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Adrienne von Speyr

After her conversion to Catholicism, Adrienne von Speyr – wife and mother, doctor and mystic – produced a unique body of writings centered upon the contemplation of triune love. Her inspiration was Saint John, in whom “she recognized . . . the deepest interpreter of the mystery of Jesus, of the Father’s love . . . and of Holy Spirit’s role as perfect guide into the full light of revelation” (Saint John Paul II).

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“…in heaven & on Earth”

Biography

Adrienne von Speyr was born in 1902 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Raised in a French-speaking Calvinist home, Adrienne knew from an early age that “God is different.” Talented, outspoken, and determined, she overcame numerous obstacles to graduate from medical school and become one of Switzerland’s first female physicians. Her life-long search for the face of God – a search she shared with her beloved first husband until his untimely death in 1934 – culminated in the realization that God had been searching for her. Her conversion to Catholicism in 1940, which scandalized the Protestant upper crust of her adopted hometown of Basle,

Photo: Adrienne von Speyr at her desk (1965)
Family photo with Adrienne (left), her father Theodor, her little brother Theodor, and her older sister Helen
Adrienne von Speyr at her desk (1965) | Family photo with Adrienne (left), her father Theodor, her little brother Theodor, and her older sister Helen.

marked the turning-point in her life. From now on, she would become a living embodiment of the ecclesial attitude: total transparency before God in the spirit of Mary. Rooted in the heart of the Church, she collaborated with her confessor, Hans Urs von Balthasar, to develop a Catholic work centered on participation in Trinitarian love and devoted to living heaven on the earth. Adrienne died in September, 1967 after years of intense suffering offered without complaint for the needs of the Church and the world.

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Complete Works

Books

Reading Adrienne von Speyr is like plunging into a stream of pure and living water. Rather than calling attention to herself or her experiences, she discreetly lets God’s Word resound in its native voice. Her nearly 70 books, most of which are the fruit of dictations to her confessor and editor, Hans Urs von Balthasar, center on the contemplation of Scripture and the mysteries of the faith. Uniting theology and spirituality, these works offer readers access to the origin, archetype, and end of prayer: the eternal conversation between the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.


Featured Books by Speyr

Adrienne-von-Speyr-Teología-de-los-sexos-cover

Teología de los sexos

Adrienne von Speyr
El contenido de este libro –que se ofrece aquí en una traducción nuevamente revisada (2021) en formato digital– fue dictado por Adrienne von Speyr desde el 8 de diciembre de 1946 (fiesta de la Inmaculada Concepción) hasta mediados de enero de 1947 [...]

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Adrienne von Speyr - Die Beichte

Die Beichte Confession

Adrienne von Speyr
The present volume is one of Adrienne Speyr’s most central works. It is not a merely practical or devotional guide to confessing one’s sins, but a devotionally saturated theology of confession. One of the key insights of the [...]

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Adrienne von Speyr - Magd des Herrn - Ein Marienbuch

Magd des Herrn Handmaid of the Lord

Adrienne von Speyr
In the present volume (1948), which bears the subtitle A Marian Meditation, Adrienne von Speyr meditates on the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The book is an example of “kneeling theology” that presents the Virgin as the perfect exemplar and [...]

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Explore books by Topic

  • Alpha and Omega 2
  • Culture 1
  • God – Jesus 14
  • Life in Christ 1
  • Mary – Church 4
  • Speyr – Posthum 14
  • On Speyr 2
  • Prayer 11
  • Scripture 26
  • Vocation 5
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& Letters

Archive

In addition to her nearly 70 books, Adrienne von Speyr wrote a small number of articles, most of which have never before been published in English. We’re delighted to make the complete collection available online (with a download option). These little-known gems are a helpful resource for both scholars and members of the lay public seeking an accessible way into the inexhaustible richness of Adrienne’s contemplation of triune love.


Featured Essays & Letters

Essay

Advent

Mary expects the child who is already there. She lives in the promise of Christmas, but she knows that everything is already fulfilled and has been so since the moment [...]

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Essay

Holiness in Everyday Life

A man goes to work in the morning. He’s not thinking of anything in particular. Suddenly, a popular melody plays somewhere in the street. He hears it, he follows [...]

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Balthasar
& Speyr

balthasarspeyr.org is an initiative of the Community of Saint John dedicated to handing on the spirit and work of the Community’s founders, Hans Urs von Balthasar and Adrienne von Speyr. The site fulfills this objective by making available texts and other materials by, about, or related to Balthasar and von Speyr, as well as by providing a place for interested individuals to contact us with questions and concerns, especially regarding vocational discernment. We also gratefully accept donations for the purposes indicated here.

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