Friendship colors the very air we breathe; it is everywhere around us. It binds past and present and makes bearable the uncertainty of the future. In The Friendship of Women, Joan Chittister explores the sacred dimension of friendship through the lens of faith, tradition, scripture, and the social sciences, and reveals the often-overlooked voices and experiences of women in the Bible. She recovers and reclaims the witness and wisdom of such women as Lydia, Prisca, Deborah, and Phoebe; of Esther, Martha, Veronica, and Elizabeth; and of Ruth, Anne, Miriam, and Mary Magdalene. Drawing a highly inspiring message from each of these women’s lives, Joan Chittister invites us to seek and embrace friendship as it is embodied between women, between God the Creator and all of creation, and between all human beings.

JOAN CHITTISTER is an internationally known writer and lecturer, and the executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality. She is past president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Her many books include The Gift of Years and The Monastery of the Heart. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.

“For Joan Chittister, defiance is a form of obedience. And silence in the face of injustice is a sin.”
—USA Today

“Joan Chittister reminds us that we have a religious duty to question any authority...and to overturn the idols of orthodoxy.”
—Karen Armstrong

“Joan Chittister offers vision, warmth, and challenge. Her writing is personal without self-indulgence.”
—Sara Maitland

“Joan Chittister commands our attention with incisive insights, lively illustrative material, and deeply spiritual commentaries.”
—Spirituality & Health