Surprising Mystics

The renowned Jesuit author Herbert Thurston's final book about one of his favorite topic—mystics and their extraordinary experiences in which he reviews the lives of Margery Kempe of Lynn, Anne Catherine Emmerich, Domenica dal Paradiso, et al.


"Remarkable collection of studies of eccentric sanctity...of extreme interest." Times Literary Supplement


"So much was [Fr. Thurston] a priest as well as a scholar, so lovingly intent on the study of the mystic as a whole person, that these 13 biographical sketches remind one of a series of brilliant tapestries, peopled by figures almost alive."-Blackfriars


Herbert Henry Charles Thurston SJ (15 November 1856 – 3 November 1939) was an English priest of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the Jesuit order, and a prolific scholar on liturgical, literary, historical, and spiritual matters. In his day, he was regarded as an expert on spiritualism. Today he is remembered chiefly for his extensive contributions to the Catholic Encyclopedia.