“The truth has a universal character, a divine reality. May I continue to open myself to this kind of soul truth, spending time in silence, giving the Spirit the space it needs and trusting what emerges. My life depends on it. My soul begs for it.”
Sue Kenney, July 2018 Newsletter
Our Books
Cloister of the Heart
Cloister of the Heart, published by ACW and written by our members, tells the story of the ACW (formerly ACS): its gestation and birth and much of what has transpired since then. In the 50 years since its inception, it has developed from an organization which served monastic communities into an association of women, both religious and lay, from a variety of religious traditions, who pursue the contemplative path in a diversity of ways. Sections include a narrative history followed by eleven personal essays written by our members describing their experience of ACW.
The Lay Contemplative: Testimonies, Perspectives, Resources
The Lay Contemplative: Testimonies, Perspectives, Resources celebrates and explores the emerging vision of an embodiment of a spirituality of God radically manifest in the midst of everyday, secular life. It draws together a blend of story, theory and practical help for those who feel called to pursue contemplative prayer life while living an active life in the world.
Our Members on the Internet
Suzanne Guthrie
www.EdgeOfEnclosure.org (website)
Nancy Pfaff
Sacred Quest Reno YouTube channel website
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM6dVeKGikmNqQ2xJ7slk0w
Hildegard Pleva
www.ContemplativeHorizon.blogspot.com (blog)
Newsletters
Two issues of ACW newsletters are available here.
Books for the Journey
Some of the Books We Have Read Together
Creation and the Cross: The Mercy of God for a Planet in Peril by Elizabeth Johnson
The Logic of Faith: A Buddhist Approach to Finding Certainty Beyond Belief and Doubt by Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
Prayer in the Cave of the Heart by Cyprian Consiglio OSB Cam
The Grand Option by Beatrice Bruteau
Personal Transformation and a New Creation: The Spiritual Revolution of Beatrice Bruteau by Ilia Delio
The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart by Cynthia Bourgeault
Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home by Pope Francis
The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault
Christ in Evolution by Ilia Delio
God After Darwin by John Haught
Deeper Than Darwin by John Haught
Quantum Theology by Diarmuid O’Murchu
Process Theology by John Cobb, Jr. and David Ray Griffin
Alfred North Whitehead by Norman Pittenger
From Our Members
Books, Articles and Audio Tapes by ACW Members
Rosalie Bertell, GNSH – 1929-2012
No Immediate Danger: Prognosis for a Radioactive Earth (1985)
Planet Earth: The Latest Weapon of War (2000)
Beryl Singleton Bissell
A View of the Lake—Living the Dream on Lake Superior (2011)
The Scent of God: A Memoir (2007)
Beatrice Bruteau – 1930-2014
The Psychic Grid: How We Create the World We Know (1979) ISBN 0835605310
Radical Optimism (1992), Sentient Publications, 2008, ISBN 1-59181-001-9
What We Can Learn from the East (1995), ISBN 0824514572
The Other Half of My Soul (ed.) (1996), ISBN 0835607178
God’s Ecstasy (1997), ISBN 0824516834
The Grand Option (2001), ISBN 0268010420
Jesus Through Jewish Eyes (ed.) (2001), ISBN 1570753881
Ann Denham – d. 2014 and Gert Wilkinson
Cloister of the Heart: Association of Contemplative Sisters. A history of ACS. Xlibris (2009)
Myriam G. Dardenne, OCSO – d. 2002
Fragments For An Autobiography (2008)
Mary Frohlich, RSCJ
“Authority.” An essay in The Cambridge Companion to Christian Mysticism, Amy Hollywood and Patricia Beckman, eds., (Cambridge University 2011)
“Set Me as a Seal Upon Your Heart: Image and Imagelessness in Teresian Prayer.” The Way, 49 (January 2010): 29-44.
“Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), The Interior Castle.” In Arthur Holder, ed., Christian Spirituality: The Classics (Routledge 2010).
“Under the Sign of Jonah: Studying Spirituality in a Time of Ecosystemic Crisis.” Spiritus 9/1 (Spring 2009): 27-45.
“The ‘Thirst of Jesus’ In the Vocations of Mother Teresa and Therese of Lisieux.” New Theology Review 21/4 (2008): 70-77.
“Critical Interiority.” Spiritus 7/1 (Spring 2007): 77-81.
“Thérèse of Lisieux and a Spirituality for a Divided Church. Spirituality 12 (February 2006): 17-20.
“Discernment as a Way of Life.” New Theology Review 18/3 (August 2005): 41-51.
“Keeping Current: Discernment.” New Theology Review 18/1 (February 2005): 83-86.
“Angels” and “Prayer” In The New Book of Knowledge. Danbury, CT: Scholastic Library, 2005.
“‘The Myth of the Garden’ and Spiritual Ministry in Postmodern America.” in Edward Foley and Robert Schreiter, eds., The Wisdom of Creation (Liturgical Press, 2004), 92-106.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Essential Writings. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2003.
“A Spirituality for Times of Illness: The Case of Thérèse of Lisieux.” New Theology Review 14/4 (November 2001): 32-43.
“Christian Mysticism in Postmodernity: Thérèse of Lisieux as a Case Study.” In David B. Perrin, Women Christian Mystics Speak to Our Times (NY: Sheed and Ward, 2001), 157-172.
“What I Know and Don’t Know: A Christian Reflects on Buddhist Practice.” Buddhist-Christian Studies 21 (2001): 37-41. Re-published in: R. M. Gross and T. C. Muck, Christians Talk about Buddhist Meditation, Buddhists Talk about Christian Prayer (NY: Continuum, 2003), 20-26.
“Spiritual Discipline, Discipline of Spirituality: Revisiting Questions of Definition and Method.” Spiritus 1 (2001): 65-68. Republished in: Elizabeth A. Dreyer and Mark S. Burrows, Minding the Spirit: The Study of Christian Spirituality(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005), 65-78.
“Technological Shortcuts to Enlightenment: Boon or Bane for Christians?” Studies in Interreligious Dialogue 7 (1997): 76-89.
“From Mystification to Mystery: Lonergan and the Theological Significance Of Sexuality.” In Cynthia Crysdale, ed., Lonergan and Feminism, pp. 175-98. University of Toronto Press, 1994.
Rev. Suzanne Guthrie
Praying the Hours, Cloister Books, ISBN-13: 978-1561011773
Grace’s Window: Entering the Seasons of Prayer, Morehouse Books, SBN-13: 978-1561011773
Mary Killeen Lyons
“Contemplative Experience: A Phenomenological Study of the Spiritual and
Psychological Dimensions of the Mystical Encounter”. (1998) Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, CA. A Ph.D. dissertation examining the question: How do post-modern contemplative women perceive and describe their experience of God? Access: Search for:
Pacifica Graduate Institute, Research Library, Dissertation Resources. Publication Number – AAT 9951483ISBN– 97805995562710Pacifica ProQuest doc.ID 730229721
Virginia Manss and Mary Frohlich, RSCJ
The Lay Contemplative—Testimonies, Perspectives, Resources. Edited by
Virginia Manss and Mary Frohlich. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2000.
Mary Jo Meadow
Christian Insight Meditation: Following in the Footsteps of John of the
Cross (Boston: Wisdom, 2007), edited by Mary Jo Meadow, RES Founding Teacher.
Through A Glass Darkly: A Spiritual Psychology of Faith, Mary Jo Meadow
(New York: Crossroads, 1996) Out of Print. Limited quantities available from resecum.org.
Gentling the Heart: Buddhist Loving Kindness Practice for Christians, Mary
Jo Meadow. Out of Print. Limited quantities available from resecum.org.
Vilma Seelaus, OCD – 1925-2012
Distractions in Prayer: Blessing or Curse? ISBN: 0-8189-0985-4
Lectures available at Carmel Clarion Communications: Thérèse: Child, Girl, Woman
Self-Emptying: Philippians 2 and the Carmelite Tradition
The Mystical Life of Jesus in Teresa and John
Carmelite Mysticism as Theology
Tapes available at Alba House Communications:
God In The Human Story: Through The Eyes of Therese Of Lisieux
Theresa’s Inner Journey to Transformed Consciousness
Live from your Center: Teresa and the Momentum of Prayer
Teresa of Availa: Human Liberation
Meditation on the Compost Heap: Crisis and Divine Transformation
Teresa’s Way of Peacemaking in a Nuclear Age
Teresa, Feminism, and the Humanity of Christ
The Feminine in Prayer
Teresa: Beyond Individualism
The Mystery of Commitment
Live The Presence of God
The Self: Mirror of God
Phyllis Zagano
Women & Catholicism: Gender, Communion and Authority (Palgrave-Macmillan,2011)
Women in Ministry: Emerging Questions About the Diaconate (Paulist, 2012)
Women Deacons: Past, Present, Future (with Gary Macy and W. T. Ditewig) (Paulist Press, 2012).
The Dominican Tradition: Spirituality in History. Co-edited, with an introduction, with Thomas McGonigle, OP. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2006.
Called to Serve: A Spirituality for Deacons. Liguori Publications, 2004.
Dorothy Day. Edited, with an introduction. “In My Own Words” Series, Liguori Publications, 2003.
Holy Saturday: An Argument for the Restoration of the Female Diaconate in the Catholic Church. New York: Crossroad/Herder, 2000.
Twentieth-Century Apostles: Christian Spirituality in Action. Edited, with an introduction. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1999, Second Printing 2001.
Things New and Old: Essays on the Theology of Elizabeth A. Johnson.
Co-edited, with an introduction, with Terrence W. Tilley. New York: Crossroad/Herder, 1999.
The Exercise of the Primacy: Continuing the Dialogue. Co-edited, with an introduction and afterword, with Terrence W. Tilley. New York: Crossroad/Herder, 1998.
Woman to Woman: An Anthology of Women’s Spiritualities. Edited, with an introduction. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1993. Second Printing, 1994.Third Printing, 1997.
“Our spirituality is the very center and source of our being. It is what holds us together, body and soul.”
Cyprian Consiglio, OSB Cam,
Prayer in the Cave of the Heart