On the Threshold of the Future: The Life and Spirituality of Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, Founder of the Maryknoll Sisters

The inspiring story of the founder of the Congregation of the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic, the first American-based mission congregation of women religious.

This study of the life and spirituality of Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, the founder of the Maryknoll Sisters, reveals the beginnings of the spirituality and mission vision of the Maryknoll Sisters, who celebrate their centennial in 2012. A visionary, Mother Mary Joseph saw beyond the boundaries of the world in which she lived-a century ago-to a much wider world full of possibilities for women religious.

Of particular concern to Mother Mary Joseph was the life and spiritual health of the community in three areas: How could women religious combine action and contemplation? How could they maintain their individuality while contributing to the life of the community? How could they maintain unity and yet allow diversity to flourish among them?

In the words of Sr. Janice McLaughlin, current president of the Maryknoll Sisters, "[T]his volume offers new insights into the twentieth-century missionary endeavor among American Catholic women as well as the changing role of women in church and society. [It] is rich in insights that are contemporary in their meaning and expression."