Reader's Guides

Reader’s Guide to
Dedicated to God
by Abbie Reese

Abbie Reese

To help readers in their approach to her book, Dedicated to God: An Oral History of Cloistered Nuns, author Abbie Reese has prepared this guide. She has spent much time over nearly a decade getting to know the sisters of the Poor Clare Colettine order who live in Rockford, Illinois. In the book, she tells the stories they have shared with her about their lives and their journey to the cloister.
Think about Reese’s comments and questions as you read the book, or use them as a basis for discussion in a parish, school or organization book club. 

A lot of people have asked me why the nuns “let me in.” Another common question is: Why did the nuns break their vow of silence to talk with me? (The nuns do not make a vow of silence; other than one hour of recreation a day, they observe monastic silence, only speaking what is necessary in a low tone to complete a task.)
My desire has been that in this engagement with them, I would contribute something of value in return to the community. (Tangibles that I gave them include digital copies of all my photographs within the enclosure, and copies of all the oral history interview transcripts.)
Why do you think that they would have agreed to participate in this project? What do you think could they have gained? Given the long-term nature of this project, how do you think I needed to conduct myself in order to respect their values — of anonymity, silence, poverty, modesty, and so forth?

Why does the grille exist? What are the concrete reasons for this symbolic marker?

What is the charism — or mission — of the Poor Clare Colettine nuns?

How have you changed by learning about the nuns’ lives and dedication?

I asked the Mother Abbess if she could contribute to this reader’s guide, and she offered this as her “two cents”:
Everyone is called to holiness. Each vocation is a different way to become holy. In the Gospels, we learn about our Lord’s teachings and His lifestyle. He calls everyone to follow His teaching, but calls only some to follow His lifestyle. Jesus never married. Jesus had nothing of His own. Jesus was obedient unto death. The vowed life of chastity, poverty and obedience is a wonderful life. What good things do the nuns say about each? Now page through the four Gospels and see how they are virtues for everyone to live.

The sisters have shared their stories of how God’s grace has moved in their lives. What highlights of God’s grace are in your life?

Write down your date of birth, then 10 years later, then 10 years later, up to the present year. What are the most important and substantial things that have happened in your life? Upon reflection, what pattern of God’s grace do you see in your life?

-- Abbie Reese