Religious Life Poverty, Celibacy and Obedience: A Radical Option for Life by Diarmuid O'Murchu, published by Crossroad Publishing Co. 1999. Expands the meaning - and potential for good - of the three traditional religious vows.

The Fire in These Ashes: A Spirituality of Contemporary Religious Life by Joan Chittister, OSB., published by Sheed & Ward 1995. The author summons religious women and men to turn into fire - to become the "searing presence" of God's spirit in the world.

Poets, Prophets & Pragmatists: A New Challenge to Religious Life by Evelyn Woodward, published by Ave Maria Press 1987. A deep and insightful look at religious communities, drawn from individual and community stories, through which readers can see their own stories with keener perception.

New Wineskins: Re-imagining Religious Life Today by Sandra M. Schneiders IHM, published by Paulist Press 1986. Draws on the biblical, historical, theological, psychological, and experiential foundations of religious life and examines religious life in the twenty years following Vatican II.

Religious Life: A Prophetic Vision, Hope and Promise for Tomorrow by Diarmuid O'Murchu, MSC, published by Ave Maria Press 1991. Offers a new model of religious life, outside denominational confines, as the preserver and practitioner of critical values such as justice, love and peace.

Wrestling with God: Religious Life in Search of Its Soul by Barbara Fiand, published by Crossroad Herder 1996. Asks questions and raises issues often ignored and long overdue: celibacy and the meaning of intimacy, what membership means and how it can be expanded, the welcoming of diversity, the need of the feminine for wholeness and health, the fear of death and denial of new life.

Franciscan Spirituality
The Sun and Moon Over Assisi by Gerard Thomas Straub, published by St. Anthony Messenger Press 2000. Tells of an interior pilgrimage that will inspire the modern reader.

Francis and Clare: The Complete Works Translation and Introduction by Regis J. Armstrong, OFM Cap. and Ignatius C. Brady, OFM, published by Paulist Press 1982. The writings of two great saints.

The Way of St. Francis: The Challenge of Franciscan Spirituality for Everyone by Murray Bodo, OFM, published by Anthony Messenger Press 1995. Challenges the reader with a renewed understanding of the saint: a Francis who shows us a way of life both stimulating and troubling, who asks us to look again at the possibilities within us and around us. Chapters on ways of letting go, of achieving poverty, simplicity and nonviolence.

Francis & Clare: Following Our Pilgrim Hearts by Murray Bodo, OFM and Susan Saint Sing, published by St. Anthony Messenger Press 1996. Walk in the footsteps of St. Francis and St. Clare, focusing on the going forth and the going within of the soul's journey.

The Journey and the Dream by Murray Bodo, OFM, published by St. Anthony Messenger Press 1988. Meditations on the life of St. Francis.

St. Francis and the Foolishness of God by Marie Dennis; Joseph Nagle, OFM; Cynthia Moe-Lobeda; Stuart Taylor; published by Orbis Books 1993. For those who long to do something about inequity and poverty, about consuming consumerism and spiritual emptiness. The mystical and the earthly, liberations and faithfulness, literal poverty as well as the blessed poverty of the spirit.

Praying with St. Francis of Assisi by Joseph M. Stoutzenberger and John D. Bohrer, published by St. Mary's Press 1989. Meditations on the life of St. Francis, with ways to reflect and pray over our own experiences in light of what we learn from this challenging, holy man.

General Spirituality
Sacred Identity: Exploring a Theology of the Person by Jane Kopas, OSF, published by Paulist Press 1994. Written for the unbeliever within the believer, who may be unsure about who God is, and for the sometimes ambivalent beliver who yearns to be whole, to be integrated, and to find an identity that is true and lasting.

Pray All Ways by Edward M. Hays, published by Forest of Peace Books, Inc. 1981. Fr. Hays challenges readers to explore the common and ordinary in their lives as the "stuff" from which are made whole and holy people.

Can You Drink the Cup? by Henri J. M. Nouwen, published by Ave Maria Press 1996. Using the cup as a metaphor, Nouwen reflects on three images - Holding, Lifting and Drinking - to articulate basics of the spiritual life.

With Open Hands by Henri J. M. Nouwen, published by Ave Maria Press 1972. These reflections help praying become a joy - a spontaneous reaction to those around you.

Clowning in Rome by Henri J.M. Nouwen, published by Image Books, Doubleday 1979. Reflections on solitude, celibacy, prayer and contemplation.

The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser, published by Random House, Doubleday, 1999. For those searching to understand what Christian spirituality means and how to apply it to their own lives.

Little Pieces of Light by Joyce Rupp, OSM, published by Paulist Press 1994. Encourages the reader to approach painful, inner darkness as a help rather than hindrance to personal growth.

May I Have This Dance? by Joyce Rupp, OSM, published by Ave Maria Press 1992. Helps readers connect the routine of their lives with a deeper communion with God.

The Cup of Our Life: A Guide for Spiritual Growth by Joyce Rupp, OSM, published by Ave Maria Press 1997.
Offers six weekly themes based on different images of the cup to revitalize and enrich your relationship with the divine.

Out of the Ordinary: Prayers, Poems and Reflections for Every Season by Joyce Rupp, OSM, published by Ave Maria Press 2000. Contains 125 thoughtful compositions of prayers, rituals, guided visualizations, reflections and poems for individuals or groups.

Fresh Bread and Other Gifts of Spiritual Nourishment by Joyce Rupp, OSM, published by Ave Maria Press 1985. A handbook for spiritual growth structured for reading and praying the scriptures throughout the year.

Personal Growth
Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes by William Bridges, published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. 1980. Strategies for coping with the difficult, painful, and confusing times in your life.

Praying Our Goodbyes by Joyce Rupp, OSM, published by Ave Maria Press 1988. Designed to help readers recognize, ritualize, reflect on and re-orient themselves - to help heal the hurts caused by goodbyes and the anxieties encountered by change.

Who Moved my Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D., published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1998. Strategies for coping with change.