Dearest Sister Wendy: A Suprising Story of Faith and Friendship

Dearest Sister Wendy… by Sister Wendy Beckett, art critic and consecrated hermit, and Robert Ellsberg, an American publisher and author, is a collection of real-life letters written between the two during the last three years of Sister Wendy’s life. The letters run the gamut from discussions about modern-day saints to commiserations on health issues. What makes this book truly charming and memorable is the deep friendship that develops between the two. Their conversations changed and enhanced their personal points of view on many topics.

I was introduced to Sister Wendy early in my undergraduate years at Kent State through a book, Sister Wendy’s Story of Painting, which we used in an Introduction to Art class. Although I am not religious, Sister Wendy made the masterpieces accessible and the study of art enjoyable.

Reading this book was like meeting up with an old friend after many years, and while it involved mostly matters of a very religious nature, there were moments that I found profoundly touching. For instance, their discussion of extraordinary lives versus ordinary virtuous lives and why the quiet lives are most important to the world. Perhaps it is the theme of hidden but inspiring lives of normal people which makes this book such a beautiful work.