The astonishing discovery of Sister Wilhelmina’s incorrupt body at the Monastery of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, in Missouri ought to raise interest in—or at least questions regarding—religious life, particularly in the life of nuns and sisters. What in the world could inspire women to cast aside all natural goods, such as marriage, children, or for some, even the hugs of their parents, for the rest of their lives?
Of course, the answer follows that nothing in this world could inspire such sacrifice, but only the call of deepest love from Him for Whom all souls thirst. That is all. As Jesus said to Martha, “Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”
If you would delve into this mystery, here is a selection of books that will shed light upon the manner of life in different religious orders, and the other-worldly joy experienced by women called to be spouses to the King of Kings.
True stories about sisters or nuns:
The Deliverance of Sister Cecilia (New American Library/Signet, 1957) as told to William Brinkley. Sister Cecilia grew up in a poor farming town in Slovakia, surrounded by a culture of Christianity, then witnessed Communism tear her country apart. You will laugh out loud at the antics of this wild child, and the hilarity which ensues when she throws herself whole heartedly into the call to religious life as a sister in the teaching order, Daughters of the Most Holy Savior. She pranks her fellow religious, she loves the Lord, and she ends up working in the underground to help others escape Communism, until she herself must seek escape. If any book combines comedy, inspiration, tragedy, and thrills, this is it.
The Ear of the Heart (Ignatius Press, 2018) by Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B., and Richard DeNeut. Dolores Hart had all that the world could offer: beauty, talent, rising stardom in Hollywood, and a wonderful man who wanted to marry her. She left it all to enter a cloistered Benedictine Monastery, of which she eventually became abbess. She herself unravels the mystery of her call to greater happiness, and her departure from the world.
A Right to be Merry (Ignatius Press, orig. 1956) by Mother Mary Frances. Walk through the liturgical year with the cloistered Poor Clares this time. This book will delight and nourish your soul, as well as illuminate the mind. Poor Clares eat no meat, wear no shoes, nor see loved ones face to face. At final profession the nun comes out from behind the grille to give hugs to each family member, only to retire from the world again completely. She may come out once more at her 25th anniversary and give hugs again—to whomever of her family still lives. Beautiful, happy, talented, and mentally stable young women choose to do this. Read A Right to be Merry, and you will begin to understand why. And you will love it.
A Memory for Wonders: A True Story (Ignatius Press, 1993) by Mother Veronica Namoyo Le Goulard. Mother Veronica shares the wild, the weird, and the wonder of her adventurous life leading up to finding love at last in the heart of Jesus. Raised by intellectual parents who considered themselves too intelligent for Christianity, Mother Veronica’s grandparents were actually forbidden to speak to her of their Catholic Faith, even when she asked questions such as, “Who is that man on the cross?” Yet God worked literal wonders for his future spouse to reach her even as she drifted through arid wastelands of worldliness. In fact, she was a card-holding-member of the Communist party when she abandoned all the allures of secular life for the Poor Clares’ enclosure. Fun fact: Mother Veronica and Mother Mary Frances, authoress of the previous title, eventually knew one another!
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (First published 1898). Everyone should read St. Therese’s autobiography for the good of their spiritual life as well as for the glimpse into cloistered Carmelite life. This is a great one to read in adoration, with Jesus.
Novels about nuns:
In This House of Brede (Viking, 1969) by Rumer Godden. Godden weaves a masterful tale following Philippa, an older-vocation to the cloistered Benedictines. Philippa has already experienced marriage, loss, and professional success. Yet the drama that unfolds within the monastery enclosure will keep you turning pages well beyond the time you should have gone to bed! Godden researched intensely in order to present an accurate depiction of Benedictine monastic life.
Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy (MacMillan, 1979), also by Rumer Godden. Another very well researched novel based upon the Dominican Sisters of Bethany, which were founded in 1866 with the motto “The greatest saints have a past, and the greatest sinners have a future.” Their mission was to minister to and accept imprisoned women-often former prostitutes. This time, Godden crafts the story of Lise, her fall into prostitution, then worse entanglements, until her redemption through the aid of the Sisters of Bethany. If you think of religious life as one big bore, this book will squash such misconception.
The Song at the Scaffold: A Novel (Ignatius Press, 2011; orig. 1931) by Gertrud Von Le Fort. Described by novelist Michael O’Brien as “One of the great Christian classics of all time,” this harrowing but inspiring story is set during the French Revolution and based on the true story of the sixteen Carmelite nuns of Compiègne, who died for the Faith in the summer of 1794, executed by the guillotine.
Find these books, read them, and ask Sister Wilhelmina to pray for you, for me, and pray with her for more vocations!
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A great presentation that fulfills its goal to incite an eagerness to read the great lives leading the way to the love of the God.
Thank you, Richard!
I’ve read at least one book by Rumer Godden & watched films based on her novels but wasn’t she writing about Anglican orders? Perhaps I’m confusing that. It’s been a while.
Hello, and thank you for your question! Both of the books mentioned in this article are about Catholic Religious orders. However, Rumer Godden was born into a family which was nominally Anglican, although she did convert to Catholicism as an adult. Perhaps, therefore, that she wrote about Anglican orders elsewhere.
Rummer Godden wrote “Black Narcissus” about Anglican religious in India. It was made into a fine film in 1947 with Deborrah Kerr, Flora Robinson, Jean Simmons and Sabu!
Not to be missed.
Thank you, James, perhaps that was what I was thinking of. That was a beautifully filmed movie & I’ve read it was all filmed on sets, not in India which I thought pretty amazing.
You know, there actually is a black narcissus flower but the bulb is black, not the blooms. Horticulture/film trivia for the day.
🙂
If I recall correctly “Brede” was composed around Godden’s deep relationship with Stanbrook Abbey. Very Catholic indeed.
Thank you for that Elizabeth. I’ll have to go back & clarify which books might have referred to Anglican orders. Perhaps I was just confused about the whole thing.
Cluny Media has three of these books in print in beautiful editions! Both Rumer Godden novels as well as Mother Mary Francis’s “Right to Be Merry” (it looks like Cluny is republishing a bunch of her works, which is wonderful)!
http://www.clunymedia.com
Thank you so much, Susan! I’m extremely glad to know where to find these books in current publication!
Thank you. Fr. Jacob Restrick wrote a novel, actually a series about Sr. Baruch that is excellent. It is the life story of a Jewish girl who converts to Catholicism and joins a religious order. Each book in the series highlights a different phase of her life: Early Years, Middle Years, Vespers, Compline and Later Years.
I have read many of these books and have a video of “In this House of Brede”. “With Love and Laughter” is another great book.
Thank you for this list. I have read the novels by Rumor Godden more than once. And thank you, Susan, for a link to a source.
May I recommend ” My Beloved, The Story of a Carmelite Nun by Mother Catherine Thomas”.
I realize that the ending of the novel has Sister Luke leaving her order, but I must say that The Nun’s Story offers a valuable look at the religious life.
“The Nun’s Story” is a novel written by Kathryn Hulme based on the life of her friend Marie Louise Habets (January 1905–May 1986). Habets was a Sister of Charity of Jesus and Mary, a Belgian community founded by Father Peter Joseph Triest and Mother Placida van der Gauwen, a former Cistercian Nun whose religious life with the Cistercians was disrupted by the French Revolution. The community was based on the apostolic tradition of St. Vincent de Paul and the contemplative tradition of St. Bernard — thus the pronounced monastic observance witnessed in the movie. Their habit was very akin to the Cistercian habit — white a black scapular and veil, not at all like that presented in the movie. Much of this is to be found at Wikipedia.