Lives of Spirit: English Carmelite Self-Writing of The Early Modern Period

Contents......Page 6
General Editors’ Preface......Page 9
Acknowledgements......Page 10
General Introduction......Page 12
Editorial Note......Page 41
Sources and Abbreviations......Page 44
1 The Inspiration to Compose: Burial in Oblivion and the Miraculous Discovery of an Incorrupt Body......Page 46
2 Anne of the Ascension, First Prioress at Antwerp......Page 50
3 Teresa of Jesus Maria, Sister of Anne of the Ascension: Her Career and Remarkable Death......Page 68
4 Margaret of St Francis: The Holy Simplicity of a Lay Sister at Antwerp and Lierre......Page 72
5 Anne of St Bartholomew: Her Sight of the Infant Jesus Handing out Sugar-plums, and the Remarkable Discovery of Her Uncorrupted Body......Page 74
6 Catherine of the Blessed Sacrament: The Vocation of a ‘Poor Imperfect Religious’ who Relished Patched Clothing......Page 78
7 Anne of St Teresa: Her Career at Various Convents, Her Terror about an Apparition and Her Instructions for the Enclosure of a Convent......Page 84
8 Agnes of St Albert: Her Overwhelming Sense of Vocation that Led Her to Break into the Convent......Page 90
9 Clare of the Annunciation and Delphina of St Joseph: Two Religious Linked by Marvellous Events......Page 94
10 Anne of St Maria and Tecla of St Paul: Childhood Friends in Religion, One a Favourite of the King......Page 96
11 Anne of the Angels: Her Grand Entrance and Clothing......Page 98
12 Paula of St Joseph and Alexia of St Winefrid, Two of Anne Somerset’s Entourage: A Sudden Death whilst Whitewashing and the Life of a Little Mouse......Page 100
13 Anne of St Bartholomew and Mary Teresa of Jesus: Their Entries at an Advanced Age......Page 104
14 Francisca of the Blessed Sacrament: Her Near Abduction as a Child and Her Later Seduction......Page 106
15 Mary Frances of St Teresa: The Instigator of the Antwerp Lives, a Treasure of the Community, Drawn to Her Vocation by Reading......Page 108
16 Teresa Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Her Father, Like a Jealous Lover, Resists her Teresian Vocation......Page 112
17 Clare Joseph of Jesus Maria: Her Dreams and Spiritual Favours; and Her Appearance to Another Religious in a Vision......Page 116
18 Mary Margaret of the Angels: Her Conversion from Protestantism by Reading Books of Controversy; and Her Death from Gangrene......Page 118
19 Winifred of St Teresa: Her Miraculous Recovery as a Child; Her Life and Death as a Lay Sister......Page 120
20 Anne Maria Joseph of St Xaveria: The Widowed Sister of Catherine Burton......Page 124
21 Mary Joseph of St Teresa: The Life and Death of the First Compiler, who Knew Her Vocation at a Country Dance and who Left Loving Instructions for her Sisters......Page 126
22 Teresa de Jesus and Ann Joseph of the Ascension: Two Lives of Mutual Care......Page 130
23 Mary Magdalen of St Joseph: Her Dramatic Journey from Maryland, Her Teresian Vocation, and Her Cure from Rheumatism......Page 134
24 Mary Xaveria of the Angels: Her Mental Affliction in which She Fancied Herself to be a Priest and Excommunicated the Bells......Page 138
25 Mary of St Barbara: The Life of an Oblate from the Coffee-house......Page 140
26 Angela Maria of St Joseph: Her Early Life in which She Almost Dies of Malnutrition; and Her Seduction to Become a Carmelite after which She Once Drank her Own Urine in an Act of Misplaced Obedience......Page 142
27 Mary Margaret of the Angels: Her Journey from Maryland in which She Almost Falls in Love with a Young Gentleman; Her Burial as the Convent is Threatened by Imperial Edict......Page 144
28 Mary Xaveria of the Angels: Her Illness, Miraculous Cure and Her Spiritual Favours Before and After Death......Page 146
29 Mary Margaret of the Angels: The Discovery of her Incorrupt Body and the Writing of her Life......Page 174
30 Margaret of St Teresa, the First Prioress at Lierre: Her Early Sense of Vocation and Progress towards a Religious Life; Her Skill in Resolving Conflicts; Her Devotion to Anne of the Ascension and her Death in which She is No Longer Wrinkled or Crooked......Page 182
31 The Lives of the Mostyn Family......Page 190
32 The Lives of the Bedingfield Family......Page 208
33 Mary Gertrude of the Annunciation: An Impediment in Her Head, Her Early Vocation and Subsequent Afflictions......Page 222
34 Mary Magdalen of Jesus and Agnes Maria of St Joseph: Their Double Deaths and Burial......Page 226
35 Mary Terease of Jesus: Her Vision of Her Mother, All in White, on Her Way to Heaven......Page 232
36 Anne Teresa of Jesus: A Colonel’s Daughter, Scrupulous in Saving Time when She Met with her Brother; Mortified in Sleepiness, and a Lover of Poverty after whose Death from Leprosy Singing was Heard......Page 236
37 Marie Teresa of St Albert: A Lay Sister of Extraordinary Strength, a Lover of Solitude who Sat in the Trees......Page 240
38 Teresa Maria of Jesus, Mary of St Joseph and Elizabeth Ursula of the Visitation: Three Religious of Extraordinary Humility – Who Ate Scraps, were Sparing in their Use of Candle and Pen, and who did Servants’ Work......Page 242
39 Anne Therese of the Presentation, Anna Maria of St Joseph and Joseph Teresa of the Purification: Three Lay Sisters who Learned the English Manner of Cooking......Page 244
40 Mary Rose of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: her dramatic journey from Maryland and Her Death, after which She Continued to Sweat......Page 248
Appendices......Page 250
1 The Constitutions and Rule of St Albert......Page 252
2 How the Prioress is to Exercise the Religious in Mortifications......Page 272
3A: A Letter to Anne of the Ascension, Warning her of Indiscretion and Promising New Novices......Page 274
3B: Anne of the Ascension’s Letter to Catherine of the Blessed Sacrament......Page 276
3C: Anne of the Ascension: ‘A Scappuler of our Most Deare and Rd Mother … for Sister Catharine of the Bd Sacrament’......Page 278
Bibliography......Page 280
A......Page 292
B......Page 294
C......Page 295
E......Page 297
F......Page 298
I......Page 299
L......Page 300
M......Page 301
P......Page 305
R......Page 306
S......Page 307
T......Page 308
V......Page 309
X......Page 310