The Forgotten Desert Mothers: Sayings, Lives, and Stories of Early Christian Women

Publication Data: New York, NY/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2001
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: vi + 218
Dimensions (l × w × h): 21.6 cm × 14.0 cm × 1.6 cm
ISBN: 0‒8091‒4016‒0

   
Laura Swan

“Many church fathers became prominent because of women. Many of these fathers were educated and supported by strong women, and some were even credited with founding movements that were actually begun by the women in their lives. Early church histories make brief mention of women dwelling in the desert, living as urban solitaries, or residing in or near monastic communities. Palladius, in his Lausiac History, estimated that the women outnumbered the men two to one, yet it is the stories of the men that are preserved and told.”
—“Introduction”

CONTENTS

Introduction
Chapter One: The World of the Desert Mothers
Chapter Two: Desert Spirituality
Chapter Three: The Sayings of the Desert Mothers
Chapter Four: Bright Stars in the Desert Sky: Lesser Known Desert Mothers
Chapter Five: Deaconesses of the Early Church
Chapter Six: Mentors of the Monastic Way: Communities and Their Leaders
Epilogue: The Gift of the Desert
Timeline of the Forgotten Desert Mothers
Appendix: The Ordination Rite of Deacons
Notes
Glossary of Selected Terms
Ordo: A Calendar of Feasts of Holy Women
Selected Bibliography