Caryll Houselander (29 September 1901 – 12 October 1954) was a British lay
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
ecclesiastical artist, mystic, popular religious writer and poet.
Early life
Born in
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
, England, Houselander was the second of two daughters of Wilmott and Gertrude Provis Houselander who were English
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
s.
Several authors, including
Maisie Ward
Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and the radio show ''The Adventures of Maisie'' (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress Ann Sothern (1909–2001). Eight of the ten ...
in her 1962 biography ''Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric'', incorrectly state that Houselander was born on 29 October 1901 when, in fact, she was born on 29 September 1901 according to her birth certificate. In her remark in ''A Rocking-Horse Catholic'' (cited below, p. 41), she took the
Confirmation name
In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. For adults, it is an affirmation of belief. It involves laying on ...
of Michael "after
the Archangel
''The Archangel'' ( it, L'arcangelo) is a 1969 Italian comedy film directed by Giorgio Capitani and starring Vittorio Gassman.
Cast
* Vittorio Gassman as Fulvio Bertuccia
* Pamela Tiffin as Gloria Bianchi
* Irina Demick as Sig.ra Tarocchi Rod ...
on whose feast day I was born."
When Houselander was six, her mother converted to
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
and she in turn was also baptised. Shortly after her ninth birthday, her parents separated and her mother opened a
boarding house to support the family; Houselander was sent to a boarding school, the Convent of the Holy Child.
In her teens, she returned home to help her mother in the running of the boarding house. Her mother had allowed a priest to stay and this became a source of scandal. Houselander and her mother were
ostracised
Ostracism ( el, ὀστρακισμός, ''ostrakismos'') was an Athenian democracy, Athenian democratic procedure in which any citizen could be exile, expelled from the city-state of Athens for ten years. While some instances clearly expressed ...
by the community. This may have partly influenced her decision to leave the Catholic Church as a teenager, and may have contributed to a sense of isolation she would feel at times. This latter problem was reflected in
panic attack
Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
s when entering rooms and meeting strangers, so much so that she was considered neurotic.
In July 1918, Houselander was sent by her mother on an errand. On her way to the street vendor, she looked up and saw what she later described as a huge Russian-style
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
spread across the sky. Shortly after, she read in a newspaper an article about the assassination of
Russian Tsar Nicholas II. She said the face she saw in the newspaper photograph was the face in her vision of the crucified Christ.
Later life and works
The mystical experiences she claimed to have experienced convinced her that Christ is to be found in all people, even those whom the world shunned because they did not conform to certain standards of piety. She wrote that if people looked for Christ only in the "saints" then they would not find him. She herself smoked, drank, and had a sharp tongue.
Houselander returned to the Catholic Church in 1925, but her spiritual reading was founded almost entirely on the Gospels, rather than the writings of the
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...
or official church documents. She met and fell in love with
Sidney Reilly
Sidney George Reilly (; – 5 November 1925)—known as "Ace of Spies"—was a Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by Scotland Yard's Special Branch and later by the Foreign Section of the British Secret Service Bureau, the pre ...
, a famous spy, but he left her broken-hearted when he married another woman. She would never marry.
Houselander was a prolific writer and contributed many pieces to religious magazines, such as the ''
Messenger of the Sacred Heart
The ''Messenger of the Sacred Heart'' is a Roman Catholic periodical; the print organ of the Apostleship of Prayer, a pious association founded in nineteenth century France by the Jesuits. There are many editions in various languages, promoting dev ...
'' and ''The Children's Messenger''. Her first book, ''This War is the Passion'', was published in 1941 and in it she placed the suffering of the individual and its meaning within the mystical
Body of Christ
In Christian theology, the term Body of Christ () has two main but separate meanings: it may refer to Jesus' words over the bread at the celebration of the Jewish feast of Passover that "This is my body" in (see Last Supper), or it may refer to ...
. For a time, she became publisher
Sheed & Ward
Sheed and Ward was a publishing house founded in London in 1926 by Catholic activists Frank Sheed and Maisie Ward. The head office was moved to New York in 1933.
The United States assets of Sheed and Ward have been owned by Rowman & Littlefie ...
's best selling writer, drawing praise from people such as
Ronald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox (17 February 1888 – 24 August 1957) was an Catholic Church in England and Wales, English Catholic priest, Catholic theology, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton College, Eton and Balliol Colleg ...
:
"she seemed to see everything for the first time, and the driest of doctrinal considerations shone out like a restored picture when she had finished with it. And her writing was always natural; she seemed to find no difficulty in getting the right word; no, not merely the right word, the telling word, that left you gasping."
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, doctors began sending patients to Houselander for counselling and therapy. Even though she lacked formal education in this area, she seemed to have a natural empathy for people in mental anguish and the talent for helping them to rebuild their world. A visitor once found her alone on the floor, apparently in great pain, which she attributed to her willingness to take on herself a great trial and temptation that was overwhelming another person. A psychiatrist, Eric Strauss, later president of the
British Psychological Society
The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom.
History
It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the organ ...
, said of Houslander: "she loved them back to life... .she was a divine eccentric."
Maisie Ward
Maisie Ravier is a fictional character, the leading character of ten films (1939–1947) and the radio show ''The Adventures of Maisie'' (broadcast 1945–1947, 1949–1953). She was played by actress Ann Sothern (1909–2001). Eight of the ten ...
, ''Caryll Houselander: That Divine Eccentric'', London: Sheed & Ward, 1962.
Houselander titled her autobiography ''A Rocking-Horse Catholic'' to differentiate herself from those termed "Cradle Catholics". She died of breast cancer on 12 October 1954, at the age of 53.
See also
*
Christian mysticism
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...
*
Mysticism
Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in u ...
*
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Selected works
Sheed & Ward books:
* ''This War is the Passion'' (1941); republished by Ave Maria Press (2008)
* ''The Reed of God'' (1944); republished by Ave Maria Press (2008)
* ''The Splendor of the Rosary'' by Maisie Ward, prayers by Caryll Houselander (1945)
** Houselander's prayers reprinted in ''The Essential Rosary'' published by Sophia Institute Press (1996)
* ''The Flowering Tree'' (1945)
* ''The Dry Wood'' (1947)
* ''The Passion of the Infant Christ'' (1949); republished as ''Wood of the Cradle, Wood of the Cross: The Little Way of the Infant Jesus'' by Sophia Institute Press (1995)
** ''The Passion of the Infant Christ'', critical edition edited by Kerry Walters (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017)
* ''Guilt'' (1951)
* ''The Comforting of Christ'' (1954)
* ''A Rocking-Horse Catholic'' (1955); republished by Aeterna Press (2015)
* ''The Stations of the Cross'' (1955), illustrated with fourteen wood engravings by Houselander
** ''The Way of the Cross'', retitled and revised edition (inclusive language changes and use of a different Biblical translation for scriptural quotations) published by Liguori Publications (2002)
* ''Inside the Ark'' (1956)
* ''Terrible Farmer Timson and Other Stories'' (1957); republished as ''Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls'' by Sophia Institute Press (2002)
* ''The Risen Christ'' (1959); republished by Scepter Publications (2007)
* ''The Letters of Caryll Houselander: Her Spiritual Legacy'' (1965), edited by Maisie Ward
* ''Reproachfully yours; with a foreword by Caryll Houselander'' by Lucile Halsey
References
External links
"Caryll Houselander 1901–1954" by Margot H. King"Seeing Christ in All People" by Karen Lynn Krugh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houselander, Caryll
1901 births
1954 deaths
Converts to Roman Catholicism
English biographers
English children's writers
English journalists
English religious writers
English Roman Catholics
English short story writers
Roman Catholic mystics
Roman Catholic writers
20th-century English novelists
20th-century English poets
20th-century biographers
20th-century British short story writers
20th-century Christian mystics