Kathleen P. Deignan
Encyclopedia
Kathleen P. Deignan, C.N.D.
, (born December 17, 1947), is an Irish-American theologian, author and sacred song writer who has been engaged in the ministry of liturgical musicianship for over forty years. She is currently composer-in-residence of Schola Ministries and is the founder and director of Iona Spirituality Institute at Iona College
, New York
, and previously directed the Iona Institute for Peace and Justice Studies in Ireland. Sister Kathleen is a GreenFaith Fellow who recently completed an intensive training in religious environmental leadership. Her work in this area focuses on the prophet legacy of Father Thomas Berry
and The Great Work of our time.
at Iona College
, Deignan is the founder and director of the Iona Spirituality Institute, a project for the "celebration and study of the spiritual life". She received her masters degree in Spirituality Studies and her doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University in New York, where she was to later be awarded the university's Sapientia et Doctrina Award for her service to renewal of the church in 2009. She is the author of Christ Spirit: The Eschatology of Shaker Christianity and writes and lectures widely on classical and contemporary spirituality, particularly the legacy of spiritual master Thomas Merton
. Her 2003 book, When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature, is the first collection of Merton’s writings on nature and her latest work, Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours, is a daily breviary for engaged contemplatives drawn from his poetry and psalms; she also released a two-disc CD of selected readings interwoven with her music to complement the book.
She has written over two hundred songs for worship and prayer, many of which have been recorded and has been part of two liturgical ensembles. With friend and fellow artist, Evelyn Avoglia, she founded Schola Ministries http://www.scholaministries.org, a project in service to the liturgical and contemplative arts, where she is composer-in-residence. This ministry which began with the worship community at Sacred Heart University
, is now located at the Benedictine Grange, http://www.ct-muse.org/grange.htm where she is composer in residence and leader of song with the sacred song ensemble Anima Schola;. Her music is produced by producer, composer and performer Paul Avgerinos
.
As a member of the Congregation of Notre Dame
, founded by Saint
Marguerite Bourgeoys
, she is also engaged in the mission of liberating education, which at times is expressed in peace and social justice concerns, and also spiritual animation. She initiated and formerly directed the Iona College Institute for Peace and Justice Studies in Ireland and the Iona College Spirituality Institute's Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage to Ireland which has fostered and focused her scholarly and creative interests on the richness of her Celtic inheritance. One of her current projects is exploring the images and metaphors of Celtic ways of prayer and song.
Sister Kathleen is also engaged in the contemporary ministry of interreligious dialogue http://www.monasticdialog.com/au.php?id=340 as a form of peace-making, and her interfaith engagements with Jewish, Muslim
and Buddhists have brought her around the world. Her parents, Patrick Paul and Bridget, were born in the west of Ireland and later emigrated to London
where Kathleen was born. Another emigration brought the Deignans to New York
where Kathleen was raised on Manhattan
's Upper West Side.
Her sister Ann Deignan is a physician and poet, likewise engaged in creative expression, and in ministry to the poor of Nicaragua. In her first book of poems, Mythos Gate, Ann escorts us into the creative realm of the poet’s imagination in its habit of deep storytelling, largely inspired by the mythologies of the ancient world. Her latest volume is Migration, with poems that explore the mystery of impermanence. Ann's first play, Mind the Way, was performed in a reading at the New Works Series at the Irish Repertory Theater in New York City
in April 2006.
The death of their mother has given rise to a memorial in her honor, The Bridie Fund, for orphan girls in Nicaragua
. The Deignan sisters have also sponsored scholarships for aspiring Irish musicians participating in the Douglas Hyde Summer School in County Roscommon
, Ireland
.
Sr. Deignan has been, acclaimed by the National Catholic Reporter
as "marvelous, inspiring, comforting, jolting, consoling...".
Congregation of Notre Dame
The Congregation of Notre Dame was founded in 1653 by Marguerite Bourgeoys in Montreal, Canada. This was one of the first non-cloistered communities. The community's motherhouse has continued to be based in Montreal...
, (born December 17, 1947), is an Irish-American theologian, author and sacred song writer who has been engaged in the ministry of liturgical musicianship for over forty years. She is currently composer-in-residence of Schola Ministries and is the founder and director of Iona Spirituality Institute at Iona College
Iona College (New York)
Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and previously directed the Iona Institute for Peace and Justice Studies in Ireland. Sister Kathleen is a GreenFaith Fellow who recently completed an intensive training in religious environmental leadership. Her work in this area focuses on the prophet legacy of Father Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry, C.P. was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian ....
and The Great Work of our time.
Biography
Professor of Religious StudiesReligious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
at Iona College
Iona College (New York)
Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
, Deignan is the founder and director of the Iona Spirituality Institute, a project for the "celebration and study of the spiritual life". She received her masters degree in Spirituality Studies and her doctorate in Historical Theology from Fordham University in New York, where she was to later be awarded the university's Sapientia et Doctrina Award for her service to renewal of the church in 2009. She is the author of Christ Spirit: The Eschatology of Shaker Christianity and writes and lectures widely on classical and contemporary spirituality, particularly the legacy of spiritual master Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. was a 20th century Anglo-American Catholic writer and mystic. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist, and student of comparative religion...
. Her 2003 book, When the Trees Say Nothing: Writings on Nature, is the first collection of Merton’s writings on nature and her latest work, Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours, is a daily breviary for engaged contemplatives drawn from his poetry and psalms; she also released a two-disc CD of selected readings interwoven with her music to complement the book.
She has written over two hundred songs for worship and prayer, many of which have been recorded and has been part of two liturgical ensembles. With friend and fellow artist, Evelyn Avoglia, she founded Schola Ministries http://www.scholaministries.org, a project in service to the liturgical and contemplative arts, where she is composer-in-residence. This ministry which began with the worship community at Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University is a Roman Catholic university located in suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. Sacred Heart was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart University was the first Catholic university in...
, is now located at the Benedictine Grange, http://www.ct-muse.org/grange.htm where she is composer in residence and leader of song with the sacred song ensemble Anima Schola;. Her music is produced by producer, composer and performer Paul Avgerinos
Paul Avgerinos
Paul Avgerinos is an American composer, performer and producer of New Age music whose recordings are also classified in the genres of ambient, space, world, World Fusion, electronic and drone. Avgerinos also owns Studio Unicorn in Redding, CT, which produces a wide variety of music for Film, TV,...
.
As a member of the Congregation of Notre Dame
Congregation of Notre Dame
The Congregation of Notre Dame was founded in 1653 by Marguerite Bourgeoys in Montreal, Canada. This was one of the first non-cloistered communities. The community's motherhouse has continued to be based in Montreal...
, founded by Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Marguerite Bourgeoys
Marguerite Bourgeoys
Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys was the founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame.- Biography :...
, she is also engaged in the mission of liberating education, which at times is expressed in peace and social justice concerns, and also spiritual animation. She initiated and formerly directed the Iona College Institute for Peace and Justice Studies in Ireland and the Iona College Spirituality Institute's Celtic Spirituality Pilgrimage to Ireland which has fostered and focused her scholarly and creative interests on the richness of her Celtic inheritance. One of her current projects is exploring the images and metaphors of Celtic ways of prayer and song.
Sister Kathleen is also engaged in the contemporary ministry of interreligious dialogue http://www.monasticdialog.com/au.php?id=340 as a form of peace-making, and her interfaith engagements with Jewish, Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Buddhists have brought her around the world. Her parents, Patrick Paul and Bridget, were born in the west of Ireland and later emigrated to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where Kathleen was born. Another emigration brought the Deignans to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where Kathleen was raised on Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Upper West Side.
Her sister Ann Deignan is a physician and poet, likewise engaged in creative expression, and in ministry to the poor of Nicaragua. In her first book of poems, Mythos Gate, Ann escorts us into the creative realm of the poet’s imagination in its habit of deep storytelling, largely inspired by the mythologies of the ancient world. Her latest volume is Migration, with poems that explore the mystery of impermanence. Ann's first play, Mind the Way, was performed in a reading at the New Works Series at the Irish Repertory Theater in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in April 2006.
The death of their mother has given rise to a memorial in her honor, The Bridie Fund, for orphan girls in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. The Deignan sisters have also sponsored scholarships for aspiring Irish musicians participating in the Douglas Hyde Summer School in County Roscommon
County Roscommon
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Sr. Deignan has been, acclaimed by the National Catholic Reporter
National Catholic Reporter
The National Catholic Reporter is the second largest Catholic newspaper in the United States; its circulation reaches ninety-seven countries on six continents. Based in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, NCR was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964 as an independent newspaper focusing on the Catholic Church...
as "marvelous, inspiring, comforting, jolting, consoling...".
Discography
- 1984 – A Garden Once Again: Songs in Celebration of Creation
- 1984 – Of Thanks and Wonder:
- 1997 – Stations: Songs for the Paschal Journey
- 1998 – Borne by Grace: Songs of Contemplation and Praise
- 1999 – Bride Spirit: Songs of the Beloved
- 1999 – Visitation: Songs of the Congregation of Notre Dame
- 2000 – Pax Amor Christi: A Trinity of Songs
- 2000 – Sabbath: Songs for Worship
- 2002 – The Servant's Heart: Songs of Devotion
- 2003 – Returning: Songs for the Journey Home
- 2005 – Sentinel of the Invisible: Jeanne LeBer
- 2008 – The Gift: Songs of the Grateful Heart
- 2009 – A Book of Hours: At Prayer with Thomas Merton
- 2009 – Ave: Songs of the Congregation of Notre Dame
- 2010 – A Garden Once Again: Songs in Celebration of Creation
External links
- Official Website
- Deignan's Posts on Huffington Post
- Kathleen P. Deignan, Ph.D. - Profile at Iona CollegeIona College (New York)Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres on North Ave. The college also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River, Rockland County, New York....
- Deignan's recordings on CD Baby