Reverence

Description

Part memoir, part reflection on vocation, Reverence charts the past and present life of one of the first women to be ordained in the Church of England in the 1990s. Magdalen Smith grew up in a clergy family, married a cleric, then became one herself. Working in different contexts, cathedral, outer estate, city and countryside, she draws from a depth of experience in ministry and spirituality and reflects on how the church has changed over the years.

Reverence is a journey through one woman’s life, beginning in the vicarage where she grew up and ending in a place where her priestly calling is still believed to be relevant in a rapidly changing world. Through personal stories, reflections on art, culture and place, Magdalen Smith connects with an intuitive sense of the numinous felt by many whether they identify as religious or not. Describing the often quirky and profound experiences of human life where all is infused with the holy, Reverence communicates a deep love of enabling others to discover a sense of the divine for themselves.