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'great clarity ... outstanding research and interpretation'
Susan O’Brien, Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge
'This book, a condensed English adaptation of Heffernan’s Radicaal Kloosterleven, offers a much-needed contribution to the historiography on religious orders and congregations. While the active dimension of this
life has been extensively studied in the modern and contemporary eras, its contemplative counterpart (i.e. monasticism) remains largely unexplored, not the least when it concerns the Dutch context. By focusing on one of the most prominent contemplative orders in the region, the female Discalced Carmelite order, this study addresses a significant gap in the literature... This is undoubtedly an impressive and rich study on the Discalced Carmelites. Moreover, its relevance transcends this particular religious order, providing valuable
insights into female convent life over the past one and a half centuries.'
Wouter Kock, Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion
'Heffernan’s extensive reading across Dutch, English, and French enables him to place his own work within an international historiography, giving depth and nuance to the framing of his Dutch subject as both Dutch and transnational... English-speaking scholars can only be grateful that such outstanding research and interpretation was commissioned and is available in translation.'
Susan O’Brien, Irish Theological Quarterly
'Modern Carmelite Nuns and Contemplative Identities presents a nuanced exploration of how Dutch Discalced Carmelite nuns actively shaped and reinterpreted their spiritual identities across time... offering significant contributions to both religious and gender studies. Heffernan's clear writing style makes the work accessible even to readers unfamiliar with the Carmelite tradition or Dutch history... It fills a key gap in historiography and challenges common views of female monasticism, offering insight for historians, theologians, and anyone interested in the changing face of religious identity.'
A.L. Antony, Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses
Introduction
1 Convents, sisters and power
2 Mighty victims: suffering and spiritual warfare, 1872–1920
3 Little ways, old and new: pain and prayer, 1920–1970
4 A new type of Carmelite: renewal, 1950–1990
5 Contemplatives in an expressive culture: prayer and the turn to self, 1970–2020
Conclusion
Index