By Mother Mary of St. Austin. Impr, 1947.

That the state of Purgatory is not just a nightmare to frighten sinners into repentance, nor the vindictive imposition of a jealous Deity, but essentially the continuation of an earthly experience, in which the departed soul is purified by the application of the Divine attributes­— this is the theme of Mother St. Austin’s treatise. A wide reading of theological and, what is more important, of mystical writers, has gone to its making. The book is a treasury of valuable and apposite quotations. But this learning has been grasped, coordinated, and remoulded by a personal mystical experience of a very high order. Although the author attempts to conceal it by citing personal experiences as though belonging to others, in fact the manuscript was composed in the face of overwhelming difficulties, against ill-health, and the extraneous duties of a Mistress of Novices. She died before the manuscript was completed, and its publication was entrusted to Father Nicolas Ryan, S.J., who has still further revised the text for this new edition.

187 page book.