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 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? To give herself completely to God? Or 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, Sister Maria Bernadette, 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 of ringing the bell? More importantly, will she open her heart to God's grace and forgive?

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by my vocation mistress, (And, I hope, soon-to-be sister!), Amata Means Beloved is the story of Emily Barone, who has come to try her vocation at a Dominican monastery. She is haunted by an episode in her past and must come to grips with it when the monastery installs a bell tower.
This is Sr. Mary Catherine's first novel. I loved learning about monastic life--and what I have to look forward to!

[Maria Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story Sister Maria Amata's healing process in a way resembling God's actual work in someone's life. However, this novel is very short, leaving little time to truly get to know the characters.