Holy Personal: Looking for Small Private Places of Worship

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Overview

Holy Personal Looking for Small Private Places of Worship Laura Chester Photographs by Donna DeMari Foreword by Thomas Moore

Discovering private spiritual spaces in America.

"[This] book represents the best way of doing theology—keeping it relentlessly human and thoroughly concrete.... The ultimate effect of a worthy spiritual life would be beautiful lives in a beautiful world. This beautiful book is an excellent start." —from the Foreword by Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul

"In the world of the holy personal, ordinary people enter the mysteries of the microcosm. One of the charms of the private chapel is its small scale, which can transport one back to 'spiritual childhood.' In fact, the smaller the space, the more the imagination is engaged. The idea for this book came unexpectedly, almost like being surprised by love when you are not seeking it out. As with love, I had to follow, see where this pilgrimage would take me, moving from one small sanctuary to the next, from one radiant story onward, connecting me to these small bird nests of worship and to the wonderful spirited people who had built them." —from the Introduction

Holy Personal: Looking for Small Private Places of Worship begins with the design and construction of the author's own private chapel, activities that compelled her to set forth on a pilgrimage to 28 other private places of worship—temples, chapels, stupas, and shrines. Her text delves into the spiritual paths that lead people to create private places of worship. Donna DeMari's luminous photographs reveal the personal and private nature of these unique places.

Holy Personal documents the American landscape as well as the American soul. In New England, Chester visits a root cellar chapel and one converted from a garage. She discovers an American stavkirke in Door County, Wisconsin, a Mother Goddess altar in San Francisco, and a straw bale milagro chapel in Arizona. The author describes the origins of a chapel made from tires in Alabama and one fashioned from wine casks in California. All these creations, whether formed out of found or traditional building materials, invite Chester to pose many questions. What spiritual path leads someone to create a private place of worship? Does such a space conflict with or supplement worship in a more public sense? How might a priest, rabbi, or minister react to a place of worship that is so individual? Does a private space nurture a marriage at a deeper level? Why do artists so often feel moved to explore their spirituality?

Holy Personal, says Chester, "furthers the idea of honoring our differences, while being mindful of our oneness.... [It] bears witness to a yearning for religious privacy, a deep desire to create for oneself a holy chamber, a place where creative expression joins hands with devotion."

Laura Chester has been writing, editing, and publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for over 25 years. Her most recent books include a new edition of Lupus Novice, an account of her personal struggle and breakthrough with the autoimmune disease S.L.E.; a short story collection, Bitches Ride Alone; and a novel, The Story of the Lake. She has edited several important anthologies: Deep Down, Cradle & All, and The Unmade Bed.

Donna DeMari was the first and only woman photographer to shoot for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, in both 1994 and 1995. For 14 years she lived between Paris, Milan, and London, working as a fashion photographer. Her most recent exhibition of photographs, "Horse Show," was at the SAS Gallery. She is currently working on a book of horse photographs, Flying Mane.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780253338044
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Publication date: 9/28/2000
Pages: 224
Sales rank: 1,132,630
Product dimensions: 8.24 (w) x 9.33 (h) x 0.99 (d)

Meet the Author

Laura Chester has been writing, editing, and publishing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for over twenty-five years. Her most recent books include a new edition of Lupus Novice, an account of her personal struggle and breakthrough with the autoimmune disease S.L.E.; a short story collection, Bitches Ride Alone; and a novel, The Story of the Lake. She has edited several important anthologies, Deep Down, Cradle & All, and The Unmade Bed. Chester grew up in the Milwaukee area and now lives with her husband in western Massachusetts.

Donna De Mari was the first and only woman photographer to shoot for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, in both 1994 and 1995. For fourteen years she lived between Paris, Milan, and London, working as a fashion photographer. Her most recent exhibition of photographs, "Horse Show," was at the SAS Gallery. She has appeared on an ABC-TV Special, shooting in Bali and Hong Kong, as well as on a "Fashion Television" segment for VH-1, which highlighted her views and work as a woman photographer. She is currently working on a book of horse photographs, Flying Mane.

Foreword by Thomas Moore Introduction
[1.] Little Rose Chapel Conceived Part One: The Pilgrimage Begins, East/Midwest
[2.] Michael Dowling, Root Cellar Chapel, South Boston, Massachusetts
[3.] Stefanopoulos Family, Greek Orthodox Chapel, Armenia, New York
[4.] From Wedding Bells to Bavarian Blessing, Central Wisconsin
[5.] Don & Winifred Boynton, An American Stavkirke, Door County, Wisconsin
[6.] Janet Williams, An Adirondack Style Chapel, Lake Champlain, Vermont
[7.] Little Audrey's Santo's Garage Chapel, Worcester, Massachusetts
[8.] Little Rose Chapel Breaks Ground Part Two: Holy Country, Southwest
[9.] Patsy Skyline Lowry, Straw Bale Milagro Chapel, Elgin, Arizona
[10.] Lori Mendez & Earl Niichel, Rosicrusian Temple, Mowry, Arizona
[11.] Gabriel Cousens, Essene Temple, Patagonia, Arizona
[12.] Valer & Josiah Austin, El Coronado Ranch Chapel, Pearce, Arizona, and Beyond
[13.] Ramon Lopez, Santa Fe Santero, New Mexico
[14.] Holy Country, Chimayo, New Mexico North
[15.] Zoraida & Eulogio Ortega, Capilla of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Velarde, New Mexico
[16.] Ra Paulete, Sandstone Cathedral, Espanola, New Mexico
[17.] Little Rose Chapel Underway Part Three: Be Blessed, Deep South
[18.] Margaret & Harmon Denis, All Is Welcome Temple, Vicksburg, Mississippi
[19.] Bayou Chapels: Our Lady of Blind River, Madonna Chapel, and Noonie Smith's Memorial Chapel
[20.] Priestess Miriam, Erzulie's Altar, New Orleans, Louisiana
[21.] Ruard Veltman & Friends, A Chapel Made of Tires, Hale County, Alabama
[22.] Little Rose Chapel Continues Part Four: Broken Open, Far West
[23.] James Hubbell, Sea Ranch Chapel, Mendocino, California
[24.] Dunstan Morrissey, A Wine Cask Chapel, Sonoma, California
[25.] Shelley Masters, Mother Goddess Altar, San Francisco, California
[26.] Jerry Wennstrom & Marilyn Strong, Flaming Stupa, Puget Sound, Washington
[27.] A Night of Atonement at The Moonlodge, Northern New Mexico
[28.] Hanne & Maurice Strong's Manitou and Barbara &William Howell's Sanctuary House, Crestone, Colorado
[29.] Little Rose Chapel Dedication Acknowledgments Notes of Credit Selected Bibliography Visitor's Guide

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Holy Personal: Looking for Small Private Places of Worship

Overview

More About This Book

Overview

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Product Details

Meet the Author

Table of Contents

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