"A book on how medieval monastic practices can inspire us to live fuller lives"--

"In this follow-up to his critically acclaimed book The Shattering of Loneliness, Erik Varden provides a glimpse of the value of a monastic life and a Christian calling in our troubled modern age. "Be whole and so be happy."--St. Bernard, founder of the Cistercian order. In the aftermath of a pandemic and the midst of political upheaval, Erik Varden has observed a growing interest in the monastic life - even among those who have no intention of entering...

"Monk's Medicine is a quest for ancient and proven wisdom and practices - a pilgrimage to ten monasteries around the world, from the roots of monasticism at a Coptic monastery in the eastern desert of Egypt to Assisi, Greece, Bhutan Montserrat and more. We follow Sarah Sands on her personal journey as she identifies common characteristics from centuries of monastic life and how they can take us beyond the self-absorption of many contemporary self-help...

"A questioning novice nun's coming-of-age story. Readers will be moved to reflect on the universal human experiences of being broken and the pull to be part of something bigger than themselves. At the age of 25, just a month into her novitiate as a Franciscan Sister, Julia Walsh fell from a cliff and became disfigured. While working toward healing, she felt pulled to religious community life, but also toward unresolved feelings regarding her own sexuality,...

Profiles ten nuns and the causes to which they've dedicated their lives. Meet, for instance, Sister Simone Campbell, who traversed the United States challenging a Republican budget that threatened to severely undermine the well-being of poor Americans; Sister Megan Rice, who's willing to spend the rest of her life in prison if it helps eliminate nuclear weapons; and the inimitable Sister Jeannine Gramick, who's fighting for acceptance of gays and...

Discusses the ancient concept of "soul weariness" and explores the phenomenon's relevance in modern culture, meditating on the ways in which depression-like acedia influenced the author's experiences as a writer, a family member, and a patient.

For many Americans, nuns and sisters are the face of the Catholic Church. Far more visible than priests, Catholic women religious teach at schools, found hospitals, offer food to the poor, and minister to those in need. Their work has shaped the American Catholic Church throughout its history. McGuinness provides the reader with an overview of the history of Catholic women religious in American life, from the colonial period to the present.

Sisters is the first major history of the pivotal role played by nuns in the building of American society. Nuns were the first feminists, argues Fialka. They became the nation's first cadre of independent, professional women. Some nursed, some taught, and many created and managed new charitable organizations, including large hospitals and colleges. In the 1800s nuns moved west with the frontier, often starting the first hospitals and schools in...