Sister Joan Chittister: Presence and Perpetual Goodness

Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

Tami Simon

Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 20 January 2026

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Tami Simon revisits her powerful conversation with Sister Joan Chittister at Mount St. Benedict’s Monastery—exploring enlightenment in Christian tradition, the sacrament of the present moment, and what it means to see the world through God’s eyes.

This is a conversation about what a lifetime of monastic practice reveals, the electricity of divine presence, and how struggle itself becomes the crucible for transformation.

Want to go deeper? Listen to the complete seven-hour conversation in the audio series Catching Fire at soundstrue.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The Sounds True Podcast Network.
0:09.3	You're listening to Insights at the Edge.
0:12.5	Today is a rebroadcast of one of my favorite episodes.
0:17.2	I hope you enjoy.
0:20.3	Today is a broadcast of a very special conversation that I had at Mount St. Benedict's Monastery,
0:29.2	in Erie, Pennsylvania, with a woman who is one of the most influential, religious, and social leaders of our time. A woman I greatly admire,
0:41.7	Sister Joan Chidester. This was recorded just as Sister Joan was approaching her 83rd birthday.
0:51.7	Sister Joan Chidester is an American theologian, Benedictine Nunn, and the author of more
0:58.1	than 50 books. For over 40 years, she has passionately advocated on behalf of peace, human rights,
1:07.8	women's issues, and church renewal.
1:16.3	She has a way of being supremely down to earth and no nonsense.
1:22.2	I've read her weekly email newsletter for more than a decade now, and I always find it's a refreshing take on the grit and the true humility that the spiritual
1:30.5	journey asks of each of us. What you're about to hear is an excerpt from a full-length
1:37.8	seven-hour conversation series that Sister Joan and I recorded together at Mount St. Benedict's. It's a series called
1:46.8	Catching Fire, Being Transformed, Becoming, Transforming, with the idea that listeners will indeed
1:57.1	catch fire and be transformed and become transforming through the listening experience.
2:04.9	You can learn more about catching fire at soundstrue.com.
2:09.7	I hope you enjoy this special broadcast with Sister Joan Chidester.
2:16.3	As we begin this session, I just want to say out loud that I take this time with you
2:21.6	seriously.
2:23.5	It's precious to me.
2:26.0	It's so precious.
	...

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