Cloistered By Catherine Coldstream

In the aftermath of her father's death, with questions about the afterlife, Catherine Coldstream was drawn to Catholicism. She converted and at 27 entered a Carmelite community.

In 1989, Catherine Coldstream arrived as a would-be Carmelite nun at Akenside Priory, where she joined a community of 20 other women of all ages, backgrounds and personalities.

Cloistered takes us beyond the grille of an enclosed monastic world with its tight-knit community of dedicated women. We see Catherine, praying in the sparseness of her simple cell, a novice who has found peace in an ancient way of life. But as she surrenders to her final vows, all is not as it seems behind the Priory's closed doors. Power struggles erupt, and the hothouse atmosphere turns to conflict – with far-reaching consequences for those within. Catherine comes to realise that divine authority is mediated through flawed and all-too-human channels. She is faced with a dilemma - should she protect the serenity she has found, or speak out?

A vivid and sometimes painfully honest account of her twelve years in the Order, Cloistered is also a cautionary tale about what can happen when good people cut themselves off from the wider world.

The opening and closing music is Veni Creator Spiritus sung by Voces Poeticae

Note from the Publishers: This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. In some cases names of people and places, dates, sequences and the detail of events have been changed to protect the privacy of others.

Written by Catherine Coldstream

After five years at Akenside Priory, Sister Catherine makes her final vows.

After five years at Akenside Priory, Sister Catherine makes her final vows. Other changes are coming as two mature sisters from elsewhere are set to join the community.

After five years in the Priory, Sister Catherine is accepted for final vows.

After five years in the Priory, Sister Catherine is accepted for final vows. But other changes are coming as two mature sisters from elsewhere are set to join the community.

Cloistered takes us beyond the grille of an enclosed monastic world with its tight-knit community of dedicated women. We see Catherine, praying in the sparseness of her simple cell, a novice who has found peace in an ancient way of life. But as she surrenders to her final vows, all is not as it seems behind the Priory's closed doors. Power struggles erupt, and the hothouse atmosphere turns to conflict – with far-reaching consequences for those within. Catherine comes to realise that divine authority is mediated through flawed and all-too-human channels. She is faced with a dilemma - should she protect the serenity she has found, or speak out?

A vivid and sometimes painfully honest account of her twelve years in the Order, Cloistered is also a cautionary tale about what can happen when good people cut themselves off from the wider world.

The opening and closing music is Veni Creator Spiritus sung by Voces Poeticae

Note from the Publishers: This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. In some cases names of people and places, dates, sequences and the detail of events have been changed to protect the privacy of others.

Written by Catherine Coldstream

The nuns at Akenside examine their changing role in the modern world.

The sisters of the Priory are encouraged to examine their changing role in the modern world. As they gather, Catherine is not alone in sensing a nervousness in the air.

The residents of the Priory question their role in the modern world.

The residents of the Priory question their role in the modern world. As they gather, Catherine is not alone in sensing a nervousness in the air.

Reeling from the bitter divisions of what she called the Akenside Inquisition, Catherine chooses freedom and safety. She realizes that her innermost soul is saying she must go.

After the shock of her father's death, and with her family scattered, 24 year-old Catherine was left grieving and alone. A search for meaning led her to Roman Catholicism and eventually to the Carmelite nuns of Akenside Priory.

Cloistered takes us beyond the grille of an enclosed monastic world with its tight-knit community of dedicated women. We see Catherine, praying in the sparseness of her simple cell, a novice who has found peace in an ancient way of life. But as she surrenders to her final vows, all is not as it seems behind the Priory's closed doors. Power struggles erupt, and the hothouse atmosphere turns to conflict – with far-reaching consequences for those within. Catherine comes to realise that divine authority is mediated through flawed and all-too-human channels. She is faced with a dilemma - should she protect the serenity she has found, or speak out?

A vivid and sometimes painfully honest account of her twelve years in the Order, Cloistered is also a cautionary tale about what can happen when good people cut themselves off from the wider world.

The opening and closing music is Veni Creator Spiritus sung by Voces Poeticae

Note from the Publishers: This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. In some cases names of people and places, dates, sequences and the detail of events have been changed to protect the privacy of others.

Written by Catherine Coldstream

Reeling from recent brutal events, Catherine needs to make a choice.

Reeling from the bitter divisions of what she came to describe as the Akenside Inquisition, Catherine chooses freedom and safety.