The Life Journey of a Joyful Man of God: The Autobiographical Memoirs of Adrian van Kaam

by Susan Muto; Adrian L. van Kaam; Joop Bekkers

Publisher:

Resource Publications

, 2010

Overview

To have known Adrian van Kaam in person is to have loved him for reasons human and spiritual. His kindness to everyone is as legendary as his fidelity to the mystery in all the peaks and valleys of daily life. His humility is the fire that enkindles his original vision of formative spirituality. His gentle, joyful spirit radiates on every page of this retelling of his life story. In it he takes us to the heart of his thinking in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation. He welcomes us wholeheartedly into the intimate corners of his family, his friendships, and his pastoral and professional life. He brings us into a little known arena of world history, the infamous Dutch Hunger Winter of 1944--1945. We travel with him from that bleak period through the renewal of his life’s work in the United States to its crowning phase in the Epiphany Association, co-founded with his colleague and editor of this unforgettable work of love, Dr. Susan Muto.

Praise for The Life Journey of a Joyful Man of God

”Once more I marvel at how Divine Providence was so tangibly evident throughout Fr. van Kaam’s life as he responded to the events that were the formative experiences from which the trilogy of Formation Science, Anthropology, and Theology emanated. Besides being a person of joy, his autobiography speaks to his being a man of deep faith and gratitude."
--Sister Sharon Richardt, DC
Provincial Councillor for Ongoing Formation, Daughters of Charity

“These memoirs have their roots not in theory but in experiences that range from the atrocity of occupation to the emergence of a body of work at once informative and deeply transformative. They offer an intriguing view of the author’s personal history as the wellspring of writings that have touched my own heart as well as that of countless readers throughout the world. Here is a book not to be missed!"
--Fr. Ralph Tajak, OSB
Chaplain, Epiphany Academy

"For those of us whose lives were forever transformed by the grace of the Lord emanating from this man, as well as for the many future generations that will come to study Fr. van Kaam, these memoirs will be a cherished companion and often referenced source of inspiration and guidance. Most importantly, this life reflection will help pour the light of Christ upon the often perilous and uncertain path of committed persons seeking to live in fidelity to their life callings."
--Stephen L. Martyn
Associate Professor Christian Leadership and Spirituality, Asbury Theological Seminary

"I highly recommend this beautiful memoir to all people seeking to live a life dedicated to the deepest truths of their own faith and formation traditions. Adrian van Kaam’s story describes not only how he discerned and lived God’s truths for his life, but it invites us to, over a lifetime, to root ourselves humbly in the mystery as we cooperate with grace to release us from the tyranny of prideful self-importance and anxiety."
--Ronald L. Mead
SVP/Chief Mission Integration Officer, St.Vincent Health

Product Details

• Title : The Life Journey of a Joyful Man of God: The Autobiographical Memoirs of Adrian van Kaam
• Authors:
  • van Kaam, Adrian L.
  • Muto, Susan
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Publication Date: 2010
• ISBN: 9781498276641

About the Authors

Adrian van Kaam, CSSp, PhD, (1920--2007) was a professor of formative spirituality in Holland and the United States as well as chaplain and researcher-in-residence of the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Transcendent Self (1991) and several other best-selling books in religion and psychology, in spirituality and formation theology.

Susan Muto is a renowned speaker, author, teacher, and dean of the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality. A single laywoman living her vocation in the world and doing full-time, church-related ministry as the executive director of Epiphany Association, Muto has led conferences, seminars, workshops, and institutes throughout the world.

Professor Muto received her PhD in English literature from the University of Pittsburgh, where she specialized in the work of post-Reformation spiritual writers. Beginning in 1966, she served in various administrative positions at the Institute of Formative Spirituality (IFS) at Duquesne University and taught as a full professor in its programs, edited its journals, and served as its director from 1981 to 1988. An expert in literature and spirituality, she continues to teach courses on an adjunct basis at many schools, seminaries, and centers of higher learning. She aims in her teaching to integrate the life of prayer and presence with professional ministry and in-depth formation in the home, the church, and the marketplace.

As the editor and co-author of many books by and with Rev. Adrian van Kaam, CSSp, PhD (1920-2007), as a frequent contributor to scholarly and popular journals, and as herself the author of over thirty books, she has achieved recognition as an excellent researcher and teacher in her field. In fact, her many books on formative reading of scripture and the masters are considered to be premiere introductions to the classical art and discipline of formative spirituality and its systematic, comprehensive formation science, anthropology, and theology. She lectures nationally and internationally on the treasured wisdom of the Judeo-Christian faith and formation tradition and on many foundational facets of living human and Christian values and virtues in today's world.

Professor Muto holds membership in numerous honorary organizations and has received many distinctions for her work, including a Doctor of Humanities degree from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She was also one of four Catholic writers to be honored in 2009 with a lifetime achievement award by the Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. She is the recipient of the 2014 Aggiornamento Award presented by the Parish and Community Library Services Section of the Catholic Library Association in recognition of an outstanding contribution made by an individual or an organization to the ministry of renewal modeled by Pope John XXIII (1881-1963). For more information on her life and ministry, go to www.epiphanyacademyofformativespirituality.org.