NEW YORK (March 9, 2007) – At the dawn of Christianity, holy women went into the wilderness of the deserts of northern Egypt to give themselves totally to lives of prayer. In her new book from Morehouse Publishing, Episcopal Priest and retreat leader Mary Earle explores the spirituality of these little known “desert mothers” from the fourth century. Earle invites readers to learn ways to apply the wisdom of these ancient women today.

“We are discovering, often through painstaking, detailed examination of primary texts, that women played an essential role in the early years of the Christian faith,” says Earle. “In those first centuries, before the church was marked by the institutional division between East and West, women were functioning in a variety of roles. They were seeking to live out the faith in Christ…and living in ways that were authentic and true to the gospel. Their example challenges our ways of understanding the faith.”

The Desert Mothers: Spiritual Practices from the Women of the Wilderness provides an introduction to discover some of the foremothers in the Christian faith, and an invitation to practice their way of living. These women began to create and shape lives in the deserts of the Holy Land as “ammas,” -- literally, “mothers” -- but also implying wise guidance and care of souls. The book is available direct from Morehouse Publishing (www.morehousepublishing.org, 800-877-0012) and through local bookstores.

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