San Francisco, May 3, 2017 – Ignatius Press has long published the writings of Adrienne von Speyr, a contemporary Swiss convert, mystic, wife, medical doctor, and prolific spiritual writer, who was under the spiritual direction of renowned theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar. Now three books have been released as new editions, each updated with a new Foreword, bringing renewed attention to her insightful life and work.
First Glance at Adrienne von Speyr
This second edition of Hans Urs von Balthasar’s book on Adrienne von Speyr is his personal introduction to the mystic, First Glance at Adrienne von Speyr, whose message and mission he believed to be vitally important for the Church. Von Balthasar was the spiritual director of von Speyr for almost thirty years as she progressed in the life of grace. She helped him to found the Community of Saint John, an international secular institute, and she wrote more than sixty books on various topics, including prayer, Scripture, sacraments, and saints, which continue to bear fruit for those seeking to deepen their understanding of Catholic spirituality and theology.
This book contains three main sections. The first includes a short account of Adrienne’s life, which describes her childhood, conversion, and mission; an analysis of her most important theological concerns; and an overview of her published and unpublished works. The second is a collection of enlightening statements that Adrienne made about herself, which illuminate both her exterior and interior life. The third section contains prayers that she herself wrote, which best reveal her spirit.
Hans Urs von Balthasar writes, “On the whole I received far more from Adrienne, theologically, than she from me. As her confessor and spiritual director, I observed her interior life most closely, yet in twenty-seven years I never had the least doubt about the authentic mission that was hers. Her work appears far more important to me than mine. I am convinced that when her works are made available, those who are in a position to judge will concur with me about their value and will thank God that he has granted such graces to the Church in our time.”
Adrian Walker, Ph.D., Professor of Theology at the John Paul II Institute and author of the Foreword of this new edition, says, “Von Speyr was one of the great Catholic converts of the twentieth century. Her great passion was what might be called ‘the thirst for catholicity’ — the unreserved, joyful adherence to all the teachings of the Church and the attitude of total surrender to the Truth.”
“The abundant harvest of graces hidden in this theological mission for our times still waits to be more fully carried into the storehouses of the Church for whom Adrienne von Speyr was sent. Now, however, a century after her birth, there are many signs to indicate that the moment of her ‘reawakening’ is at hand!” says Jacques Servais, S.J., Director of the Casa Balthasar in Rome.
Confession
In this second edition of her profound book on confession, which Hans Urs von Balthasar calls “one of her most central works”, Adrienne von Speyr discusses the moral and practical aspects of this sacrament in great depth. The most complete spiritual treatise on confession ever written, the book covers conversion, scruples, contrition, spiritual direction, laxity, frequency of confession, confessions of religious and lay people, and even confessions of saints.
The most intriguing element in von Speyr’s understanding of confession, fully developed in this volume, is its trinitarian and christological basis. The Cross is the archetypal confession, and Christian sacramental confession is thus an imitation of Christ in the strict sense. Confession examines the enormous fruitfulness of this dogmatic basis from many perspectives, giving a wealth of suggestions that both the theological expert and the layman will find very helpful. Its practical applicability to one’s own confession emerges from every page.
Fr. John Riccardo, the author of the Foreword, writes, “Few writers have impacted me like von Speyr has. I use Confession every year in RCIA to teach on this great gift that Jesus left to the Church on the day He rose from the dead. Whether you are a frequent celebrant of this Sacrament or, like I once was, have been away for many years, I pray that this book will profoundly change your life.”
Handmaid of the Lord
In this profound book on the mystery of Mary, Adrienne von Speyr reflects on the life, attitude, and prayer of the Mother of God. She shows how Mary’s assent to God’s will—her Fiat: “Let it be done to me according to thy word” — is what defines and sanctifies every aspect of her life. She gives new insights into Mary’s holiness, suffering, prayer, and role of spiritual motherhood for all mankind.
Handmaid of the Lord is not a biography detailing the daily life of the Mother of Jesus, filled with the sights and the sounds found in the holy imagination of a saintly visionary. Rather, it responds to our desire to know Mary in a penetrating and personal way, opening us to the mystery of her inner life, which can be revealed only by the Word himself and pondered in the heart, just as Our Lady herself did.
Humility, obedience, availability, joy, suffering, and transparency before God are some of the key spiritual attributes of Our Lady found in this timeless work. As with her other books, von Speyr helps us to savor and to appreciate each word of Sacred Scripture as self-revelation from the Father through the heart of the Church, the Bride of the Son, in a loving exchange of the Spirit. In this way, the Word may be absorbed into the very core of our being, as it was for Mary, the Mother of God.
Kris McGregor, founder of Discerning Hearts, writes in the Foreword, “This work offers a doorway into the heart of one of Christianity’s greatest mysteries - the mystery of Mary - and there is no better spiritual guide through that door than Adrienne von Speyr. She is a grand spiritual master of the practice of Lectio Divina and a beneficiary of its fruits. Handmaid of the Lord is Lectio Divina par excellence. It reveals the sheer beauty of Marian contemplation like no masterpiece of temporal art or music ever could; hence its status as a spiritual classic.”
About Adrienne von Speyr
Adrienne von Speyr (1902–1967) was a Swiss medical doctor, a convert to Catholicism, a mystic, and an author of more than sixty books on spirituality and theology. She collaborated closely with theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, her confessor for twenty-seven years, and together they founded the Community of Saint John. Her numerous books, published by Ignatius Press, are a major contribution to the wisdom of the Church. Among her most important works are Book of All Saints, Confession, The World of Prayer, Handmaid of the Lord, and The Passion from Within.
Kris McGregor, the author of the Foreword of Handmaid of the Lord, is available for interviews about these three books. To request review copies or an interview with Kris McGregor, please contact: Rose Trabbic, Publicist, Ignatius Press at (239) 867-4180 or [email protected]
Kris McGregor is the Founder/Executive Director of Discerning Hearts, a non-profit broadcast media apostolate dedicated to evangelization and spiritual formation. She has produced/hosted a wide range of series programs under the banner “Discerning Hearts presents”, as well as hosted “Inside the Pages”, interviewing hundreds of today’s leading Catholic authors and spiritual leaders. Her programs are prominently featured on the Spirit Catholic Radio Network line-up and on DiscerningHearts.com. In the past, she has served as a Director of Religious Education, Director of Liturgy, and Director of Pastoral Ministry in parishes located in the Archdiocese of Omaha. Kris and her husband of 34 years, Bruce, are Benedictine Oblates and parents of 3 children.
Product Facts:
Title: First Glance at Adrienne von Speyr
Author: Hans Urs von Balthasar
Release Date: May 2017
Length: 228 Pages
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-162164-180-3
Title: Confession
Author: Adrienne von Speyr
Release Date: May 2017
Length: 295 Pages
Price: $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-62164-182-7
Title: Handmaid of the Lord
Author: Adrienne von Speyr
Release Date: May 2017
Length: 203 Pages
Price: $15.95
ISBN: 978-1-62164-181-0
To Order: 1-800-651-1531 or www.ignatius.com
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