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

by Vinita Hampton Wright

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 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.

Genres: Faith, Catholic, Religion, Christian, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published March 25, 2022

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I confess I did not read this book as it was intended, as a four-week guided personal retreat, but plan to go back and do so for Lent. Focusing on the four women who have been named Doctors of the [Catholic] Church, this book guides the reader through a virtual retreat, beginning with brief biographies of each woman (St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Hildegard of Bingen), with recommendations for additional reading, scriptures, personal reflection questions, and prayer. This is an excellent resource for not only learning more about the important roles these women played in the development of the church, but for seeing how they can inform one’s own life. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with this self-guided retreat. #SettheWorldonFire #NetGalley

[K.U. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book, that inspired me to learn more about female Doctors of the Church. I didn't finish it in 4 weeks. It took me a few months but it's such a well written guide to prayer that I knew that I want to finish even if I can't keep up a pace. If because of life circumstances I skipped the day, I pick up where I left off the next week. I feel like I needed more time to reflect and study more. I am finishing now The story of my soul and I am planning to read other books written by other Doctors of the Church. I highly recommend this retreat!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of Set the World on Fire, by Vinita Hampton Wright. This book is about 4 women of the church, Thérèse of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Hildegard of Bingen. I heard about the first three but not Hildegard. This is a great book about these four women, it has prayers, stories, and other sources to get more information on these lovely women of the Catholic Church.

[Hildie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was wonderful! I really enjoyed the prayers, thoughts, reflections, and ideas offered in this small retreat book, and walking with these Female Saints for the past month. Spending time with the four Saints written about, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Hildegard von Bingen, was really nice and something peaceful that I looked forward to every day. I do have to say that I liked St. Hildegard's light and celebration of life the most, though I have a particular preference for her: she is my name Saint!

If you are looking to ground yourself in God, and prayerfully consider what you next need to work on, this retreat book is a lovely read! It's good for individuals, as well as for a group to do. I loved it!

[Michaela]

I found this an extremely profound book. I am well acquainted with Saint Therese the Little Flower, however I was given new insights into her spirituality. Each woman we follow in this book has a different and unique way a following Jesus, and I appreciate that immensely. Each week she provides a short bio and overview of the Saint's theology, providing websites to visit for additional information, followed by 5 days of morning and evening reflections. Although it's not an advent book, I read it during Advent and it created a much more spiritual experience of the season. I highly recommend this book.

[Morgan Berning · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is wonderful for young women (confirmation age) or newly converted Catholics, or Catholics who are growing into their personal relationship with Jesus. I felt that I needed something a little more mature, a little deeper (in all humility), just because of where I personally am in my walk and relationship with Jesus. My favorite section was St. Hildegard, and I loved the prayers and reflections that this author chose.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dragged this book out more than 4 weeks while also doing a Bible Study, and loved every minute of it. I definitely look forward to revisiting and maybe taking on the 4 week challenge. It's a very manageable and thought-provoking book about some amazing women that I greatly look up to. Another highly recommended read!

[Macy Vollert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll admit that I didn’t finish this, but only because there was sort of a weird concept being pushed. Something along the lines of God having mother-like qualities- didn’t seem right to me as we were given the BVM as our mother??? It did have good readings and a few good reflections, but overall just very different than what I was expecting.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book-retreat experience, journeying with the four female Doctors of the Church. I learned much wisdom on how to live life from them, and how to hear the voice of God in the various aspects of my life.

[Jonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start to the New Year; helped to reinforce daily habits of morning and night prayer and highlighted some brilliant, holy women.

[awesome.nerd.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this Lenten retreat book (the book pick for Moms GIFT - growing in faith together.) The 4 women Doctors of the church are amazing. The abiding together book podcast was also great.

[Luana Cavalcanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I saw this book on Netgalley, I thought: "I must read this!" and I'll tell you why. The four females Doctors of the Church are incredible women that inspire me so much.
The 4-week personal retreat was an amazing opportunity to grow close to God through this four women.
They have struggled, overcome trials and befriended God.
What I learned in this book is that these women invited me to become who I am meant to be.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for free ARC in exchange of honest review. All thoughs are my own.
🇧🇷Quando eu vi esse livro na Netgalley, eu pensei: "Eu preciso ler esse livro!" e eu vou te falar o motivo. Essas quatro mulheres Doutoras da Igrejas são mulheres incríveis que me inspiram muito.
O retiro pessoal de 4 semanas foi uma oportunidade maravilhosa para me aproximar de Deus através dessas quatro mulheres.
Elas lutaram, superaram provações e fizeram amizade com Deus.
O que aprendi neste livro é que essas mulheres me convidam a me tornar quem eu deveria ser.
Obrigada a Netgalley e a editora pela ARC para uma resenha. Todas as opiniões são minhas.

[Abigail Win · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books on the planet.

[Amelia Maness-Gilliland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set the World on Fire is a four-week guided retreat that focuses on four women saints: St Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Hildegard of Bingen. These four women's lives span eight centuries, and this book does an excellent job of offering valuable insight into these Doctors of the Catholic Church.

I like the format and structure of the book. Four weeks are spent with each Saint. An overview of their lives is given, including additional reading, scripture passages, reflections, and journaling questions. Each day was broken into content for morning and evening prayer, making this a wonderful personal retreat.

The author clearly knows these Saints and shared information about their lives that made each of these women feel accessible, making it easier to draw connections and relevance in my own life.

Each of these women has played a significant role in the Church. I especially enjoyed the weeks spent on St.Hildegard of Bingen; it seems she is less well known than the others.

I highly recommend this book as a personal retreat. I filled an entire journal working through the prompts that were well written and not generic, as is often the case in individual retreat books.