Caryll Houselander facts for kids
Caryll Houselander (born September 29, 1901 – died October 12, 1954) was an English artist, writer, and poet. She was a Roman Catholic who wrote many popular books and poems about faith and spirituality.
Early Life and Beliefs
Caryll Houselander was born in Bath, England. She was the second daughter of Wilmott and Gertrude Houselander. Her parents were English Anglican.
Some books incorrectly state her birth date as October 29, 1901. However, her birth certificate shows she was born on September 29, 1901. She later chose the Confirmation name Michael because she was born on the feast day of Saint Michael.
When Caryll was six years old, her mother became a Roman Catholic. Caryll was also baptized into the Catholic Church. A few years later, when she was nine, her parents separated. Her mother then opened a boarding house to support the family. Caryll was sent to a boarding school called The Convent of the Holy Child.
As a teenager, Caryll returned home to help her mother. During this time, her mother allowed a priest to stay at their boarding house. This caused some people in the community to be unkind to Caryll and her mother. This difficult experience might have influenced Caryll's decision to leave the Catholic Church for a while as a teenager. It also contributed to feelings of loneliness and anxiety she sometimes felt. She even had panic attacks when entering rooms or meeting new people.
In July 1918, Caryll had a very special experience. While on an errand, she saw what she described as a huge Russian-style icon (a religious painting) in the sky. Soon after, she read in a newspaper about the assassination of Russian Tsar Nicholas II. She said the face in the newspaper photo was the same face she saw in her vision of Christ.
Later Life and Writings
Caryll believed that her special spiritual experiences showed her that Christ can be found in all people. This included those who might not seem "holy" to others. She felt that if people only looked for Christ in "saints," they would miss seeing Him in everyday people. Caryll herself was known for being quite direct and not always fitting into typical religious expectations.
Caryll returned to the Catholic Church in 1925. She mostly studied the Gospels (parts of the Bible) for her spiritual understanding. She didn't focus much on the writings of older religious thinkers or official Church documents. She fell in love with a man named Sidney Reilly, but he married someone else, which left her heartbroken. Caryll never married.
Caryll Houselander became a very active writer. She wrote many articles for religious magazines like Messenger of the Sacred Heart and The Children's Messenger. Her first book, This War is the Passion, was published in 1941. In this book, she wrote about how individual suffering connects to the larger idea of the mystical Body of Christ (the idea that all believers are connected to Christ). For a time, she was one of the best-selling authors for the publisher Sheed & Ward. People like Ronald Knox praised her writing, saying she made even complex religious ideas seem fresh and clear. He noted that her writing felt very natural and powerful.
During the Second World War, doctors began sending patients to Caryll for help with their emotional problems. Even though she didn't have formal training, she had a natural ability to understand people who were struggling. She was very good at helping them feel better and rebuild their lives. One visitor once found her in great pain, and she explained it was because she was taking on the burden of someone else's difficult feelings to help them. A doctor named Eric Strauss, who was a leader in psychology, said that Caryll "loved them back to life." He called her a "divine eccentric" because she was so unique and special.
Caryll titled her autobiography A Rocking-Horse Catholic. This title showed that she became Catholic later in life, unlike "Cradle Catholics" who are born into the faith. She passed away from breast cancer on October 12, 1954, when she was 53 years old.
