Amata Means Beloved

By Mary Catharine Perry

When Sister Maria Amata-the former Emily Barone-enters newly-established Mater Christi Monastery, she is eager to become a spouse of Christ-to give all she is and has to God. However, Sister Maria... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595300243
• ISBN13: 9780595300242
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 124 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

An interesting book that will interest everyone, not just Catholics

Personally, I really liked the book. It led me to think more about my own struggles with forgiveness. And yes, the writing is very simple, short and concise - I consider it to be written in the style of a 'young adult' book, if anything. The storyline is great and leads you to learn more about contemplative cloistered Dominican life. However, I would have loved this book to be over 100 pages - more character depth, more about the life of Emily (Sr. Maria Amata) than we saw in the book.

A Great Book - Recommend highly!

If you're like me and love a good novel, you find yourself reading to discover new worlds that you may not ever be able to physically visit. A good book enables us to enter a place, interact with the community of characters living there, and grow to love and care about the people in that place and what happens to them. On a higher level, a book occasionally comes along and challenges us to look at our own lives and at how we might become more: by giving more of ourselves, by loving our family or friends more, by deepening our spiritual lives and our connection to God, even by seeing the daily tasks we undertake with a more positive attitude - seeing them as faith and love offerings to God. Amata Means Beloved is one of these treasures: a book that will take you into its world, cause you to fall in love, and challenge you to make your world a better place. Please read this book and share it with the special people in your lives - you'll be happy you took the time!

A Must Read!!!

There are a lot of books out there that are about religious and what supposedly goes on behind the closed doors of convents and monasteries. But here is a work of fiction written by someone who lives the life and one can be assured that the struggles, hopes and dreams of Sister Mary Catharine are reflected in the characters in her fine novel.This is a real page turner, a great read!

Wonderful!

I just finished this book and can't recommend it enough! The fear, the trepidation of Emily/Maria Amata comes across on every page as she struggles with her committment to the Lord and the concept of forgiveness. Truly, a good and thoughtful read for anyone of any age or faith - be you Catholic, Very Lapsed Catholic (like myself!), Protestant or of whatever faith you follow, this book will show a whole new world while telling a story that appeals to everyone's heart and soul.

From the Author

A story of tender beauty that presents a rare glimpse into the life of cloistered, contemplative nuns. When Sister Maria Amata-the former Emily Barone-enters newly-established Mater Christi Monastery, she is eager to become a spouse of Christ-to give all she is and has to God. However, Sister Maria Amata finds that living in the monastery with the other nuns radically confronts her understanding of the life itself and her own motives. Why did she really enter the monastery? Is she instead running from facing her inability to forgive the man who murdered her brother?The possibility of acquiring a long-desired bell for the monastery catapults Sister Maria Amata into a crisis. The novice mistress challenges the young novice by appointing her as the bell ringer for the Angelus each day. She must choose to live in the ways of freedom and love if her gift to God at first profession is to be truly one of total surrender. She can no longer hold onto her anger and lack of forgiveness. Can Sister Maria Amata overcome her fear? More importantly, will she open her heart to God's grace and forgive?"More than just a sparkling portrait of religious life, Amata Means Beloved is the story of a woman's deep inner struggle with pain and forgiveness. Sr. Mary Catharine Perry takes the reader on a fascinating journey, and her writing is full of heart and soul. This beautiful book is impossible to put down after reading even just one page!" -Elizabeth Kuhns, author, The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns