Ancient Sisters Speak: Opening to the Mystics Among Us

“… of discovery, and provide new spiritual avenues for my congregation and others as well as responding to the shallow public discourse of recent times. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Mary Louise McCullough Second Presbyterian Church Contact Me

About this pastoral study project

I will research Therèse of Lisieux to understand the strong appeal she holds in the Catholic community and to further explore my own experience of connection with her for this memoir. Compassion groups in churches and activists whose work stems from first or second-hand trauma putting them in frequent contact with victims and their families have a special need for Therese. The groups formed by these caregivers and activists often take shape as people work out their grief after tragedies such as Sandy Hook. Their activism encourages change, but their own inner healing can suffer as rallies must be held, votes must be petitioned, etc. My concern is for the healing and equipping of caring people involved in volunteerism and various ministries, and for any who struggle to remain caring in a culture which drains their hope. The goal is the discovery of “mystical hope,” as Cynthia Bourgeault might call it, hope for what is not seen, as the apostle Paul wrote.

Secondly, I wish to learn how the Beguine movement in medieval France and Belgium sustained and empowered hundreds of thousands of women in a time of violence and disease, a time not unlike our own where gaps between wealthy and poor were growing. Ours is an anxious time. The Beguines embodied hope, integrating intellectual growth, mysticism and creativity while serving the suffering and dying. In conversation with Wendy Farley, Joyce Hollyday and others voicing a new interest in the Beguines, I hope to be part of the work of bringing the history of these women and their communities into the church for spiritual formation, for support of new forms of intentional community, and for anyone whose difficult transitions have presented them with opportunities for healing and growth. My desire for these audiences is a deeper, more integrated understanding of the Christian tradition and an ability to live with hope and to witness to others in violent times.