Beloved author, elder, and wisdom holder Sister Joan Chittister invites listeners into a rich landscape of questions and topics illuminating to those of many traditions.
How do we face unbearable hurt and struggle?
When we feel lost, alone, and in despair, how do we spark the divine fire within?
What are our unique gifts, and to what purpose are we meant to use them?
For over four decades, Sister Joan Chittister has inspired countless readers to expand the nature of their faith-to live wider, deeper, and more fully engaged in a world that needs us.
Recorded at Mount St. Benedict Monastery, these immersive conversations speak to a wealth of topics relevant to contemplative Catholics, Christians, and anyone seeking inspiration from a wise and heartful fellow traveler on the spiritual path. With her, listeners will explore how to embrace the hidden gifts of struggle and regret, clarify our purpose, and experience the last third of our lives more richly.
Here, Sister Joan puts special emphasis on the "prophetic spirituality" of Jesus: his mission not only as a healer but as a prophet-one who perceives and takes action in the face of injustice and inequality.
"God created the world, but God did not complete it," she reflects. "That task is left to you and me." With Catching Fire, we are invited to embark on our own journey of self-transformation-and to transform, in turn, everyone and everything we encounter.
Topic highlights:
• How our purpose unfolds-both intentionally and organically
• Prayer as a means to see the world as God sees it
• How courage arises out of a contemplative life
• How our challenges strengthen, soften, and deepen us
• Prophetic spirituality-contending with injustice and standing for equality and compassion
• On aging well with self-confidence and grace
• The wisdom of Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and other women mystics
• Experiencing every moment as a holy moment, and more Luminary author, elder, and wisdom holder Sister Joan Chittister invites listeners to explore a rich landscape of questions and topics sure to inspire seekers spanning many spiritual traditions.
Sister Joan Chittister
Joan Chittister is one of the most influential religious and social leaders of our time. For over 40 years she has advocated on behalf of peace, human rights, women's issues, and church renewal. A sought-after speaker and counselor, she is also the bestselling author of more than 50 books, hundreds of articles, and an online column for the National Catholic Reporter. She has received numerous writing awards and honors for her work, and is a noted international lecturer as well as a former elected fellow at St. Edmund's College, Cambridge University, England.
Sister Joan was the featured guest of Oprah Winfrey on Super Soul Sunday in both 2015 and 2019. She has appeared on Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, CBS News, NOW with Bill Moyers, and numerous BBC and NPR programs.
Joan Chittister currently serves as co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, a partner organization of the UN, facilitating a worldwide network of women peace builders. She was an adviser for the groundbreaking report, "A Woman's Nation Pushes Back from the Brink," led by Maria Shriver (2014) and was a member of the TED Prize-sponsored "Council of Sages," an interfaith group that developed a Charter for Compassion (2009) being promulgated worldwide with all faith organizations.
She served as president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an organization of the leaders of Catholic religious women in the US, president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses, and was prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie for 12 years. She received her doctorate in speech communications from Penn State University, the primary site of her archive collection.
Joan Chit
