation allows the intellectual and Christian insight of this great teacher and writer to speak clearly to today's seekers of love, wisdom, and truth.Trade ReviewThis new edition provides an especially good introduction, extensive bibliography of sources, translations and secondary studies and a crisp, new translation.Bonnie Thurston, Cistercian Studies QuarterlyThis small text provides much to glean, ponder, and in which to delight.American Benedictine Review

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Book SynopsisOrthodox Christians today have no lack of resources on monastic spirituality. And yet startlingly little has been done to critically engage the monastic tradition and adapt its ancient wisdom for the Orthodox faithful living in today's complex society.

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Book SynopsisSt. Elizabeth was a grand daughter of Queen Victoria of Great Britain and Ireland, and the sister of the last Czarina Alexandra. This short work sets forth in the Grand Duchess's own words her vision for monastic life in inner city early twentieth century Moscow.

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Book SynopsisDocuments from the major convent at Bruges shed fresh and illuminating light on its life.The English Augustinian Canonesses at Bruges kept records of daily life and key events in their convent from its foundation in 1629. Living in exile, members of the convent were well-aware of their importance to the survival of English Catholicism for women. Keeping full records served to maintain a reputation which would attract influential and wealthy benefactors and well-qualified members; but the Bruges Chronicles are far more than window-dressing. They introduce the reader to members at every level, from impressive community leaders to candidates who failed to live up to expectations and were tactfully nudged out before profession. We meet Prioresses who take on major challenges in fund-raising to pay for building projects, manage disagreements over spiritual direction and adjust to new relationships with secular authorities, the impact of the Enlightenment and finally war. There are some intense personal dramas that unfold alongside nuns who followed the monastic rule to the letter and served the community faithfully over many years. Above all, the the Chronicles reflect the wide-ranging interests of the members, and show clearly that this enclosed community was well-connected with an extensive support network. The Chronicles edited in this volume, taking the story to the eighteenth century and a decision as to whether or not to return to England,are presented with introduction and full notes. Dr Caroline Bowden is a Senior Research Fellow, Queen Mary, University of London.Trade ReviewProvides an invaluable, first-hand insight into the existence of an English Catholic convent in exile, for a period of some 160 or so years.... Bowden's study is meticulous, both in its editing and faithfulness to the original texts, but also with regard to the supplementary appendices. * JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY *This volume makes available to scholars and students a fascinating set of materials that will surely spark much new, valuable research and many contributions to the lively scholarly conversation on early modern English nuns in exile. * SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY NEWS *The Chronicles reveal much about individual lives and trajectories of these nuns . . . [and] give a vivid picture of communal life in the cloister. . . . Caroline Bowden has produced a rich edition. * EARLY MODERN WOMEN *Provides a richly-detailed narrative of cloistered life and a fascinating example of convent writing..It will be required reading for those working on early modern monasticism or women writers, and of great interest to scholars in history and religion more generally. * BRITISH CATHOLIC HISTORY *A splendid volume.hard to fault.[E]xcellent. * HISTORIANS OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS *Table of ContentsEditorial Preface Introduction Volume 1: 1629-1729 Volume 2: 1729-1794 Glossary Appendix 1: Other Convents mentioned in the Chronicle Appendix 2: A Note on Money Appendix 3: Calendar of Feasts and Saints' Days at Nazareth Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisPhilip Perry's Essay on the Life and Manners of the Venerable Robert Grosseteste presents us not only with a high standard of biographical scholarship but also a fine example of English eighteenth-century polemical writing. Grosseteste was a formidable thirteenth-century bishop of Lincoln who, because of his insistence upon the primacy of Scripture and his apparent wrangling with the papacy, had long been claimed as a type of proto-Protestant in the English post-Reformation historical tradition. Perry sets out in his Essay a vivid account of Grosseteste's life and achievements to advance his cause as a worthy saint and to recover his reputation as a loyal son of the Roman Church. His frank discussion of the abuses that Grosseteste opposed and the controversies in which he engaged put his text beyond the limits of what a Catholic priest could advisably print in eighteenth-century England. The manuscript remained unpublished for fear of causing scandal, and now sees its first printed edition.

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This book examines the influence of the monastic tradition beyond the Reformation. Where the built monastic environment had been dissolved, desire for the spiritual benefits of monastic living still echoed within theological and spiritual writing of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as a virtual exegetical template. The volume considers how the writings of monastic authors were appropriated in post-Reformation movements by those seeking a more fervent spiritual life, and how the concept of an internal cloister of monastic/ascetic spirituality influenced several Anglican writers during the Restoration. There is a careful examination of the monastic influence upon the Wesleys and the foundation and rise of Methodism. Drawing on a range of primary sources, the book will be of particular interest to scholars of monastic and Methodist history, and to those engaged in researching ecclesiology and in ecumenical dialogues.

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Book SynopsisThis volume was conceived with the double aim of providing a background and a further context for the new Dumbarton Oaks English translation of the Life of St Neilos from Rossano, founder of the monastery of Grottaferrata near Rome in 1004. Reflecting this double aim, the volume is divided into two parts. Part I, entitled Italo-Greek Monasticism, builds the background to the Life of Neilos by taking several multi-disciplinary approaches to the geographical area, history and literature of the region denoted as Southern Italy. Part II, entitled The Life of St Neilos, offers close analyses of the text of Neilos's hagiography from socio-historical, textual, and contextual perspectives. Together, the two parts provide a solid introduction and offer in-depth studies with original outcomes and wide-ranging bibliographies. Using monasticism as a connecting thread between the various zones and St Neilos as the figure who walked over mountains aTable of ContentsIntroduction Barbara Crostini Part I: Italo-Greek Monasticism 1. Monastic Spirituality of the Italo-Greek Monks David Hester 2. Italo-Greek Monastic Typika Cristina Torre 3. Greek Monasticism in Campania and Latium from the Tenth to the Fifteenth Century Vera von Falkenhausen 4. Art and Architecture for Byzantine Monks in Calabria: Sources, Monuments, Paintings and Objects (Ninth to Thirteenth Centuries) Lorenzo Riccardi 5. Family Hagiography and Christian Resistance in the Tenth Century: The Bioi of Sabas, Christopher and Makarios Adele Cilento 6. Historical Echoes in Italo-Greek Hagiographies of the Norman Age Gioacchino Strano 7. Monastic Interactions Between Calabria and Mount Athos in the Middle Ages Enrico Morini 8. Nicholas-Nektarios of Otranto: A Greek Monk Under Roman Obedience Claudio Schiano Part II: The Life of St. Neilos 9. Neighbors: Jews and Judaism in the Life of St. Neilos the Younger Giancarlo Lacerenza 10. Calabria and the Muslims During Saint Neilos’s Lifetime Alessandro Vanoli 11. "Ceramiclast" in the Bios of St Neilos Raymond Capra 12. The Homosexual Background Attributed to a Textual Gap in the Life of St Neilos from Rossano: A Re-Evaluation Andrea Luzzi 13. East Meets West, West Meets East?: Constructing Difference in First Life of St Adalbert and in the Life of St Neilos David Kalhous 14. Neilos the Younger and Benedict: The Greek Hymns Composed by Neilos in Campania Annick Peters-Custot 15. Neilos’s Long-Lasting Marks on Grottaferrata’s Identity Ines Angeli Murzaku 16. St. Bartholomew of Grottaferrata Between Tradition and Innovation Angela Prinzi

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Book SynopsisThe monastic community of Fulda was one of the most powerful institutions in early medieval Europe. Tracing its development from its foundation in the 740s over 150 years, this interdisciplinary study presents a vivid picture of life in this monastery and also in early medieval religious communities in general.Trade Review'Raaijmakers's meticulous study is of interest for graduate students and scholars interested in early medieval religion, the history of monasticism, or the complex relationships between religious institutions and the wider world.' Owen M. Phelan, Religious Studies ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. The early years: Boniface; 2. After Boniface's death: from familia to institution; 3. Baugulf: the cultivation of learning, land and the church; 4. Ratger: church and conflict; 5. Eigil: new unity; 6. Hrabanus I: reform and record; 7. Hrabanus II: sins, saints and the stability of the realm; 8. Royal power and monastic prayer; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisMalcolm Barber's classic The Trial of the Templars recounts the dramatic demise of this elite military force in the fourteenth century. Having fought against Islam in the crusades in the East for nearly two centuries, in October 1307 the members of this respected Order were arrested on the order of Philip IV, King of France and charged with serious heresies, including homosexuality and the denial of Christ. Finding resonances between the fourteenth-century trial and contemporary events, Barber's classic account endeavours to tackle the unresolved controversies surrounding the consequences of the trial and includes discussions in the context of new work on the crusades, heresy, the papacy and the French monarchy.Trade Review'… this detailed narrative of the last days of the Order of the Temple has deservedly established itself as the standard account in a major European language.' Journal of Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction; 1. The participants; 2. The arrests; 3. The papal intervention; 4. The papal and episcopal inquiries; 5. The defence of the Order; 6. The end of resistance; 7. The charges; 8. The trial in other countries; 9. The suppression; 10. Conclusion; Notes; Chronology of the trial; Recent historiography on the dissolution of the Temple; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisFor this 1916 work, Archdeacon E. H. Pearce searched through the extensive muniments of Westminster Abbey to provide a list of all the known members of the monastic community until the Dissolution. Over 700 individuals are included, with all the information about them available to the author. While the list is not complete, and the use of other sources would add additional names for the early period, Pearce completed a remarkable achievement. Westminster was a substantial foundation, with an average community of 47 for the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. About half of these, who held some office or function, are naturally better documented than ordinary monks. Scholarship was evidently valued by the abbey, although the majority of the writings evidenced were on the history of the community rather than theological or literary works. Some monks were supported at Oxford, but little is known of the education offered to the remainder.Table of Contents1. Preface; 2. Introduction; 3. Register of monks; 4. Lists of abbots, priors and obedientiaries; 5. Apendix; 6. Index of monks; 7. General index.

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Book SynopsisA revelatory account of how Christian monks identified distraction as a fundamental challenge—and how their efforts to defeat it can inform ours, more than a millennium laterTrade Review"A life of prayer and seclusion has never meant a life without distraction. As Jamie Kreiner puts it in her new book, [The Wandering Mind], the monks of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages (around A.D. 300 to 900) struggled mightily with attention...Charming...[Kreiner uses] the cultural obsession with distractibility to train our focus elsewhere, guiding us from the starting point of our own preoccupations to a greater understanding of how monks lived." -- Jennifer Szalai - The New York Times"A lucid and vivid examination of how early Christian monks created habits of contemplation to 'connect their minds to God,' opening 'panoramic vistas of the universe that transcended both space and time.' Ms. Kreiner, a professor of medieval history at th" -- Dominic Green - The Wall Street Journal"compelling, beautifully written and often amusing" -- Anna Katharina Schaffner - The Times Literary Supplement

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Book SynopsisThe Emergence of Monasticism offers a new approach to the subject, placing its development against the dynamic of both social and religious change. First study in any language to cover the formative period of medieval monasticism. Gives particular attention to the contribution of women to ascetic and monastic life. Trade Review‘An indispensable and valuable book.’ Times Literary Supplement ‘... the book succeeds admirably in making technical material accessible to the general reader.’ English Historical Review ‘The goal of this work, very successfully achieved, is a comprehensive view of monastic history ... throughout the book [Dunn] brings the reader quickly to understand a host of scholarly controversies without overburdening her text. Speculum '... a thorough reading of the major secondary studies of the past generation ... The extensive notes, substantial biliography and detailed index will be of great use.' Ecclesiastical History "This deserves to be widely recommended... a fascinating and thorough book" Morwenna Ludlow, MindTable of ContentsPreface. List of Abbreviations. 1. The Emergence of Christian Eremiticism. 2. The Development of Communal Life. 3. Women in Early Monasticism. 4. The Meaning of Asceticism. 5. The Evolution of Monasticism in the West. 6. The Rule of St Benedicts and its Italian Setting. 7. Britain and Ireland. 8. Irish peregrini and European Monasticism. 9. Monasticism and Society in the Seventh Century. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis bookshows how the kingdom of God has advanced through the progression of distinct covenants, collectively serving as the foundation for God's promise to bring redemption to his people.

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Book SynopsisA journey from where we are to achieving true happiness.Sister Mary David Totah was a nun of the Benedictine contemplative community of St Cecilia''s Abbey on the Isle of Wight. American by birth, she was educated at Loyola University, the University of Virginia and Christ Church, Oxford. After a distinguished teaching career, she entered religious life in 1985. For 22 years until her early death from cancer she guided the young nuns of her abbey with enthusiasm, wisdom and wit.The spirituality to be found in the pages of this book demonstrates to the reader why her influence should have been so great and so deep. Her notes to the novices deal with issues of relevance to a world beyond the cloister: What is the meaning of suffering? How do we cope with living with people who annoy us? How do we relate to a God we cannot see? How do we make the big decisions of life?Sister Mary David''s teaching was both profound and intensely practical, suffused witTrade ReviewA corpus of spiritual sagacity * Catholic Herald *Sr Mary David had an exceptional gift for friendship. The Joy of God, drawn from her notes, letters, and talks to novices ... shows why. Her joy, which was her hallmark, was a gift but it was also a choice, the fruit of effort, of very great, consistent generosity and courage, and of suffering. She was a disciple of joy. * The Tablet *If ever a book title conveyed its content, this one certainly does … That theme of joy, rooted in Christ, runs throughout the chapters, which have been skilfully put together from talks and letters to her novices. They deal with subjects such as growth, freedom, and darkness, and, while written for enclosed nuns, show how such a life develops deep insights into universal subjects. Liberally sprinkled with useful quotations from saints great and small, the book is easy to read. The chapters address how we are to grow in our consecration to Christ, whether that be through baptism or religious profession. * Church Times *Table of ContentsForeword: Sister Mary David Totah - Father Erik Varden OCSO PART ONE: CALLED TO JOY PART TWO: JOURNEY TO JOY Search Decision Growth Freedom Endurance Mercy Darkness Light PART THREE: SURRENDER TO JOY Acceptance-with-Joy: Her Last Lesson Interview Recorded a Few Weeks Before She Died Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisWith typical eloquence and wisdom, in The Way of St Benedict Rowan Williams explores the appeal of St Benedict's sixth-century Rule, showing it to be a document of great relevance to present day Christians and non-believers at our particular moment in history.For over a millennium the Rule a set of guidelines for monastic conduct has been influential on the life of Benedictine monks, but has also served in some sense as a background note' to almost all areas of civic experience: artistic, intellectual and institutional.The effects of this on society have been far-reaching and Benedictine communities and houses still attract countless visitors, testifying to the appeal and continuing relevance of Benedict's principles.As the author writes, the chapters of his book, which range from a discussion of Abbot Cuthbert Butler's mysticism to Benedict and the Future of Europe', are simply an invitation to look at various current questions through the lens of the Rule and to reflTrade ReviewThe mature and reflective thought here presented can be read with benefit by those of us with decades of stability under our belts no less than by those just beginning to examine the Benedictine manner of following the Gospel. -- James Flint * The American Benedictine Review *Table of ContentsPART ONE Introduction 1 'Shaping Holy Lives' 2 The Staying Power of Benedict 3 Monks and Mission: A Perspective from England 4 From Solitude to Communion: Monastic Virtues and Ecumenical Hopes 5 Benedict and the Future of Europe PART TWO 6 Reforming Monasticism: An Early Medieval Debate 7 A Benedictine on 'Mysticism': Abbot Cuthbert Butler Notes Acknowledgements Note on the Author

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Book SynopsisFranciscan priest Richard Rohr focuses his attention on all frames and doorways to the divine - the alternative way of Francis of Assisi.Trade ReviewA comprehensive examination of Frances and his egalitarian brotherhood. * Methodist Recorder *Anyone familiar with Rohr's innovative theology will recognise how this is firmly grounded in the teaching of St Francis and anyone who has not encountered Rohr before will, I am sure, be intrigued by what he has to say. * Reform *A book well worth reading and engaging with. * Together Magazine *

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Book SynopsisDuring the rise of Islam, Muslim fascination with Christian monastic life was articulated through a fluid, piety-centred movement. Bradley Bowman explores this confessional synthesis between like-minded religious groups in the medieval Near East.

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Book SynopsisDuring the rise of Islam, Muslim fascination with Christian monastic life was articulated through a fluid, piety-centred movement. Bradley Bowman explores this confessional synthesis between like-minded religious groups in the medieval Near East.Trade Review"Bowman's work is thought provoking besides being of great value and interest; it will be extremely useful to those seeking insights into the complexity of monasticism, early Islam, and interconfessional contacts, interaction, religious affiliation, and political allegiance between Muslims and Christians in Late Antiquity and beyond." -Basema Hamarneh, University of Vienna

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Book SynopsisShannen Dee Williams provides a comprehensive history of Black Catholic nuns in the United States, tracing how Black sisters’ struggles were central to the long African American freedom movement.Trade Review“Deeply researched, elegantly written, and boldly argued, Subversive Habits is a brilliant excavation of the long political history of Black nuns. This is extraordinary scholarship that is as accessible as it is groundbreaking and illuminating. This timely and essential book widens the frames of Black women’s history, of religion and activism, and of Black Catholicism.” -- Barbara D. Savage, author of * Your Spirits Walk beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion *“Sweeping in its scope, exhaustively researched, and balanced in presentation,Subversive Habits is a seminal history of Black Catholic Nuns and their struggle for equality and justice in the Catholic Church.” -- Bettye Collier-Thomas, author of * Jesus, Jobs, and Justice: African American Women and Religion *"An awe-inspiring history book about Black nuns who fought for freedom and equality. . . . Subversive Habits is a stirring history text about the remarkable faith and conviction of Black nuns in America." -- Melissa Wuske * Foreword *(Starred Review) "Informative and often surprising, this should be required reading for scholars of Catholic and African American religious history and will undoubtedly become the standard text on its subject." * Publishers Weekly *"The 'uncommon faithfulness' of the nuns in Subversive Habits—taking the church at its word when it teaches that we are all one body—is a model of discipleship from which all Catholics can learn." -- Kathleen Manning * U.S. Catholic *"Shannen Williams's book chronicles the bold steps and persistence African-American sisters took to debunk their rejection by white orders that insisted Black women lacked souls and/or virtue suitable to be admitted to them. . . . This outstanding book, Subversive Habits, is well-researched, quite revealing and a set of history and reality lessons of how Black sisters kept the faith and made the Catholic Church change." -- Ralph E. Moore, Jr. * The AFRO *"This eye-opening, inspiring and thoroughly researched book unearths a history that few Americans know: the challenges and triumphs of Black Catholic nuns in the United States. It’s one of the most exciting new books in Black women’s history and powerfully captures the interconnections between race, religion and politics." -- Keisha Blain * Politico *"Subversive Habits demands a committed reader. However, it will reward the resilient and open-minded reader with apokalupsis—tremendous learning about the scope of racism throughout the American Catholic Church as well as the witness of these Black Catholic women and their contributions to the church and the world. Please take up the reading and stick with it. Draw some perseverance from the women the book depicts and take heart in their commitment to justice." -- Kevin Spinale * America *"Subversive Habits brings a very necessary balance to histories published in recent decades that focus on civil rights work by Catholics. It seems these historians were writing about the exception and not the norm. This is the story of courageous nuns, including those who felt they couldn't remain any longer, who are the true gems of American Catholic history. Every woman religious must read this book." -- Laura Swan * Magistra *"In Subversive Habits, historian Williams has given us a remarkable work of scholarship, one that may be distressing for many readers because she clears away any shred of doubt about the U.S. Catholic Church being racist from its very beginnings." -- Kathleen Finley * The Tablet *"I have never read a more thoughtful account of the Black Catholic experience than Shannen Dee Williams’ Subversive Habits. Williams’ book is a revelatory history of the experiences of Black religious women in understanding race, faith, and change in the Catholic church from the antebellum period through the various waves of civil-rights struggle to the contemporary era." -- Marcia Chatelain * Chronicle of Higher Education * "Williams seeks to tell the story of these women and of the Black and majority white sisterhoods in which they participated. The account is well documented, and Williams includes a look at the current departures of Black sisters from religious life and considers the likely future of Black female religious communities. Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals." -- L. H. Hoyle * Choice *"Williams's book is the go-to work on Black women religious in the United States during and in the afterlife of slavery. Future scholars, practitioners, and interlocutors are indebted to this brilliant author for the treasure trove she has gifted us." -- Ahmad Greene-Hayes * Journal of Southern History *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ix Note on Terminology xiii Preface: Bearing Witness to a Silenced Past xv Acknowledgments xix Introduction. America’s Forgotten Black Freedom Fighters 1 1. Our Sole Wish Is to Do the Will of God: The Early Struggles of Black Catholic Sisters in the United States 23 2. Nothing Is Too Good for the Youth of Our Race: The Fight for Black-Administered Catholic Education during Jim Crow 61 3. Is the Order Catholic Enough? The Struggle to Desegregate White Sisterhoods after World War II 103 4. I Was Fired Up to Go to Selma: Black Sisters, the Second Vatican Council, and the Fight for Civil Rights 134 5. Liberation Is Our First Priority: Black Nuns and Black Power 167 6. No Schools, No Churches! The Fight to Save Black Catholic Education in the 1970s 200 7. The Future of the Black Catholic Nun Is Dubious: African American Sisters in the Age of Church Decline 231 Conclusion. The Catholic Church Wouldn't Be Catholic If It Wasn’t for Us 259 Glossary 271 Notes 273 Bibliography 345 Index 371

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Book SynopsisShannen Dee Williams provides a comprehensive history of Black Catholic nuns in the United States, tracing how Black sisters' struggles were central to the long African American freedom movement.Trade Review“Deeply researched, elegantly written, and boldly argued, Subversive Habits is a brilliant excavation of the long political history of Black nuns. This is extraordinary scholarship that is as accessible as it is groundbreaking and illuminating. This timely and essential book widens the frames of Black women’s history, of religion and activism, and of Black Catholicism.” -- Barbara D. Savage, author of * Your Spirits Walk beside Us: The Politics of Black Religion *“Sweeping in its scope, exhaustively researched, and balanced in presentation,Subversive Habits is a seminal history of Black Catholic Nuns and their struggle for equality and justice in the Catholic Church.” -- Bettye Collier-Thomas, author of * Jesus, Jobs, and Justice: African American Women and Religion *"An awe-inspiring history book about Black nuns who fought for freedom and equality. . . . Subversive Habits is a stirring history text about the remarkable faith and conviction of Black nuns in America." -- Melissa Wuske * Foreword *(Starred Review) "Informative and often surprising, this should be required reading for scholars of Catholic and African American religious history and will undoubtedly become the standard text on its subject." * Publishers Weekly *"The 'uncommon faithfulness' of the nuns in Subversive Habits—taking the church at its word when it teaches that we are all one body—is a model of discipleship from which all Catholics can learn." -- Kathleen Manning * U.S. Catholic *"Shannen Williams's book chronicles the bold steps and persistence African-American sisters took to debunk their rejection by white orders that insisted Black women lacked souls and/or virtue suitable to be admitted to them. . . . This outstanding book, Subversive Habits, is well-researched, quite revealing and a set of history and reality lessons of how Black sisters kept the faith and made the Catholic Church change." -- Ralph E. Moore, Jr. * The AFRO *"This eye-opening, inspiring and thoroughly researched book unearths a history that few Americans know: the challenges and triumphs of Black Catholic nuns in the United States. It’s one of the most exciting new books in Black women’s history and powerfully captures the interconnections between race, religion and politics." -- Keisha Blain * Politico *"Subversive Habits demands a committed reader. However, it will reward the resilient and open-minded reader with apokalupsis—tremendous learning about the scope of racism throughout the American Catholic Church as well as the witness of these Black Catholic women and their contributions to the church and the world. Please take up the reading and stick with it. Draw some perseverance from the women the book depicts and take heart in their commitment to justice." -- Kevin Spinale * America *"Subversive Habits brings a very necessary balance to histories published in recent decades that focus on civil rights work by Catholics. It seems these historians were writing about the exception and not the norm. This is the story of courageous nuns, including those who felt they couldn't remain any longer, who are the true gems of American Catholic history. Every woman religious must read this book." -- Laura Swan * Magistra *"In Subversive Habits, historian Williams has given us a remarkable work of scholarship, one that may be distressing for many readers because she clears away any shred of doubt about the U.S. Catholic Church being racist from its very beginnings." -- Kathleen Finley * The Tablet *"I have never read a more thoughtful account of the Black Catholic experience than Shannen Dee Williams’ Subversive Habits. Williams’ book is a revelatory history of the experiences of Black religious women in understanding race, faith, and change in the Catholic church from the antebellum period through the various waves of civil-rights struggle to the contemporary era." -- Marcia Chatelain * Chronicle of Higher Education * "Williams seeks to tell the story of these women and of the Black and majority white sisterhoods in which they participated. The account is well documented, and Williams includes a look at the current departures of Black sisters from religious life and considers the likely future of Black female religious communities. Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals." -- L. H. Hoyle * Choice *"Williams's book is the go-to work on Black women religious in the United States during and in the afterlife of slavery. Future scholars, practitioners, and interlocutors are indebted to this brilliant author for the treasure trove she has gifted us." -- Ahmad Greene-Hayes * Journal of Southern History *Table of ContentsAbbreviations ix Note on Terminology xiii Preface: Bearing Witness to a Silenced Past xv Acknowledgments xix Introduction. America’s Forgotten Black Freedom Fighters 1 1. Our Sole Wish Is to Do the Will of God: The Early Struggles of Black Catholic Sisters in the United States 23 2. Nothing Is Too Good for the Youth of Our Race: The Fight for Black-Administered Catholic Education during Jim Crow 61 3. Is the Order Catholic Enough? The Struggle to Desegregate White Sisterhoods after World War II 103 4. I Was Fired Up to Go to Selma: Black Sisters, the Second Vatican Council, and the Fight for Civil Rights 134 5. Liberation Is Our First Priority: Black Nuns and Black Power 167 6. No Schools, No Churches! The Fight to Save Black Catholic Education in the 1970s 200 7. The Future of the Black Catholic Nun Is Dubious: African American Sisters in the Age of Church Decline 231 Conclusion. The Catholic Church Wouldn't Be Catholic If It Wasn’t for Us 259 Glossary 271 Notes 273 Bibliography 345 Index 371

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Book SynopsisIn Dark Age Nunneries, Steven Vanderputten dismantles the common view of women religious between 800 and 1050 as disempowered or even disinterested witnesses to their own lives. It is based on a study of primary sources from forty female monastic communities in Lotharingiaa politically and culturally diverse region that boasted an extraordinarily high number of such institutions. Vanderputten highlights the attempts by women religious and their leaders, as well as the clerics and the laymen and -women sympathetic to their cause, to construct localized narratives of self, preserve or expand their agency as religious communities, and remain involved in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the laity amid changing contexts and expectations on the part of the Church and secular authorities.Rather than a dark age in which female monasticism withered under such factors as the assertion of male religious authority, the secularization of its institutions, and the precipitous Trade ReviewThe book illuminates the little-explored landscape of female monasticism. Vanderputten demonstrates that the current narratives remain oversimplified, and opens up possibilities for its revision. * Sehepunkte *Previous generations of modern historians describe Lotharingian female monasticism as inadequate, lax, and unobservant. In Dark Age Nunneries, Steven Vanderputten puts us right by offering a compelling alternative analysis. -- Elisabeth Van Houts, Emmanuel College * SPECULUM *An impressive volume [that] will be useful to all scholars of monasticism, particularly in its nuanced analysis of communities' interaction with normative texts. * EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Setting the Boundaries for Legitimate Experimentation 2. Holy Vessels, Brides of Christ: Ambiguous Ninth-Century Realities 3. Transitions, Continuities, and the Struggle for Monastic Lordship 4. Reforms, Semi-reforms, and the Silencing of Women Religious in the Tenth Century 5. New Beginnings 6. Monastic Ambiguities in the New Millennium Conclusion

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Book SynopsisIn Dark Age Nunneries, Steven Vanderputten dismantles the common view of women religious between 800 and 1050 as disempowered or even disinterested witnesses to their own lives. It is based on a study of primary sources from forty female monastic communities in Lotharingiaa politically and culturally diverse region that boasted an extraordinarily high number of such institutions. Vanderputten highlights the attempts by women religious and their leaders, as well as the clerics and the laymen and -women sympathetic to their cause, to construct localized narratives of self, preserve or expand their agency as religious communities, and remain involved in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the laity amid changing contexts and expectations on the part of the Church and secular authorities.Rather than a dark age in which female monasticism withered under such factors as the assertion of male religious authority, the secularization of its institutions, and the precipitous Trade ReviewThe book illuminates the little-explored landscape of female monasticism. Vanderputten demonstrates that the current narratives remain oversimplified, and opens up possibilities for its revision. * Sehepunkte *Previous generations of modern historians describe Lotharingian female monasticism as inadequate, lax, and unobservant. In Dark Age Nunneries, Steven Vanderputten puts us right by offering a compelling alternative analysis. -- Elisabeth Van Houts, Emmanuel College * SPECULUM *An impressive volume [that] will be useful to all scholars of monasticism, particularly in its nuanced analysis of communities' interaction with normative texts. * EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Setting the Boundaries for Legitimate Experimentation 2. Holy Vessels, Brides of Christ: Ambiguous Ninth-Century Realities 3. Transitions, Continuities, and the Struggle for Monastic Lordship 4. Reforms, Semi-reforms, and the Silencing of Women Religious in the Tenth Century 5. New Beginnings 6. Monastic Ambiguities in the New Millennium Conclusion

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Book SynopsisMonastic experience in twelfth-century Germany provides a rare window on to monastery life in the tumultuous world of twelfth-century Swabia. From its founding in 992 through the great fire that ravaged it in 1159 and beyond, Petershausen weathered countless external attacks and internal divisions. Supra-regional clashes between emperors and popes played out at the most local level. Monks struggled against overreaching bishops. Reformers introduced new and unfamiliar customs. Tensions erupted into violence within the community. Through it all the anonymous chronicler struggled to find meaning amid conflict and forge connections to a shared past, enlivening his narrative with colorful anecdotes – sometimes amusing, sometimes disturbing. Translated into English for the first time, this fascinating text is an essential source for the lived experience of medieval monasticism.Trade Review'Monastic Experience in Twelfth-Century Germany provides a skillfully annotated and translated text of the Petershausen Chronicles. The Chronicles not only provide a glimpse into twelfth-century German monasticism and society, they are a fascinating read: a saint who refuses to give up his relics, a cruel murderer who boils his victim, battle scenes, visions, miracles, and delightfully detailed descriptions make the Chronicles anything but a dry historical account.'The American Benedictine Review -- .Table of ContentsIntroductionThe Chronicle of PetershausenPrologueBook OneBook TwoBook ThreeBook FourTranslation of the Relics of St. GebhardAdditional EntriesBook FiveBook SixAppendix 1: The Life of St. GebhardAppendix 2: Concordance of book and chapter numberingBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis volume brings together texts of the twelfth-century Hildegard of Bingen and the early-thirteenth-century Francis of Assisi to represent religious spirituality after the Gregorian Reform and just prior to or simultaneous with the formation of universities in Western Europe. In an extraordinary way, Hildegard embodies monastic theology and spirituality and provides a contrast to the new thing that would be created with the study of theology in the new Aristotelian idiom of the universities. But equally in contrast to the Benedictine Hildegard, the thirteenth century witnessed a renewed enthusiasm for a more literal following of Christ in a life of penitence and poverty. This is a life of dependence, not on a superior and enclosed community but on the compassion of society at large. Francis would join this movement on his own terms, attract a following, and gradually formulate a spirituality that sent signals of the need to reform individual lives and the institutions of the Church. These two authors, then, are not joined here because of any shared similarity but to help illustrate two quite different spiritualities that animated the lively European twelfth and thirteenth centuries.Table of ContentsHILDEGARD OF BINGEN I – Introduction to Hildegard and the Texts | 3 II – The Texts | 15 Hildegard on the Prologue Selection from Part I, Vision 4 of The Divine Works | 17 Hildegard on Creation Selection from Part II, Vision 1 of The Divine Works | 39 III – Retrieving Hildegard for Christian Life Today | 59 FRANCIS OF ASSISI I – Introduction to Francis and the Texts | 73 II – Foundational Texts of Francis | 85 The Earlier Rule | 87 Later Admonition and Exhortation to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance | 118 The Canticle of Creatures | 129 A Letter to the Entire Order | 133 The Testament | 141 III – Retrieving Francis for Christian Life Today | 147 Further Reading | 161 About the Series | 163 About the Editors | 169

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Book Synopsis

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