Avis Clendenen

Spirituality in Depth: Essays in Honor of Sister Irene Dugan, R.c Avis Clendenen

Spirituality in Depth: Essays in Honor of Sister Irene Dugan, r.c. reflects the in-depth influence of a spiritual animator whose lifework was dedicated to exploring the provocative and mysterious journey of the magnitude of the inner world and its workings. To develop spirituality in depth in one's life is, as so aptly put by Jungian Murray Stein, to be attuned to the Divine in every act undertaken and every plan or thought entertained. The ten essays in this book are written by an interesting array of individuals. Each influenced by Sister Irene Dugan during her fascinating 87 years of life. She spent 67 of those years as a member of the Roman Catholic religious congregation, the Religious of the Cenacle. In her lifework as a spiritual mentor and teacher, Sister Dugan blended the traditions of Christian spirituality with modern depth psychology and the arts. In her own way, she pioneered what we may call depth spirituality. The essays in this volume, inclusive of an essay in Sister Dugan's own words, provide the reader with a variety of perspectives on the artistry of depth spirituality and the call to greater spiritual consciousness, personal transformation, and social responsibility. Avis Clendenen, Ph. D. and D. Min., Chicago Theological Seminary, is the Sister Irene Dugan Scholar in Spirituality and professor of religious studies at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, where she teaches courses in pastoral theology and at the intersections of spirituality and depth psychology. She is author of Experiencing Hildegard: Jungian Perspectives (Chiron, 2009); coauthor (with Sister Irene Dugan, r.c.) of Love Is All Around in Disguise: Meditations for Spiritual Seekers (Chiron, 2004); editor of Spirituality in Depth: Essays in Honor of Sister Irene Dugan, r.c. (Chiron, 2002); and coauthor (with Troy W. Martin) of Forgiveness: Finding Freedom through Reconciliation (Crossroad Publications, 2002).