These five essays investigating questions relative to women religious becoming ordained deacons first appeared in Global Sisters Report. Each essay presents themes garnered during years of research and consultation with women religious around the world, and addresses questions such as: Why should women religious consider the diaconate? What are the canonical implications of ordination? Would ordination assist the ministry of women?

The question of restoring women to the ordained diaconate surfaced during the Second Vatican Council and continued to resound in academic and pastoral circles well after the diaconate was restored as a permanent order in the church in the West. This volume contains twelve essays-five translated from Italian, three translated from French, and four in their original English-that answer the questions about the history and possible future of women deacons. Essays by: Yves Congar, OP Philippe Delhaye Peter Hunermann Valerie A. Karras Corrado Marucci, SJ Pietro Sorci, OFM Jennifer H. Stiefel Cipriano Vagaggini, OSB Cam Phyllis Zagano Ugo Zanetti, OSB

Three groundbreaking essays that discuss the Church's need and call for the restoration of women to the permanent order of deacon. +

Eight hundred years ago, Albert of Jerusalem gave the hermit-penitents of Mount Carmel a way of life to follow. Since then, this rule has inspired and formed mystics and scholars, men and women, lay and ordained to seek the living God. In "The Carmelite Tradition" Steven Payne, OCD, brings together representative voices to demonstrate the richness and depth of Carmelite spirituality. As he writes, Carmelite spirituality seeks nothing more nor less than to 'stand before the face of the living God' and prophesy with Elijah, to 'hear the word of God and keep it' with Mary, to grow in friendship with God through unceasing prayer with Teresa, to 'become by participation what Christ is by nature' as John of the Cross puts it, and thereby to be made, like Therase of Lisieux, into instruments of God's transforming merciful love in the church and society."

The lives and writings in "The Carmelite Tradition" invite readers to stand with these holy men and women and seek God in the hermitage of the heart.

"Steven Payne, OCD, of the Washington Province of Discalced Carmelite Friars, is a member of the Carmelite Friars' formation team at the Monastery of St. John of the Cross near Nairobi, Kenya, and director of the Institute of Spirituality and Religious Formation (ISRF) at Tangaza College, a constituent college of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi. He is the past editor of ICS Publications and of "Spiritual Life" magazine and the author of several works in philosophy of religion, theology, and Carmelite spirituality. He is a member of the Carmelite Forum and of the Carmelite Institute in Washington DC, of which he is a past president. ""

The Ignatian tradition sprang up in the sixteenth century, the fruit of graces bestowed on a Basque nobleman, Ignatius of Loyola. Guided by a passion to find God in all things, Ignatius and his first companions founded the Society of Jesus and inspired many other religious orders and lay movements. Their influence spread across the globe even as they embraced various aspects of the cultures, languages, and institutions they encountered.

This introduction is a mere sampling of the men and women influenced by Ignatius 'draws on the stories and writings of nineteen exemplary individuals as well as the corporate voice of the Jesuit order. Here we meet missionaries, scholars, artists, advocates, and martyrs. Contemplatives in action, they follow Christ by serving others. They embody the freedom born of a passionate knowledge of God's unending, unconditional love; precisely in this, they show us how to live well today.

"Eileen Burke-Sullivan, PhD, is a theologian, spiritual director, liturgist, and musician. She currently teaches at Creighton University where she also directs the Master of Arts in Ministry program. A well-known lecturer, she has served as a lay ecclesial minister in both parish and diocesan settings, and as a national and international leader in the Ignatian-inspired Christian Life Community movement."

"Kevin F. Burke, SJ, is a theologian, poet, and younger brother of Dr. Burke-Sullivan. He currently serves as the acting president and academic dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He recently edited "Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings and coedited" (with Robert Lassalle-Klein) "Love that Produces Hope, " a collection of essays on the thought of the Jesuit theologian and martyr, Ignacio Ellacura-a."

When St. Benedict wrote his little rule for beginners in the fifth century, he could not have known it would shape the lives of religious men and women for more than fifteen hundred years. Offering instruction on prayer and community life, Benedict's Rule espouses the values of humility, prayer, and hospitality that have marked the lives of Benedictines throughout the ages. Benedictines are those persons who commit themselves to the "Rule of Benedict," and have been popes and widows, scholars and mystics and lay people from many religious traditions, including Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, and Lutherans. They have lived in monasteries and ashrams, in busy urban centers, and in desert hermitages.

Dedicated to God and the practices of the Liturgy of the Hours and monastic life, Benedictines have made significant contributions to chant, theology, and the preservation of spiritual works of literature and scholarship. Represented here is the work of major Benedictine figures throughout the ages, beginning with Pope Gregory's account of the life of Benedict and arriving at recent statements by the Conference of Benedictine Prioresses on conflict in the world. Along with the Rule, the writing of these Benedictines remains as relevant today as in any age.

"Laura Swan, OSB, writer and spiritual director, holds graduate degrees in theology and spirituality. She is a member and former prioress of Saint Placid Priory in Lacey, Washington, and is the author of "Engaging Benedict: What the Rule Can Teach Us Today" (Christian Classics, 2005)."

St. Dominic, who died in 1221, took to heart Jesus' charge to make disciples of all nations. He founded a religious community, the Order of Preachers, which differed from most orders of his day. Dominic trained preachers who traveled anywhere and everywhere to spread the Gospel.

The Dominicans continue to flourish today. "The Dominican Tradition," the first in a spirituality anthology series, provides readers a window into Dominican spirituality. You will learn the core values that shape their way of life. Mostly, you will come to realize that the spiritual legacy established by Dominic is as vibrant today as it was centuries ago.

"Phyllis Zagano, PhD, is senior research associate-in-residence at Hofstra University, where she teaches in the Department of Religion. She is also the author of "Woman to Woman" published by Liturgical Press."

"Thomas McGonigle, OP, teaches in the history department at Providence College in Rhode Island. He specializes in Dominican spirituality and history."

Originally conceived as a personal letter to the author's godchild, "On Prayer" is a marvelous introduction to prayer in the Catholic tradition. This simple and elegant book holds intimate reflections of understanding and wisdom.

The women whose writings are included in this anthology are al different colors in a kaleidoscope of history. Spanning nearly one thousand years in the history of spirituality, these works, arranged chronologically, begin with Hildegard of Bingen in the eleventh century and move to Ita Ford in our own. Their authors are mystics, contemplatives, actives, intellectuals, poets, and dreamers. They are portraits of women through the centuries who loved deeply their families, their communities, their careers, or their causes, but who, most of al, loved God.

Some women whose writings are included: Beatrice of Nazareth, Dorothy Day, Edith Stein, Mary Ward, Jessica Powers, Ita Ford, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, Simone Weil, and Elizabeth Anne Seton. The editor introduces each selection.

Women: Icons of Christ traces the history of ministry by women, especially those ordained as deacons. The author demonstrates how women were removed from leadership, prevented from using their voices, and eliminated from official ministries in the life of the Church. And she refutes arguments against restoring women to the ordained diaconate.