Tapestry in Time

Much has been written about women religious - known as nuns or sisters - since Vatican II, which brought about major changes to the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. In this book several Dominican Sisters tell with candor what it was really like to live the religious life in Grand Rapids, Michigan, during those years. Organised around the four basic principles of Dominican life - prayer, study, common life and service - Tapestry in Time reveals an honest, human side of the effect of the institutional changes from Vatican II. Mary Navarre relies on written and oral histories from the Sisters themselves to describe how the introduction of then-radical changes such as worship in the vernacular provided the thrill of something new and meaningful - but also how the move toward inclusivity was met with challenges and opposition. Vatican II brought visible changes to the Roman Catholic Church worldwide, not least of which was a reduction to the cloud of mystery surrounding convent living. In this book the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, Michigan, tell the story of what it was really like to live the religious life as it changed drastically during the Charismatic Renewal.