Among the Dominicans, Saint Catherine of Siena is certainly one of my favorite Saints. Her tenacity and relentless drive for the salvation of souls is a much-needed example in today's Church. If you take her classic work the 'Dialogue' along with her collection of letters there is not much in the way of Catholic spirituality and theology that is not addressed. Catherine's direct manner of addressing people is revealed in her letters and they provide the reader with a unique spiritual insight into the lives of people from every walk of life.
Catherine writes to "popes, cardinals and bishops, royalty and public officials, family and friends and disciples, and an assortment of others, including allies and opponents, a mercenary captain, a prostitute, a homosexual, and political prisoners." Suzanne Noffke, O.P. is the preeminent scholar on Saint Catherine's works. She has made translations of all of her works including her letters, the Dialogue, her prayers and has also compiled a brilliant 'Anthology' of all of her works. This two-volume Anthology allows you to look up Catherine's writings sorted by important theological and spiritual topics. The Anthology references the four volumes of her letters as well as the Dialogue and her composed prayers.
If you purchase the Anthology be sure to have a copy of Nofke's translation of the Dialogue and her translation of her prayers so you can easily reference the passages. The Anthology is broken up into various topics. For example, in the Anthology if you look up the Sacrament of Confession there are seven letters referenced, one prayer referenced and three passages from the dialog referenced. A passage of the text is cited and also where to find the entire letter or passage is noted so you can read the entire quotation in context. As a Dominican, Catherine's body of work is indispensable for living the Dominican spiritual life.
Unfortunately, these books are a bit pricey but again, in my opinion, worth every penny. You may have to make an effort to look at every avenue online to obtain all six books (Letters and Anthology) at a reasonable price. In general, Amazon has most of them but you can search elsewhere and find them at more reasonable prices. You can also go directly to the publisher ACMRS to see which ones they have in stock.
The 385 letters are published in four nicely bound hardback volumes. The Anthology is also published only in hardback and is published in two volumes. The binding is nice and they are a set that can be passed on to your children. So far no paperback versions exist for this entire compilation. These books will offer you a lifetime of spiritual enrichment as well as an extensive reference point for perennial theological and spiritual insight. I would not waste time getting them since they seem to be harder to come by as time goes on.
Catherine writes to "popes, cardinals and bishops, royalty and public officials, family and friends and disciples, and an assortment of others, including allies and opponents, a mercenary captain, a prostitute, a homosexual, and political prisoners." Suzanne Noffke, O.P. is the preeminent scholar on Saint Catherine's works. She has made translations of all of her works including her letters, the Dialogue, her prayers and has also compiled a brilliant 'Anthology' of all of her works. This two-volume Anthology allows you to look up Catherine's writings sorted by important theological and spiritual topics. The Anthology references the four volumes of her letters as well as the Dialogue and her composed prayers.
If you purchase the Anthology be sure to have a copy of Nofke's translation of the Dialogue and her translation of her prayers so you can easily reference the passages. The Anthology is broken up into various topics. For example, in the Anthology if you look up the Sacrament of Confession there are seven letters referenced, one prayer referenced and three passages from the dialog referenced. A passage of the text is cited and also where to find the entire letter or passage is noted so you can read the entire quotation in context. As a Dominican, Catherine's body of work is indispensable for living the Dominican spiritual life.
Unfortunately, these books are a bit pricey but again, in my opinion, worth every penny. You may have to make an effort to look at every avenue online to obtain all six books (Letters and Anthology) at a reasonable price. In general, Amazon has most of them but you can search elsewhere and find them at more reasonable prices. You can also go directly to the publisher ACMRS to see which ones they have in stock.
The 385 letters are published in four nicely bound hardback volumes. The Anthology is also published only in hardback and is published in two volumes. The binding is nice and they are a set that can be passed on to your children. So far no paperback versions exist for this entire compilation. These books will offer you a lifetime of spiritual enrichment as well as an extensive reference point for perennial theological and spiritual insight. I would not waste time getting them since they seem to be harder to come by as time goes on.
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