num_pages: 272
description: Thoughtful, inspiring, often humorous, intensely spiritual - this collection of writings brings together for the first time the most searching explorations of an extraordinary other world. It reveals the mystique of lives given totally to God, from the first stirrings of vocation and the experiences of arduous novitiates, to the solemn professions and works of prayer, education, and mercy. The selections in Veil and Cowl are drawn from religious and secular writers, and include both essays and fiction. The writings shine with a spirit of selfless commitment that from the time of medieval monasteries and convents has fascinated people of every era. "I believe readers will find that a persistent probing - who are they, what is behind such deep devotionpervades this book, " the editor James Simpson writes. "These are questions asked by religious of themselves and their communities and, most certainly, by the world at large." Among the contributors are Thomas Merton, Malcolm Muggeridge, Kathryn Hulme, Richard Selzer, Rumer Godden, Paul Horgan, Monica Baldwin, Brian Moore, and Jim Bishop. The cast includes Benedictines, Cistercians, Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, Jesuits, Passionists, and other unforgettable groups and personalities. The settings are those of the perpetually vowed - through all corners of convents and monasteries, or amid slums and suffering. Veil and Cowl offers a distinctive and rewarding view of the spiritual life.
language: English
title: Veil and Cowl: Writings from the World of Monks and Nuns
titlecomplete: Veil and Cowl: Writings from the World of Monks and Nuns
ratings_count: 9
publisher: Ivan R. Dee