Description
This rich volume is the second of two collecting 96 sermons by the late priest and theologian Robert D. Crouse – one of the finest contemplative theological minds of our age. They are arranged to follow the principal celebrations of the ancient Christian Year, so they can be read in step with the liturgical seasons. A Preface by Rowan Williams and an Introduction by the collection’s editor Gary Thorne highlight some of the connecting threads of the sermons – in particular the theme of Divine Friendship offered by the Gospel.
Robert Crouse (1930-2011) was a priest, scholar, a native of Nova Scotia, who lived most of his life in a small mill-village named Crousetown on the picturesque Petite Riviere. He taught in the Classics Department of Dalhousie University; at the University of King’s College, Halifax; and at the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum in Rome. His work ranged over the whole history of philosophical theology both pagan and Christian, in the writings of philosophers and theologians, from Plato and Augustine to Anselm and Aquinas, and of the poets, from Homer to Dante. Abundant in the labours of theological and spiritual renewal, in the academy and in the wider church, and in demand as a preacher, lecturer, and retreat conductor across North America, he carefully guarded a discipline of contemplative silence. His intellectual and spiritual legacy is cherished by uncounted students, both those who knew him, and those who did not know him.