rachelbooklist

CARMELITE BOOKS

RACHEL READS

The Story of A Soul - The autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux. A must read!! A Caremlite friend told me that this book has been responsible for almost all of the vocations at their monastery. It will not be hard to find.

Therese of Lisieux and Marie of the Trinity by Pierre Descouvemont, Published by St. Paul's in 1993. Gives you a great insight into the Carmelite world.

St. Therese of Lisieux By Those Who Knew Her by Christopher O Mahony. Veritas Publications, last reprint 1989. Another great insight into Carmelite life and spirituality..

A Few Lines to Tell You, My Life in Carmel by Sister Marie Self Published by the Carmelites of Iron Mountain (Monastery of the Holy Cross, Discalced Carmelite Nuns, P.O. Box 397, Iron Mountain, MI 49801). This book was published in 1956 and they may have some additional copies. A collection of letters and drawings from Sister Marie to her family as she becomes adjusted to her new life as a Carmelite. Definitely dated, but many of the customs are the same (especially depending upon which Monastery you look at). The spirit and charism hasn't changed at all - so this is one I really do recommend.

Sister Clare by Loretta Burrough The Riverside Press, 1960. This is one of my favorite books! Beautifully and sweetly written - very simple and honest. It says on the back cover that the author was helped by a friend who is a Carmelite Prioress, but it's almost hard to believe - the details are so carefully, respectfully and honestly done - I can't imagine that she wasn't in the convent herself! I highly recommend this book.

My Beloved, The Story of a Carmelite Nun by Mother Catherine Thomas McGraw-Hill Publishing, 1959. This is a fun book, with great photos. A rare look inside the cloister and while it is dated, it is still informative. It's not as personal as Sister Clare, but I would think that is because this book is autobiographical.

The Doctor's Widow by W.M Queen The Academy Library, 1956. This is the story of the foundress of the Carmelites of Alhambra, CA. The sisters are currently promoting her cause for canonization. This is a good book about a journey towards Carmel and what she had to endure in reaching her goal. Very good, though it doesn't give you a great insight into Cloistered Carmelite life.

Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. 2000 I have lent my last copy of this book out, and I can't remember the publisher. However, this recently came out in paperback, and it is a beautiful, well-received book! This book received a GREAT review in The New Yorker and has won quite a few awards. The Carmelites in Los Angeles all loved this book and worked with the author. It's is fictional yet the details are excellent, and the author expresses the Carmelite charism beautifully. This is the favorite book of many Carmelites that I know right now, including two priests.

POOR CLARE BOOKS

A Right To Be Merry by Mother Mary Francis, PCC This volume stands alone as a great book - if not THE best - about cloistered life You just can't beat it!!!.

Forth and Abroad, STill Merry on Land and By Sea by Mother Mary Francis, PCC Ignatius Press, 1997 The follow-up to A Right To Be Merry . This is not nearly as enjoyable as the first one but is worth reading and does give you some really wonderful glimpses into the life of a Poor Clare Collettine nun.

A MEMORY FOR WONDERS by Mother Veronica Namoyo, PCC Ignatius Press 1993 Forward by Mother Mary Francis. This nun is an exceptional writer. The book is about her call to religous life after a very difficult beginning (atheist parents, etc...). She became a Poor Clare nun in Algiers (her parents disowned her), and today is an Abbess and the foundress of two large monasteries in Africa. This book doesn't delve into the details of cloistered life like Mother Mary Francis' first book (or even like some of the Carmelite books listed above) but it does give you a wonderful look at "one's soul" and the workings of the Holy Spirit. She is a very gifted writer and not only is this book interesting and inspirational - it is just gorgeous. She paints a very vivid picture of what her life has been like and I cannot recommend this one enough. It really speaks of the conversion of heart, of the vocation to this life, and what that means - spirtually and emotionally.

OTHER BOOKS ON CONTEMPLATIVE/MONASTIC LIFE

The Laughter of God, At Ease with Prayer by Sister Miriam Pollard, OCSO Michael Glazier Publications, 1986 Sister Miriam is a Trappistine nun in Wrentham, MA. This is a gorgeous book about what it means to pray as a contemplative. It explains the different practices of prayer, and offers excellent suggestions and insights. This is a simple book, with small insights here and there about contemplative life and prayer.

A life for The World, by the Domincan Nuns Self-published, No date. I believe I ordered my copy from the Dominican Monastery, 1401 Lotus Lane, Lufkin, Tx 75904. This is an adaptation of something the Dominican Nuns in Italy had written. Other than that, resources and other information regarding this book are sketchy. This is a small, simple book that explains the Dominican cloistered life and calling. There are sweet little illustrations, and very easy to understand information regarding their life and vocation. Not particularly personal but enjoyable and informative all the same.

Dominican Books

One Mind and Heart in God: Dominican Monastic Life Edited by Sister Mary Catherine Wolfe Conference Publications, 1989. This is a collection of talks/essays regarding the life and mission of cloistered Dominican nuns. It covers their prayer life, work, liturgy and spirtuality. It also talks about formation and community life. This is the best book about Dominican life that I have seen, and clearly demonstrates the Dominican's well-deserved reputation for scholarly writing.

1012 Monastery Road, A Spiritual Journey by William Meninger, OCSO St. Bedes Publications, 1989. This is another book written by a Trappist, only this time by a man. Do not let that put you off. This is a wonderful little book, filled with little stories about community life, prayer, and the contemplative vocation. At the time of the publication of this book, he was the Prior and Novice Maser of the Snowmass Monastery in Colorado. I have met him a few times, and he is a wonderful, gentle, warm man. This book is excellent for anyone seeking a deeper relationship with God - especially in religious contemplative life. I sincerely recommend it.

Contemplative Nuns Speak Presented by Bernard Bro, OP Helicon Press, 1963. This is a hard to find book, but well worth the search. Thes book contains the answers to a questionnaire submitted to Visitation, Trappistine, Domincan, Poor Clare and Carmelite Nuns. Each chapter outlines the question and then provides a great sampling of the various answers from the nuns. At the end of the answers, the book indicates how old the writer is and the community to whcih she belongs. This is a great find if you can hunt it down! The book gives many wonderful insights into the individual experiences of the cloistered life, the spirituality of the community and the individual, personal response to vocation.

I Leap Over The Wall by Monica Baldwin Rhinehart & Co. 1950 This is the author's true story of leaving a cloistered community after twenty eight years. I had long thought I knew the community she writes about, but she does a very good job in disguising details that would give her former home away. Her experiences are really interesting. Baldwin's honesty about having entered the convent for all of the "wrong" reasons, the account of her personal stuggle in coming to grips with this knowledge, and her adjustment to the "outside" world makes this a facinating read.

The Called and The Chosen by Monica Baldwin American Stratford Press, 1957 This is a novel about a fictional convent and is very similiar to Baldwin's autobiography. This book is a little bit more free with details and personal interactions. A very good read. Dated, definitely, but so enjoyable and well written. This book won't give you and real answers, but it will give you an enjoyable and gratifying reading experience. Her writing is gorgeous.

Veil and Cowl, Writings from the World of Monks and Nuns Edited by James B. Simpson Ivan R. Dee Publishing 1994 This is a collection of writings - essays, excerpts from books, etc. about religious life. There are some fictional stories included as well as some writings by religious other than monks and nuns. This is a good, insightful book, though for me, not as fulfilling as some of the other ones on this list.

Please note that the commentary on this page is not that of a professional literary critic. It is simply the opinion of an individual who is discerning her call to religious life. She has generously chosen to put her reflections in writing and to make them available to our visitors. The synopsis of any content is her best recollection and the "critique" is her personal opinion.

In A Great Tradition, The Life of Dame Laurentia McLachlan, Abbess of Stanbrook, by The Benedictines of Stanbrook Harper and Bros 1956 This is a great book about a very famous Abbess. She was Abbess of Stanbrook, the great Benedictine house, until her death in 1953. She was a very well respected and well known woman who had friendships with many people outside of the cloister - including George Bernard Shaw. It's hard to read this book and NOT be amazed at what she accomplished and at the holy legacy she left. This is a particularly well written book (though there are no translations offered where French and Latin phrases are used) and I recommend this book for two reasons: 1. The history of Stanbrook Abbey is fascinating (it was founded by the great-great-grandaughter of St. Thomas More (Dame Gertrude More) and includes such feats as an excape from almost certain martyrdom in France, the establishment, after a series of starts and stops, of the Abbey they have now, and their becoming experts in printing, music, writing and art. Their reputation reaches all corners of our Church. 2. This book clearly and beautifully illustrates how the enclosed life does not limit one's potential for contribution to "the world". Dame Laurentia was an enclosed nun during a time when women, let alone enclosed nuns, had few options. This dispels the myth that enclosure is akin to jail and that your life (education etc.) stops once the cloister door shuts behind you! George Bernard Shaw said of Dame Laurentia: "...and enclosed nun without an enclosed mind."

In This House of Brede BY Rumer Godden The Viking Press, 1969 I saved this book for last because it is one of my all time favorites. Rumer Gooden was not a nun, though she wrote many books about religious life and nuns. She was a very devoted Catholic and really "got" the spirit of enclosed life. This is a fun, deep, awesome book - filled with many personal and intimate details about the individuals she created, and it's hard to remember that this is a fictional account. It is an excellent view of the world of enclosed women and while much of it is dated, much remains the same today. The nuns she writes about are Benedictines and I can't recommend this book enough. After read it, all I could think about was joining - RIGHT AWAY! The nuns that I met in England told me that is was a very good "likeness" of their life though, of course, the details are entirely fictional. Some of the terms are a little bit different (in the US, we don't use the title "Dame" for a solemnly professed Benedictine) but it didn't ruin this book for me. This is REALLY one of my favorite books!!