Orbis Books
Joan Chittister: Her Journey From Certainty to Faith
Joan Chittister: Her Journey From Certainty to Faith
From prize-winning journalist Tom Roberts, an intimate biography of Joan Chittister - Benedictine nun and writer, a leading voice for spiritual renewal, a prophetic champion of peace and justice, and a champion of the role of women in the church and the world.
What Readers Say...
"Tom Roberts gives us the context for Joan Chittister’s prophetic voice in the church. It also provides invaluable lessons about courageous leadership through disruptive change…"
– Cokie Roberts
“Sister Joan Chittister is one of the most powerful women I know… Tom Roberts reveals the long journey she took to find that power.”
– Maria Shriver
“… an essential book for understanding Catholicism in our time.”
– E.J. Dionne, Jr.
Reader Resources
Read an Excerpt
Sister Joan Chittister is recognized internationally as a leading reformer of religious life, an inspiring advocate for justice and peace, and a forceful crusader for women’s rights who refused to be silenced by the Vatican. In this intimate biography, journalist Tom Roberts reveals the interior Joan Chittister: the young survivor who witnessed years of domestic violence, who found both refuge and purpose in her religious vocation, who brilliance produced a body of written work that will long stand as one of the most profound expressions of spirituality and women’s concerns in this era.
When she joined the Erie Benedictines in 1952, women’s religious life seemed settled and stable. But when the Second Vatican Council brought that era to a close, she played a crucial role in helping communities across the country, including her own, navigate the difficult journey of renewal.
Over the years, Chittister became convinced that the journey and how it is traveled are as important as the destination. She grew to understand that doubt is not the enemy of faith, and that questions are not a sign of insubordination but the means of drilling deeper into the truth. She realized that contemplative life is not served by separation from the world, but that God is best served by full engagement with all of creation, especially those at the margins.
Her journey, through deep discovery as well as searing disappointment, from the comfort of certainty to the unsettling abandonment to faith, is a spiritual guidebook for our times.
Discussion Questions
Engage in meaningful discussions, think critically, and explore deeper insights with these thought-provoking questions.