Mental Illness in Religious Life: A Study of Five Psychotic Patients, Members of Religious Communities for Women, Hospitalized at St. Vincent's Hospital of Westchester, 1957-1958
Abstract
Background of the Study. Religious life, the life that begins with the profession of the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, assigns no other end to the efforts of the soul than that which was set before all Christians by Christ when he said, “Be ye perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. The religious state, however, by its very nature requires the serious obligation of striving for perfection. There are divergent means to the same end. In this choice, man is guided in a strange and mysterious way by grace. At every stage, the organization of the religious life is controlled by the Church and her laws which set down serious obstacles to the fulfillment of the desire, in order to eliminate those who seem incapable of satisfying the obligations of this life. Since religious life is essentially one lived in common, it demands of a person pliability, adaptability, and the ability to adjust to the idiosyncrasies of others.
Subject Area
Philosophy of religion|Mental health|Social work
Recommended Citation
Hoehn, Jane Maria, "Mental Illness in Religious Life: A Study of Five Psychotic Patients, Members of Religious Communities for Women, Hospitalized at St. Vincent's Hospital of Westchester, 1957-1958" (1959). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30557715.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30557715
