Joy Within His House: A New Book from the Dominican Nuns

We are very excited to share with you that a book written by one of our sisters has just been published by Our Sunday Visitor! You can purchase a copy at our Cloister Shoppe here: https://cloistershoppe.com/joy-within-his-house.html

Written by Sr. Mary Magdalene, the book encourages lay people as well as priests and religious to gain wisdom from the Dominican contemplative tradition of cloistered monastic life to grow in holiness in their own vocations.

From the book’s description:

“You may, like most people, have misconceptions about monastic life, especially the cloister: what nuns do all day, what they are like, why they choose this life, and what they have given up. Perhaps you are not even aware that thousands of women dedicated to praying for you are scattered throughout the world, hidden in many different cloisters.

Joy Within His House offers those who live on the outside of the cloister a glimpse into the experience of those who live within. Dominican Sister Mary Magdalene of the Immaculate Conception Prewitt shares the joy she finds in living the life of a cloistered nun and following Christ. Several dozen captivating photographs from inside the cloister, many by award-winning photographer Jeffrey Bruno, help illustrate the prayer, study, work, and recreation that order the nuns' days.

A life of contemplation is not something esoteric, secretive, or hidden; rather, it is a mystery. Despite facing some different day-to-day realities, you might just find one or more facets of that mystery that will enrich your own life. This book demonstrates that laypeople can also take the principles of Dominican spirituality and monastic life and use them as tools to help them grow in holiness.”

The Vocation Blog, sponsored by the Institute on Religious Life, posted about Sister’s new book: https://vocationblog.com/2025/09/joy-within-his-house-a-cloistered-nuns-reflections-on-following-christ/

We are excited about this new book, and we hope and pray that it will help many people not only to understand our way of life better, but also to take insights from our life to live as better Christians and be led closer to Christ.

You can purchase it at our own Cloister Shoppe here: https://cloistershoppe.com/joy-within-his-house.html

It is also available for purchase directly from Our Sunday Visitor, and on Amazon.