Spiritual Classics
Spiritual Classics Book Discussions
The Spiritual Classics discussion group meets in-person, generally on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm between September and May (except for January).
We discuss books that inspire our spiritual growth, recount the spiritual lives of saints and others who have grown close to God, or provide us with spiritual sustenance. We’ve discussed several books by Pope Francis, books by several saints, books from the Middle Ages, and books by spiritual giants like Thomas Merton and John of the Cross. A list of books we’ve discussed is linked below.
We select books that are approachable, relatively short, and worthy of a discussion for about an hour. Reading the book is not required in order to join the discussions.
For more information, send an email to [email protected].
Spiritual Classics for May 2025
A Good Man is Hard to Find
At the next Spiritual Classics gathering on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 7:00 pm in the Ascension Parish Center Dining Room, we’ll discuss two short stories by Flannery O’Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find and Good Country People. Jill Baumgaertner, a Professor of English Emerita and retired Academic Dean at Wheaton College and a Flannery O’Connor scholar, will join us to lead the discussion.
Thomas Merton admired the deep insights into humanity and salvation in Flannery O’Connor’s short stories. O’Connor, a native of Georgia and a devout Catholic, wrote prior to Vatican II in the mid-twentieth century, a time of burgeoning social change in the American South, and her short stories won the National Book Award for fiction.
For an electronic pdf copy of the short stories, or for more information about our monthly Spiritual Classics discussions, send an email to [email protected]. All Oak Park parishes are welcome.
Books We Have Read Since March 2020