Book Review: Women of Hope by Terry Polakovic

Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church by Terry Polakovic

So far (September 2024), four women have been declared Doctors of the Church by the Catholic Church. A Doctor of the Church is a saint who is recognized for their writings and teachings that have contributed to the intellectual and, more importantly, spiritual development of people. The two most famous doctors are Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas. This book gives overviews of the women who are doctors, in the order that they were declared. 

Saint Teresa of Avila lived in the 16th century as a Spanish Carmelite. At the time, many religious orders were in decline, in need of reform. She was a passionate advocate for that reform, especially in her own order. Her early life needed improvement and she found life in the convent transformative. She wrote much and advised others at all levels of society. Her reforms had a great impact and her writings, especially The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, are beloved classics.

Saint Catherine of Siena lived in central Italy during the 14th century. She was born to a large family but was constantly looking for solitude. She had vision of Jesus from her youth though she did not become a cloistered nun. She lived in the world, writing many letters advising on spiritual matters. She also traveled, especially to Avignon, France, where the Popes had been living since the early 1300s. She pleaded with Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. She convinced him and in 1377 the pope returned to Rome. In addition to her letters, she wrote The Dialogue of Divine Providence, a series of questions and answers between her and God the Father on spiritual issues.

Saint Therese of Lisieux lived in Normandy, France, at the end of the 19th century. She had a rather unremarkable life. She grew up in a typical middle-class family. Most of her sisters went to the same convent, a Carmelite in Normandy. She died at a young age (24!) of illness. She probably would have been forgotten but her superior ordered her to write about her life, resulting in the spiritual classic The Story of a Soul. She details her simple life and her simple spirituality. She did everything from her youngest age to please God. Even small acts can become sacred and salvific when done in a Christ-like spirit. The first printing of her book was distributed among the Carmel convents but soon was recognized as a powerful witness to a life of Christian simplicity and love. It spread like wildfire.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen lived in 12th century Germany. She started her spiritual journey as a young woman who became an anchoress--a religious who was sealed into a cell next to a church or monastery. In her case, it was a monastery and she was in with some other women. She was in the cell for twenty-five years. She and her companions attracted many people for advice and other women to their vocation. They outgrew their cell and moved to a run-down monastery, what we would now call a "fixer-upper." She had spent her years praying and reading, so when she came out, she had a large body of knowledge and much preparation. She wrote books and plays along with letters. She composed music for the plays; she wrote about the medicinal value of plants. She lived to her eighties in a time when life expectancy was mid-thirties. She has only recently been rediscovered and was made a doctor of the church by Pope Benedict XVI.

Author Terry Polakovik does a good job present overviews of the women's lives and their impacts on the Church. She identifies them as women of hope because, in spite of their situations of hardship, they trusted in God and kept the faith. The book was written during the Covid pandemic and Polakovik draws some parallels with contemporary situations and reactions. I found this aspect interesting but its relevance will probably wane in the coming years. The text is interspersed with reflection questions, some of which draw on our current issues around Covid.

Recommended--this is a good introduction to these four women and provides plenty of pointers to find out more about them.