Chotard Doll

Dear Friends, 

“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”

Those are the words spoken by God to Dame Julian of Norwich (c 1343-1417) whose life we celebrate today.

At the age of 30, Julian experienced a severe illness and it was believed her death was imminent. As the priest held a crucifix before her eyes and administered last rites, Julian experienced 16 visions of Christ on the cross, and recovered to share her mystical insight into the suffering of Christ and his deep love for us.

Probably as a result of that experience, she became an anchoress, living in solitude and poverty in a cell affixed to St. Julian’s Church in Norwich, which is the source of her name, otherwise unknown. Living at the time of the Black Death, she was a spiritual counselor and inspiration for many.

Throughout her writings, Julian speaks of God as both mother and father. She compares Jesus to a mother, wise, loving and merciful, explaining that the bond between mother and child is the only earthly relationship comparable to our relationship to Jesus. 

Her written account of her visions, the earliest surviving English language writings by a woman and the only writing by an English anchoress, is still available in paperback, hardback and Kindle on Amazon!

Faithfully, 

—Chotard