Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church [Paperback]

Sandra M. Schneiders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 8, 2011

These reflections, based on a series published in The National Catholic Reporter, were inspired by the Vatican s announcement of an Apostolic Visitation of U.S. Women Religious from 2009-2011. Given the unmistakable imputation of guilt, the launch of this investigation was troubling to many women religious. Schneiders uses this occasion to articulate anew the meaning of Religious Life, the biblical theology underlying it, the reasons for the renewal undertaken after Vatican II, and the forms of apostolic Religious Life that have developed through this renewal. While her introduction tells the story of the investigation and the response it has generated, the following essays offer an eloquent and inspiring assessment and apologia for Religious Life today and in the future. It is a book addressed to all members of the church, calling us to live our faith in a spirit of integrity, freedom, and courage.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, is Professor (emerita) of New Testament Studies and Christian Spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology/Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. Among other distinguished offices, she has served as president of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality and on the board of directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America, which also awarded her the John Courtney Murray Award for excellence in Theology. She has written many prizewinning books on religious life, including Selling All, Finding the Treasure, and New Wineskins. Her books on scripture include Written that You May Believe: Encountering Jesus in the Fourth Gospel and The Revelatory Text.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Orbis Books (July 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570759332
• ISBN-13: 978-1570759338
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Church Institutions & Organizations
  • #48 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Theology
  • #97 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Right on", November 21, 2011

By 

Mary Bergan Blanchard, author, Eulogy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church (Paperback)

Talk about a lioness and her cubs!

Sister Sandra is a fearless, accurate and totally refreshing author. Her book is divided into three parts.

1. A detailed report of the Vatican's recent inquisition into the affairs of American religious sisters and the latters' reaction to it. "Being under seige as a problem in and to the Church they love and serve is profoundly unnerving and demoralizing." "What could possibly justify such universal suspicion?"

2. A compilation of articles previously published in the National Catholic Reporter pointing out the impossible and medieval practices of the apostolic orders in the past who were forced by the hierarchy to lead cloistered lives while struggling with the demanding problems of the needy.

3. She refers to Vatican 11 (which I conclude that she feels, as many of us do, was inspired by the Holy Spirit) that the calling to religious life requires a vow of obedience. While the clergy vow obedience to the hierarchy, religious take a vow of obedience to God..."a commitment to continuous discernment...sometimes not only diffrerent from but opposed to what is 'on the books' of the official Church." She elaborates a great deal on this point. Her conclusions relate not only to sisters but also to all the faithful. Whether or not you care about the sisters and their plight, this section alone is worth reading if you are a humanist.

My favorite quote..."the new will continue to happen. At this moment, we are it."

I loved the book. What a voice! I read it in four hours in one sitting.

Good luck, gentlemen. You are pitted against amazing foes, as the author points out. Although the nunbers have decreased, the spirit has not.

Make no mistake. Sister Sandra is not only a precise scholar, but she is determined, an engaging author, never dry, especially when her ire and humor collide.

My money is on the sisters.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 5, 2011

By 

Diane Rapozo - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church (Paperback)

At this time the Roman Catholic Church leadership needs to be reminded of what is important in todays world. Sandra Schneiders speaks with clarity, courage and is

a true teacher.

Diane

5.0 out of 5 stars Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church, February 18, 2012

By 

M. Bernard "Clarkston fishgirl" (Clarkston, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prophets in Their Own Country: Women Religious Bearing Witness to the Gospel in a Troubled Church (Paperback)

I read the articles in this book earlier and was fascinated. This book pulls them all together in a very understandable format