Spiritual Classics
Spiritual Classics Book Discussions
The Spiritual Classics discussion group meets in-person, generally on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm between September and May (except for January). Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 3, 2024 in the Ascension Parish Center.
We discuss books that inspire our spiritual growth, recount the spiritual lives of saints and others who have grown close to God, or provide us with spiritual sustenance. We’ve discussed several books by Pope Francis, books by several saints, books from the Middle Ages, and books by spiritual giants like Thomas Merton and John of the Cross. A list of books we’ve discussed is linked below.
We select books that are approachable, relatively short, and worthy of a discussion for about an hour. Reading the book is not required in order to join the discussions.
For more information, send an email to [email protected].
Books We Have Read Since March 2020
Since March 2020, we have read and discussed the following Spiritual Classics:
Spring and Summer 2020
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
Dark Night of the Soul by Saint John of the Cross
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich
The Cloud of Unknowing Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis
Dark Night of the Soul by Saint John of the Cross
Revelations of Divine Love by Julian of Norwich
The Cloud of Unknowing Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
Fall 2020 – Spring 2021
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander
The Way of the Pilgrim
On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux
The Rule of Benedict by St. Benedict
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux
The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander
The Way of the Pilgrim
On Loving God by St. Bernard of Clairvaux
The Rule of Benedict by St. Benedict
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton
Fall 2021 – Spring 2022
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Advent Meditations by Alfred Depp
Let Us Dream by Pope Francis
The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis
Our Father by Pope Francis
Our Mother Earth: The Challenge of the Environment by Pope Francis
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Advent Meditations by Alfred Depp
Let Us Dream by Pope Francis
The Name of God is Mercy by Pope Francis
Our Father by Pope Francis
Our Mother Earth: The Challenge of the Environment by Pope Francis
Fall 2022 – Spring 2023
A Simple Path by Mother Teresa
Rediscovering the Saints by Matthew Kelly
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
The Divine Milieu by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Loaves and Fishes by Dorothy Day
A Simple Path by Mother Teresa
Rediscovering the Saints by Matthew Kelly
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louis de Montfort
New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
The Divine Milieu by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Loaves and Fishes by Dorothy Day
Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
The Gift of Peace by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
Selected Writings by St. Francis
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Houwen
Why God Became Man by St. Anselm
Selected Stories by Flannery O’Connor
The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
The Living Flame of Love by St. John of the Cross
The Mirror of Simple Souls by Marguerite Porete
The Gift of Peace by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin
Selected Writings by St. Francis
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Houwen
Why God Became Man by St. Anselm
Selected Stories by Flannery O’Connor
The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
The Living Flame of Love by St. John of the Cross
The Mirror of Simple Souls by Marguerite Porete