PrayerSupporter Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Oxford University Press is publishing a book about the Rockford Poor Clares in December 2013. It is called Dedicated to God: An Oral History of Cloistered Nuns. The description given on Oxford University Press (OUP) and Amazon is: "In the second decade of the twenty-first century, Catholicism appears under siege. Reporters fixate on drama-accusations, investigations, the selection of a new pope. They ignore the inner story, the very reason why the church has survived from the Roman Empire's persecution through Renaissance splendor to the present day. This is the story of a search for truth, peace, and salvation, a story of selfless dedication that continues behind monastic walls even in our time. "In Dedicated to God, Abbie Reese opens a window onto the Corpus Christi Monastery of the Poor Clare Colettine Order, a community of cloistered monastic nuns living within a 25,000-square foot enclosure near Rockford, Illinois. It is a world apart from our noisy, digital, hyper-connected world, a world of poverty, simplicity, and prayer. These women have surrendered everything-their names, shoes, even their families. They disappear from the larger world; when one dies, the order marks her grave with a simple stone indicating her religious name and death date, nothing more. While they live, they pray five times a day at the Liturgy of the Hours for the victims of catastrophes and personal tragedies around the globe. The author spent six years learning their individual stories and the ancient rules they have chosen to live by. Reese makes that choice understandable, showing how each nun's values led her there, even if families were sometimes befuddled (one great-niece calls the monastery "the Jesus cage"). With an eye for complexity, Reese ranges from the challenges individuals face (she calls one "the claustrophobic nun") to the uncomprehending society that threatens this place with extinction." In addition, OUP says: There has never before been an oral history project with cloistered monastic nuns who observe monastic silence and take vows of enclosure; the author was granted rare access into the enclosure The author was allowed to conduct oral history interviews with about a dozen nuns and take photographs within the enclosure, and developed close relationships with her subjects over the course of the 6-year project Author is a professional photographer And the table of contents is: Preface IntroductionPART I: THE CALL In Her Own Words: Sister Mary Monica Chapter 1: Community Life In Her Own Words: Sister Maria Deo Gratias Chapter 2: The Claustrophobic Nun In Her Own Words: Sister Mary MichaelPART II: THE LIFE Chapter 3: Monastic Living in a Throwaway Culture In Her Own Words: Sister Mary Joseph Chapter 4: Little House, Big Heart In Her Own Words: Sister Mary Clara Chapter 5: Responsibility for the World In Her Own Words: Sister Joan Marie Chapter 6: The Suffering Servants In Her Own Words: AnonymousPART III: THE THREATS Chapter 7: Idealism and Reality In Her Own Words: Sister Ann Marie Chapter 8: Erased from the Landscape I don't know anything else about the book, but thought I'd mention it for those who might be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graciandelamadrededios Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Wow! Thanks for the info! God Bless you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlySunshine Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Nice! We had a PMer enter there 2 years ago. She is now a 1st year novice. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sr Mary Catharine OP Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 This woman did a photo essay about them. If you do a google search you can find it. How lovely! SMC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sr Mary Catharine OP Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 http://www.erasedfromthelandscape.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiquitunga Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I met her at Sr. Mary Agnes' clothing - http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/123822-little-birthday-gift-to-our-blessed-mother-sr-mary/ Her new book is coming out in December, http://www.amazon.com/Dedicated-God-History-Cloistered-Oxford/dp/0199947937 :like: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FutureSister2009 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Cool! I'm reading A Right to be Merry right now. It was sent to me from the Poor Clares in Barhamsville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Allie Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Cool! I'm reading A Right to be Merry right now. It was sent to me from the Poor Clares in Barhamsville My Dad emailed me this morning that he had finished reading it and found it helpful. I just love that book. It was given to me by my S.D. when I first started discerning. I especialy love the part... never mind. No spoiler here. :saint2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graciandelamadrededios Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Rockford Poor Clare Colettine was actually one of the charter member of the Federation of Mary Immaculate but they withdraw their membership later on. Federation of Mary Immaculate website: http://web.inter.nl.net/users/clarissenklooster/federation/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pia Jesu Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I had two dear friends in the Rockford monastery...one died there...the other left. I was also fortunate to be able to spend several days a year visiting them. Mother Dorothy was the abbess then...but now heads the new Minooka IL foundation. It is a place of peace, stillness & quiet in a declining neighborhood. Thank you for letting us know about the upcoming book release! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiquitunga Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 (edited) new site ~ http://www.abbiereese.com/ & trailor for this, great to see Piccoli Fiori :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5hVCCmML7g also a talk she gave at Columbia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQQZGq1Kvjk Edited May 28, 2014 by Chiquitunga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 It's a good book. Honest and well written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiquitunga Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 http://chosenthefilm.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maximillion Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Wow! I hope we can eventually get it in the UK. I still can't get 'Beloved'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmelshrimp Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 It's available in the UK now. I've had my copy for a while - got it from Amazon if that's any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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