Dr Michelle Jones with her just-launched book on Sr Wendy Beckett. PHOTO: Supplied.
West Australian theologian and author Michelle Jones has written a new book on the spiritual vision of Sister Wendy Beckett – the Notre Dame sister turned Consecrated Virgin and hermit who shot to stardom when she emerged from solitude to present documentaries on art for the BBC.
Behind Sr Wendy’s winsome and insightful discussions of art stood an immensely significant figure in her own right. From early childhood, Wendy knew an unusually luminous relationship with God, and she was gifted with the ability to communicate her profound spiritual insights with clarity and cogency.
Michelle, who shares Wendy’s canonical status of being a consecrated woman, has written a book called The Spiritual Vision of Sister Wendy Beckett: Living in the Heaven of God’s Presence. Published by SPCK, the book is a carefully curated and annotated collection of passages that takes the reader into the breadth and depth of Wendy’s spiritual vision.
Following a substantial biographical introduction, the book explores themes such as the transcendent God of joy and intimacy revealed by Jesus, what it means to live in a world in which the foundation of all being is Love, and the role of prayer, the sacraments and art in the journey to becoming fully human.
The book has so far been well received. TV producer, director and writer David Willcock writes, ‘This is a marvellous and important book. To read it is to hear again the authentic voice of Sister Wendy that I know so well both off and on camera, a reminder that she was not just a quirky TV phenomenon but a profound and humane Christian thinker.’
The writer and publisher Robert Ellsberg corresponded with Sister Wendy for the last three years of her life. He comments, “Many people knew and admired Sister Wendy for her writings and programmes about art. Few knew how deeply her insights were rooted in a life of solitary prayer and contemplation. Michelle Jones has recognised her as one of the great mystics of our time, one whose vocation flowed from an overwhelming awareness of the presence of God. Sister Wendy’s deep apprehension of God’s love for all creation is a message of hope and healing for our suffering world”.
And according to Sister Elizabeth Ruth Obbard – a nun of the Quidenham Carmelite Monastery in England, the grounds of which were home to Wendy’s hermitage – “Sister Wendy’s radiant personality and spiritual wisdom have been captured in this wonderful compilation of her written and spoken words. With a vision that encompasses the whole of reality, Wendy challenges us to live a fully human life with an attitude of hope and joy even when we experience suffering; for the loving Father whom Jesus reveals can use all for our good”.
To read more about the book, visit https://spckpublishing.co.uk/the-spiritual-vision-of-sister-wendy-beckett And if you would like to get a copy of the book at the special author’s discounted rate of $35 (including postage), contact Michelle at sisterwendybook@gmail.com.