BOOK club
Over the past decade I have acquired a comprehensive library, and I am pleased to be able to share these resources with people who come to reflections, retreats or who are referred by others.
The library is open by prior arrangement except for when our monthly Book Club meets.
From the bookshelf
Holy Companions
Mary Earle and Sylvia Maddox tell the stories of eighteen Celtic and British holy men and women who lived between the 5th and 8th centuries CE in this compact book which also includes prayers and reflections to guide contemporary seekers of this ancient wisdom. The faith of these saints in God's unfailing presence and the interconnectedness of all beings can inspire care for all creation and respect for each other.
The Gospel Mysticism of Ruth Burrows
Sr. Rachael Gregory, an English Carmelite nun who died in November 2023 at the age of 100 years, wrote as Ruth Burrows. Her first book "Before the Living God" was autobiographical and provided the context for her future writings on prayer and mysticism. The core of her personal theology was that prayer was "going to God with empty hands".
Her radical trust in God infuses Ruth's writings and is a central theme of this book by Michelle Jones, an Australian theologian living a contemplative life in the Carmelite tradition.
Thomas Merton's Path to the Palace of Nowhere
The essential guide to the contemplative mysticism of Thomas Merton.
With so many books written by Merton himself and many more written about him why have I chosen to highlight this small book by James Finley Ph.D.?
Finlay entered Merton's Gethsamane Abbey in Louisville Kentucky as an 18 year old and spent 6 formative years there. In this book he shares Thomas Merton's insights on our quest for identity and integrity moving from the false and illusory self to our True Self.
In June I will make a 3 day retreat at Gethsamane and walk in Merton's woods.
How my book club works
Hearth Gatherings Book Club is not your standard book club. There is no set book. Members come along with a book to share that they consider might be interesting to others. It could be a book people are currently reading or an old favourite that has influenced your life. It can be fiction, non-fiction, overtly spiritual or soundly secular as long as it has the potential to generate lively discussion.