Good Books On Carmel?

[carmelite15]

Does anyone know of any good Carmelite nun saint anthing on Carmel or just some really good books for someone wanting to be a nun

Oh and has any ever seen read this book before?

http://www.monasterygreetings.com/product/Frances_Nevins_Mid_20th_Century_Carmelite_paperback/Carmelite_Books



Thank you!

[tnavarro61]

that seems to be a great book! i love vocation stories!

as to book recommendations, nothing beats Saint Teresa's. I have her Interior Castle, a bargain book, and I can't wait to read it! Also the Story of a Soul by St Therese.

[PrayerSupporter]

As I'm sure you already know, there are probably thousands of books currently available about the different Carmelite saints. And there are thousands of books available about Carmelite spirituality. But speaking solely of books about the Carmelite religious life, my favorite books about Carmelite nuns are:

My Beloved: the Story of a Carmelite Nun by Mother Catherine Thomas (I am fortunate enough to have a copy inscribed by her; reasonably priced used copies can be found on-line)

The Nun's Answer by a Carmelite nun (from England, a diary type book that follows a young woman from her entry to first profession). This anonymous "a Carmelite nun" has written a half dozen or so other books besides this one, and some of them are interesting (Catch Us Those Little Foxes, Each Hour Remains, Heartbreak Earth, etc.). One that specifically addresses the call to the religious life is: God and Rosanne: Letters on the Contemplative Life.

Before the Living God by Ruth Burrows. She, too, has written several other books and you may find some interesting.

Other books about Carmelite religious which are biographical in nature (and yes, you're going to see my preference for St. Therese of Lisieux here!):

Story of a Soul (I know your sisters have already given this to you, but I want to mention it for anyone else who is interested)
Saint Therese of Lisieux: Her Life, Times, and Teaching
Therese and Lisieux
A Letter from Lisieux (about St. Therese's sister, Marie)
Mother Agnes (about St. Therese's sister, Pauline)
Celine (about St. Therese's sister, Celine)
Therese of Lisieux and Marie of the Trinity
St. Therese of Lisieux by Those Who Knew Her
A Memoir of My Sister, St. Therese
The Praise of Glory (Sr. Elizabeth of the Trinity)
Mother Isabel of the Sacred Heart, Carmelite Nun of Lisieux
A Modern Odyssey: Sister Frances of the Redemption
Countryside and Cloister

The last two books listed are probably of only mild interest, but they do share something of what it is like to be a Carmelite nun more recently. Everyone has their own taste in reading, so I'm sure not all of these books will appeal to you. If I had to pick just one book that I would recommend it would be My Beloved by Mother Catherine Thomas.

Since many of these books are old and you may not want to spend a lot of money on books you aren't sure you will like, don't forget to go to your local library to see if they have them. If your local library does not have them they should be able to get them for you on interlibrary loan either for free or at a nominal charge.

Happy and holy reading!

PrayerSupporter

[SoonerCatholic]

As a future librarian (if the convent isn't my calling), I recommend that anyone searching for these books in the libraries to look at [url="http://www.worldcat.org/"]http://www.worldcat.org/[/url], the largest online catalog. If you plug in your location it should tell you the nearest location of the books. Of course your local public library is usually willing to do interlibrary loan. :D I also recommend the book about Celine, I stumbled across it in my former parish library and I quite liked it since celine can be more approachable to some than Therese.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

Check out the Institute of Carmelite Studies: http://www.icspublications.org/bookstore/index.html

They have tons of excellent books and their translations are great! I get the catalogues quite frequently and I always want to buy so many of their books because they sound so interesting! I really enjoyed their translation of [i]Story of a Soul[/i].

[the_rev]

This book was a really good book I read on Therese, it describes her relationship with a novice whom she was novice mistress over. The title is: Therese of Lisieux and Marie of the Trinity: The Transformative Relationship of Saint Therese of Lisieux and Her Novice Sister Marie of the Trinity

http://www.amazon.com/Therese-Lisieux-Marie-Trinity-Transformative/dp/0818907320/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289675491&sr=8-1-spell

[Graciela]

[quote name='carmelite15' timestamp='1289636525' post='2186884']
Does anyone know of any good Carmelite nun saint anthing on Carmel or just some really good books for someone wanting to be a nun

Oh and has any ever seen read this book before?

http://www.monasterygreetings.com/product/Frances_Nevins_Mid_20th_Century_Carmelite_paperback/Carmelite_Books



Thank you!
[/quote]

Yes, I have it and have read it. I have read it and enjoyed this woman's story. I would happily mail it to you but when I tried to personal message you, it says that I cannot do so. If we can figure annother way for you to get your address to me privately, I would be glad to give you this book!
Graciela

[carmelite15]

[quote name='Graciela' timestamp='1289685232' post='2186937']
Yes, I have it and have read it. I have read it and enjoyed this woman's story. I would happily mail it to you but when I tried to personal message you, it says that I cannot do so. If we can figure annother way for you to get your address to me privately, I would be glad to give you this book!
Graciela
[/quote]
Who me?

[In The Arms of The Lord]

Great suggestions so far!

Certainly the writings of the Carmelite saints, and "Fire Within" written by Father Thomas Doubay is about contemplation and the different stages of prayer based on the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint John of The Cross, and the Gospels.

I'd like to mention two other's, one recommended by a Carmelite nun and the other is one I had to purchase to bring with me when I enter:

"The Gift of Oneself: Surrendering Oneself to God as a Way of Life " by Father Joseph Schryvers (it's a profound probing into the life, work and love of a hidden soul who is devoted to the work of God in a life that is modeled after Our Lady's, in a life of giving one's all, but remaining unseen. It's a great book for cloistered religious and those discerning to be!)

The other one is "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas à Kempis. (This is one of the books I need to bring with me. I recently started reading it and it's a great book for meditation and reflection; very helpful.)

[Graciela]

[quote name='Graciela' timestamp='1289685232' post='2186937']
Yes, I have it and have read it. I have read it and enjoyed this woman's story. I would happily mail it to you but when I tried to personal message you, it says that I cannot do so. If we can figure annother way for you to get your address to me privately, I would be glad to give you this book!
Graciela
[/quote]


Yes, you, carmelite 15!

[carmelite15]

[quote name='Graciela' timestamp='1289692071' post='2186983']
Yes, you, carmelite 15!
[/quote]

Oh goodness! Here is my e-mail I dont mind giveing it to you


atruestar93@yahoo.com

Thank you so much! Wow your the best

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='PrayerSupporter' timestamp='1289657118' post='2186900'] If I had to pick just one book that I would recommend it would be My Beloved by Mother Catherine Thomas.[/quote]
Ha! That was almost exactly what I was going to write. There are a ton of great books on Carmel and Carmelite saints, etc .. it can be overwhelming at times wanting to read them all! But yes, if there was[i] only one[/i] I could recommend for you to get started with Carmel, I would agree on [url="http://www.amazon.com/My-Beloved-Story-Carmelite-Nun/dp/B000P6ERY4"][i]My Beloved: The Story of a Carmelite Nun[/i][/url]. This was the first book I read on Carmel and I just loved it! I want to read it again. And it helped a great deal in my discernment and was really my introduction to Sts Teresa and John of the Cross. You'll love it! It's funny too .. you'll see It's unavailable there on amazon, but if you search on [url="http://www.bookfinder.com/"]http://www.bookfinder.com/[/url] there are some hardcover copies for around $30 .. and the hardcover ones have the pictures. Some of them are online [url="http://gloria.tv/?search=Coenobium+carmelite"]here[/url] (all except the first, and last two) PrayerSupporter, that is so neat you have one signed by the author! Wow!

The description of the book on the OK Carmel's site ..

[quote]
During the early 1950's, Sr. Catherine Thomas, who transferred here from New York, wrote an autobiographical account of her vocation to Carmel. The title of the book was [i]My Beloved[/i] and was published in 1955 by McGraw-Hill Book Company. The work became an unexpected success and was reprinted eight times and translated into five languages. LIFE magazine even did a story on the community. [i]My Beloved [/i] brought many vocations to Carmels in America. Lay people in many countries received spiritual help from her book as well, and wrote to Sr. Catherine for advice. We continue to receive inquiries about her life and the availability of her book. The reforms of Vatican II have made obsolete some of Carmelite practices as described in [i]My Beloved. [/i]The story of how a person is called remains as true today as in Sr. Catherine's time. A vocation is a mystery.

[url="http://www.okcarmel.org/"]http://www.okcarmel.org/[/url][/quote]

I wouldn't say the reforms of VII made that many of the practices described in it obsolete though .. I guess it depends on the Carmel. But I would agree on one thing that is definitely not done anymore, even in the strictest Carmels .. and that is, that only your immediate family could see you in the parlour with your face unveiled. And the picture is not there on gloriatv, but I know I saw online somewhere a picture from that book that showed someone visiting with Mother Catherine Thomas through the grille, and on top of that, her face was totally veiled like [url="http://www.corbisimages.com/Enlargement/HU041599.html"]these nuns[/url] <-- remember this funny picture from that other thread? .. .. Anyway, read [i]My Beloved[/i] .. you'll love it! God bless!

Edited November 14, 2010 by Chiquitunga

[GraceUk]

I agree that My Beloved would be a good book to read. Also The Right to Be Merry is very good but about a poor Clare nun. It's been reprinted so shouldn't be too hard to get hold off. Another book again about a poor Claire nun is Barefoot Journey. And also the Sequel Spring Comes Barefoot. The first isn't too diffiuclt to find but the second one I read decades ago from the library. But it's really scarce now. I also heard about a book that's meant to be good and that's Bernie becomes a nun. But secondhand it's really expensive. I've not read this one.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[quote name='GraceUk' timestamp='1289748122' post='2187103']
I agree that My Beloved would be a good book to read. Also The Right to Be Merry is very good but about a poor Clare nun. It's been reprinted so shouldn't be too hard to get hold off. Another book again about a poor Claire nun is Barefoot Journey. And also the Sequel Spring Comes Barefoot. The first isn't too diffiuclt to find but the second one I read decades ago from the library. But it's really scarce now.
[/quote]

I do love Right to be Merry. And the other two you mentioned have sparked an interest. It looks like both of those are easier to come across in the UK than here in the US. It does look like there is a somewhat nearby library that actually has both books! I'm going to see if I can get them through my library. Thank you for the Poor Clare recommendations! I really appreciate it!

[SrBenigna]

Besides, "My Beloved" and others mentioned in this thread, these are some of the books I have - besides St. Teresa of Avila's, St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa Benedicta's and Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity's books.

I recently bought this book: "A Gem from the Diamond Mine - The Live of Venerable Margaret of the Blessed Sacrament" from [url="http://www.sistersofcarmel.com/catholic-books-about-carmelites.php"]http://www.sistersof...-carmelites.php[/url] - also other great books here on Carmelite saints, prayer, etc. (I know these sisters aren't in line with Rome but they are a good source of books at great prices)


Also Mother Isabel, a nun in Lisieux Carmel: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Isabel-Carmelite-Lisieux-1882-1914/dp/1164083791/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289913614&sr=1-13"]http://www.amazon.co...9913614&sr=1-13[/url]


"He is My Heaven: The Life of Elizabeth of the Trinity" - [url="http://www.amazon.com/He-My-Heaven-Elizabeth-Trinity/dp/0935216251/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_ttl_in"]http://www.amazon.co..._lp_edpp_ttl_in[/url]


"God is All Joy: The Life of St. Teresa of the Andes" - [url="http://www.amazon.com/God-All-Joy-Teresa-Andes/dp/0935216421/ref=pd_sim_b_4"]http://www.amazon.co.../ref=pd_sim_b_4[/url]


Holy Hill Publishers, great books on St. Teresa of the Andes and others: [url="http://giftstore.holyhill.com/holyhillshrine/page2.html"]http://giftstore.hol...rine/page2.html[/url]


"Sister Camilla The Carmelite: Or the Life and Times of Madame De Soyecourt AD 1757 to 1849" - [url="http://www.amazon.com/Sister-Camilla-Carmelite-Madame-Soyecourt/dp/1417953888/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289914281&sr=1-9"]http://www.amazon.co...89914281&sr=1-9[/url]

"Mariam the Little Arab, Sr. Mary of Jesus Crucified (1846-1878)" - [url="http://www.amazon.com/Mariam-Little-Sister-Jesus-Crucified/dp/B000UVC8HC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289914678&sr=1-2"]http://www.amazon.com/Mariam-Little-Sister-Jesus-Crucified/dp/B000UVC8HC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289914678&sr=1-2[/url] - unavailable here at Amazon but I've seen it other places online like at Abe books, Bookfinder.com, fetch.org, etc. I bought a great book on her at the Carmelites of Philadelphia's little one room gift shop they have in the front of their monastery (near the turn) - it think it is written by a nun in her Carmel or her confessor.

Edited November 16, 2010 by SrBenigna