St. Thérèse of Lisieux Nietzsche Is My Brother

Book excerpt: The author of this play, Sister Bridget Edman, is a Discalced Carmelite nun whose personal religious quest led her to the Carmelites in South Africa. She entered the Carmelite monastery in Johannesburg, and, when it closed, moved to the monastery in Cape Town. Sister Edman, who is concerned with the problem of faith, which problem is characteristic of modern humans, has written an article on John of the Cross and the Existentialists and another comparing John of the Cross with Kierkegaard. In Nietzsche is My Brother, she compares St. Therese of Lisieux with the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.For some years the mission of evangelization has extended itself to reach those who have usually been beyond the grasp of the Church. It has done so not to proselytize but in a new spirit of listening, of understanding, and of openness. Nietzsche is My Brother, which won first prize in the International Competition for Religious Drama, is filled with this spirit.