Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church
Only four women in the two thousand–year history of the Church—Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Hildegard of Bingen—have the distinction of being named Doctors of the Church because of their impact on the faith.

In Set the World on Fire, bestselling author, retreat leader, and spiritual director Vinita Hampton Wright offers a four-week personal retreat that immerses you in the dramatic lives, historical eras, and groundbreaking ideas of these formidable saints and invites you to develop the grit, humility, pragmatism, hope, joy, and vision these women possessed.

Each week of your retreat begins with weekend reading and prayer to introduce the saint and the primary topic of the chapter, followed by five days of morning and evening prayer. Much of the text comes from the saint’s own writings. Scripture, reflection questions, and suggestions for action are designed to help you engage personally with the saint and her wisdom for living your faith.

Each week offers a unique and in-depth experience of the saint and her unique gifts to the Church:

  • Week one: St. Thérèse of Lisieux—the young Carmelite nun whose autobiography sent ripples across Christendom—will teach you to love God through her Little Way.
  • Week two: St. Teresa of Avila—a Carmelite who spent years reforming her order and gave to the world a spiritual masterpiece called The Interior Castle—will instruct you in trusting your personal experience of God.
  • Week three: St. Catherine of Siena—a Third-Order Dominican who poured out her life for people in need but also gave astute, sharp direction to Church leaders—will guide you to live every moment with courage through the love of truth.
  • Week four: St. Hildegard of Bingen—a Benedictine abbess whose spiritual visions led to books, poetry, music, art, and early scientific discovery—will show you how to engage life with passion and creativity.

Each woman’s experience of God, understanding of spirituality, and timeless wisdom gained her the title Doctor of the Church, which indicates that through her life, research, study, and writing, she has deepened and advanced the faith.

1140461369
Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church
Only four women in the two thousand–year history of the Church—Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Hildegard of Bingen—have the distinction of being named Doctors of the Church because of their impact on the faith.

In Set the World on Fire, bestselling author, retreat leader, and spiritual director Vinita Hampton Wright offers a four-week personal retreat that immerses you in the dramatic lives, historical eras, and groundbreaking ideas of these formidable saints and invites you to develop the grit, humility, pragmatism, hope, joy, and vision these women possessed.

Each week of your retreat begins with weekend reading and prayer to introduce the saint and the primary topic of the chapter, followed by five days of morning and evening prayer. Much of the text comes from the saint’s own writings. Scripture, reflection questions, and suggestions for action are designed to help you engage personally with the saint and her wisdom for living your faith.

Each week offers a unique and in-depth experience of the saint and her unique gifts to the Church:

  • Week one: St. Thérèse of Lisieux—the young Carmelite nun whose autobiography sent ripples across Christendom—will teach you to love God through her Little Way.
  • Week two: St. Teresa of Avila—a Carmelite who spent years reforming her order and gave to the world a spiritual masterpiece called The Interior Castle—will instruct you in trusting your personal experience of God.
  • Week three: St. Catherine of Siena—a Third-Order Dominican who poured out her life for people in need but also gave astute, sharp direction to Church leaders—will guide you to live every moment with courage through the love of truth.
  • Week four: St. Hildegard of Bingen—a Benedictine abbess whose spiritual visions led to books, poetry, music, art, and early scientific discovery—will show you how to engage life with passion and creativity.

Each woman’s experience of God, understanding of spirituality, and timeless wisdom gained her the title Doctor of the Church, which indicates that through her life, research, study, and writing, she has deepened and advanced the faith.

18.95 In Stock
Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church

Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church

by Vinita Hampton Wright
Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church

Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church

by Vinita Hampton Wright

Paperback

$18.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Qualifies for Free Shipping
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

Only four women in the two thousand–year history of the Church—Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Hildegard of Bingen—have the distinction of being named Doctors of the Church because of their impact on the faith.

In Set the World on Fire, bestselling author, retreat leader, and spiritual director Vinita Hampton Wright offers a four-week personal retreat that immerses you in the dramatic lives, historical eras, and groundbreaking ideas of these formidable saints and invites you to develop the grit, humility, pragmatism, hope, joy, and vision these women possessed.

Each week of your retreat begins with weekend reading and prayer to introduce the saint and the primary topic of the chapter, followed by five days of morning and evening prayer. Much of the text comes from the saint’s own writings. Scripture, reflection questions, and suggestions for action are designed to help you engage personally with the saint and her wisdom for living your faith.

Each week offers a unique and in-depth experience of the saint and her unique gifts to the Church:

  • Week one: St. Thérèse of Lisieux—the young Carmelite nun whose autobiography sent ripples across Christendom—will teach you to love God through her Little Way.
  • Week two: St. Teresa of Avila—a Carmelite who spent years reforming her order and gave to the world a spiritual masterpiece called The Interior Castle—will instruct you in trusting your personal experience of God.
  • Week three: St. Catherine of Siena—a Third-Order Dominican who poured out her life for people in need but also gave astute, sharp direction to Church leaders—will guide you to live every moment with courage through the love of truth.
  • Week four: St. Hildegard of Bingen—a Benedictine abbess whose spiritual visions led to books, poetry, music, art, and early scientific discovery—will show you how to engage life with passion and creativity.

Each woman’s experience of God, understanding of spirituality, and timeless wisdom gained her the title Doctor of the Church, which indicates that through her life, research, study, and writing, she has deepened and advanced the faith.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781646801015
Publisher: Ave Maria Press
Publication date: 03/25/2022
Pages: 192
Sales rank: 606,744
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Vinita Hampton Wright is an award-winning author and workshop and retreat leader who served as a book editor for more than thirty years. She retired as managing editor at Loyola Press in 2021.

She is the author of a number of books, including Set the World on Fire, The Soul Tells a Story, The Art of Spiritual Writing, and The St. Teresa of Avila Prayer Book. Her novel Velma Still Cooks in Leeway won a Logos Book Award for fiction, and Christianity Today honored her book Dwelling Places as the best fiction of 2007.

Wright earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Pittsburg State University in Kansas and a master’s degree in communications from Wheaton College in Illinois. She also earned a certificate in spiritual direction from the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. Wright previously worked as a teacher and musician in both the United States and abroad.

Wright lives in northwest Arkansas with her husband, James.

Table of Contents

To Begin 1

Prayer Week 1 St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Who Shows Us How to Love God through a Little Way 7

Saturday: Who Was Thérèse of Lisieux? 8

Sunday: Preparation 12

Monday: The Way of Prayer 14

Tuesday: The Way of Childlikeness 20

Wednesday: The Way of Suffering 26

Thursday: The Way of Humility 32

Friday: The Way of Total Longing 38

Prayer Week 2 St. Teresa of Ávila, Who Encourages Us to Own Our Unique Life with God 47

Saturday: Who Was Teresa of Ávila? 48

Sunday: Preparation 52

Monday: Acknowledging That God Dwells in Us 56

Tuesday: Celebrating the Gifts We Have 62

Wednesday: Trusting God's Work in Us 70

Thursday: Finding Good Companions 78

Friday: Turning Our Eyes Upon Jesus 84

Prayer Week 3 St. Catherine of Siena, Who Sets an Example of Spiritual Power in God's Loving Service 91

Saturday: Who Was Catherine of Siena? 92

Sunday: Preparation 96

Monday: Remembering Our Salvation 98

Tuesday: Responding to the Eucharist 104

Wednesday: Loving Others 110

Thursday: Embracing the Truth 118

Friday: Moving from Fear to Love 124

Prayer Week 4 St. Hildegard of Bingen, Who Models Engaging Life with Great Passion and Creativity 131

Saturday: Who Was Hildegard of Bingen? 132

Sunday: Preparation 136

Monday: Faith Foundations 138

Tuesday: Body and Spirit 146

Wednesday: Joy in the Created World 152

Thursday: The Beauty of Song 158

Friday: Discernment of Inner Workings 164

To Close 175

Notes 177

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This book highlights the spirituality and brilliance of some of the most influential women in Church history. From the soaring visions of St. Hildegard to the little way of St. Therese, this retreat guides the reader in a simple yet profound reflection that will leave the soul refreshed and inspired.” —Fr. Blake Britton, contributor to Word on Fire Catholic Ministries

“Vinita Hampton Wright is the perfect retreat guide for this inner exploration, holding the brilliance of these four saints with the precision of an artist and the expansiveness of a spiritual director. This book is an important offering for those seeking authentic inner growth.” —Shannon K. Evans, author of Embracing Weakness

“A true gift. Not only does Set the World on Fire provide everything we could possibly need for a rich, self-guided meditative journey but it also invites us to participate in the intimate prayer lives of four spiritual giants of the Church, women whose visionary wisdom transformed Church doctrine.” —Paula Huston, author of One Ordinary Sunday

"Whether you are doing this retreat all by yourself or in conversation with friends, if you are seeking to develop a spiritual life in the world you will find Set the World on Fire a brilliant resource.” —Timothy P. O’Malley, author of Real Presence

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews