MARIE OF THE INCARNATION: Mystic and Missionary

by ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 1964

An eminent person's written counsel is often a better barometer of the formal character of the individual than the narration of biographical facts. This appears to be the case with Marie of the Incarnation who is the subject of this panegyric. In his Spiritual Teachings of Mary of the Incarnation (Supplement Dec. 1, 1962) Fernand Jette summed up her philosophy of life well and offered others the benefit of her personal experiences much in the way St. Teresa of Avila did. But in this bare-bones biography of the ""Avila of the New World"" it is hard to see what made her into the source of these spiritual insights. Marie of the Incarnation lived three centuries ago to be sure. This should have been all the more reason why the biographer could be more critical of the mystical experiences of this missionary's life. Even so, its straightforward narration reveals -- perhaps inadvertently -- what certainly must have been psychiatric disturbances interpreted as mystical experiences. Perhaps members and friends of the Ursulines -- whose foundation in the New World the Mother of the Incarnation headed --will be pleased to have this hard cover book of her life. But it is hard to imagine anyone else bothering.

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 1964

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1964

Categories: NONFICTION