Douglas Van Steere (August 31, 1901 – February 6, 1995) was an American
Quaker ecumenist
Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...
.
Biography
He served as a professor of philosophy at
Haverford College from 1928 to 1964 and visiting professor of theology at
Union Theological Seminary from 1961 to 1962. Steere organized Quaker post-war relief work in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
and
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, was invited to participate as an ecumenical observer in the
Second Vatican Council
The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...
and co-founded the
Ecumenical Institute of Spirituality. He authored, edited, translated and wrote introductions for many books on Quakerism, as well as other religions and philosophy.
Steere was an undergraduate at
Michigan State University, received a Ph.D. from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1931, and was a
Rhodes scholar at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
, receiving degrees from Oxford in 1927 and 1954. He corresponded often with
Thomas Merton, a popular
Trappist
The Trappists, officially known as the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance ( la, Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae, abbreviated as OCSO) and originally named the Order of Reformed Cistercians of Our Lady of La Trappe, are a ...
monk.
In 1987, he was awarded the Decoration of Knight 1st Class of the
White Rose of Finland, in recognition of his post-war relief work in that country.
Bibliography
*''Prayer and worship'', 1938
*''On beginning from within'', 1943
*''Doors into life'', 1948
*''Purity of Heart'', by
Søren Kierkegaard, transl., 1938, 1948
*''Time to spare'', 1949
*''On listening to another'', 1955
*''Work and contemplation'', 1957
*''Dimensions of prayer'', 1962
*''Spiritual Counsel and Letters of Baron Friedrich von Hugel'', Edited with an Introduction, 1964
*''God's irregular: Arthur Shearly Cripps: a Rhodesian epic'' 1973
*''Together in Solitude'', 1982
*''Quaker Spirituality: Selected Writings'', ed., preface by
Elizabeth Gray Vining, 1983
References
Further reading
"The Open Life"– William Penn Lecture 1937 by Douglas V. Steere
*''Love at the Heart of Things: a biography of Douglas V. Steere'', by E. Glenn Hinson. 1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steere, Douglas V.
1901 births
1995 deaths
Haverford College faculty
Michigan State University alumni
Harvard University alumni
American Rhodes Scholars
American Quakers
People from Harbor Beach, Michigan
20th-century Quakers