Deeply Present with what is: bridging contemplation into life

Join Darleen Pryds in this interview as she takes us on her faith journey from being a small child who knew God’s presence to becoming agnostic, from living through tension into discovery of the interconnection of her personal faith, her academic work and her life experiences. Walk with her as she brings contemplation into life and explores the gift of authenticity.

In Darleen’s own words, “Deeply embedded in the Franciscan tradition and in what I cultivate as a lay Franciscan, is how are we deeply present with one another in all of creation. That presence, the authenticity of presence ... that's what it means to be Franciscan: to be deeply present.”

 

 

References:

The Little Flowers of Saint Francis: this text dates to more than 100 years after Francis died, this text contains poetic stories and popular legends about him:    https://www.franciscantradition.org/francis-of-assisi-early-documents/the-prophet/the-little-flowers-of-saint-francis/2467-fa-ed-3-page-566.

 

Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration chapel: https://www.fspa.org/content/chapel.

 

The Trouble with Angels movie; learn more about it at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trouble_with_Angels_(film)

 

JD Salinger's Franny and Zooey is available online or as a book. Learn about the contemplative prayer, including the Jesus Prayer.

 

For more information on Lady Jacopa, see:

Audio recordings from Learn25 https://www.learn25.com/product-category/professors/prof-darleen-pryds-ph-d/. See A Catholic’s Guide to the Spirituality of Dying and Death for a retelling of the story of Lady Jacopa and Francis. See also “The Spirituality of Presence: The Story of Lady Jacopa and Francis” https://www.academia.edu/17131249/The_Spirituality_of_Presence_The_Story_of_Lady_Jacopa_and_Francis.

 

Additional articles by Darleen can be found on her page on Academia.edu

https://fst-us.academia.edu/DarleenPryds.

 

Darleen’s bio page at FST: https://www.fst.edu/faculty-staff/darleen-pryds-phd/.

 

Darleen’s Books:

The King Embodies the Word: Robert d’Anjou and the Politics of Preaching (2000) https://brill.com/view/title/6701.

Franciscan Institute Publications: https://www.franciscanpublications.com/search?q=Pryds

(See for Women of the Streets: Early Franciscan Women and their Mendicant Vocation (2010); Enduring Presence: Diversity and Authenticity among the First Generations of Lay Franciscans (2018)).

 

For an exploration of contemplation in ordinary life, see “Finding Deep Gratitude in Ordinary Time,” https://www.academia.edu/35212819/Finding_Deep_Gratitude_in_Ordinary_Time.