Voices from Within

Perhaps a catchier title for this book might have been "How to Find God at the Kitchen Sink." Originating in an experiment which took place at the Institue for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, Minnesota, this book is the result of a four-year consulation project whose object was to let women explore how they think/feel/experience their faith, their relationship to God and their role in the church. Originally 17 women gathered at the institute to grapple with the nature of women's spirituality--what makes it different from the religious practices of men and what can women contribute to the faith community from their unique perspective. They began by telling each other of their spiritual journeys and ended up forming wondrous bonds of Christian fellowhsip. In order to see whether this phenomenon was exportable they decided to experiment duplicating the process with "satellite" communities. Included here are guidelines for those who would like to thi! nk about trying a similar project in their own communities.