14 Comments
May 25Liked by Katherine May

That was absolutely marvelous. I could almost feel myself vibrating with delight and understanding. Not only because I lived for much of 20s in an extremely isolated place(no roads, electricity, mail service, phone etc), with a set of rules/ways of being I had to learn and adopt, but also because, like you, I have a long standing attraction to /curiosity about the cloistered life--or at least my version thereof: devotion, solitude, a sense of purpose and acceptance of one's weirdnesses --Hermits in Community as Catherine described it in your first attempted conversation. And yes, much of this came from reading This House of Brede, which I must have read five or six times over the last few decades.

All in all an inspiring and delicious conversation for which I thank you both very very much.

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I hadn’t heard the first conversation so thank you for sharing the idea of ‘hermits in community’. I believe this is me 😀. It was validating to listen to this conversation and know that seeking solitude doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. Thanks for the book suggestion. Seems to be hard to get a copy but looks like maybe a reprint coming early next year. I definitely need to read it. Than you 🙏

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Isn't that the truth -- the idea that seeking solitude is a positive choice. Hope you like This House of Brede.

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May 25Liked by Katherine May

Loved this conversation and would love any other ‘nun stories’ book suggestions! 😀

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It made me want to read Lauren Groff's Matrix! Also really enjoyed Sarah Wilson's This One Wild And Precious Life which looks at the convent life as part of the general discussion of spirituality.

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I actually have Sarah Wilson’s book on my shelf and still haven’t read it. Thanks for the prompt! Matrix looks good too! Added to my list…thank you 🙏

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May 24Liked by Katherine May

Thank you so much for doing this, I was really disappointed when the original conversation couldn’t be recorded as I’d been looking forward to it, so it was a delight to listen to this one!

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May 24Liked by Katherine May

Exceptional, thank you

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May 24Liked by Katherine May

Also, thank you both for re-recording this. I live on the other side and only get to hear these on recording. much appreciated - your time and commitment in doing this :-)

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May 24Liked by Katherine May

Thank you for this insightful conversation.

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Wow! I am off sick and was able to read Cloistered in a day; what a treat! There is huge demand for the book in Lancashire libraries so it was quite a wait. I have great empathy for Catherine as I experienced a parallel set of circumstances, on a much smaller scale but speaking to accountability and flawed humanity in a very similar way. This was in Quakers so, sorry folks, the grass isn't greener, just similarly patchy! Thank you so much for this interview and book club choice.

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What a beautiful conversation, and what a privilege to hear it! There’s a lightness and joy within Catherine that keeps bubbling up and over, even when she’s speaking about heavy, complex things. Thank you so much. I can’t wait to read this book! X

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There is something very appealing about living (every activity in) your life as an act of devotion. An yet denying who you are by “getting over yourself” seems like a life of turmoil. What an intriguing conversation this was, thank you!

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This was wonderful! I listened while on a long walk along the Kennet & Avon canal yesterday and being immersed in the natural world felt like exactly the right place to listen and learn from you both.

I texted myself at one point that there was a quotation from Teresa about loving deeply rather than thinking deeply as a path to spirituality - but my google-fu is failing me in finding any more information about it. Do you remember anything else about that/ or is there another word I should be using?

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