Evelyn Underhill – remembered in the prayer of the Church of England, today, 15^th June.

In the first five decades of the twentieth century, Evelyn Underhill was, perhaps, one of the most widely read writers on prayer and the spiritual life. The first woman ever invited to give a series of lectures in religion at Oxford, she was a fellow of Kings College, London, and in 1938 received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Aberdeen University. She wrote two of the most definitive books on Worship and on Mysticism which are still classics today. She was influenced in her writing by her spiritual friend and mentor, Baron Friedrich Von Hugel.

It was, however,  as a retreat director and spiritual guide that she became best known and loved.

 Evelyn made her first retreat at Pleshey Retreat House in the Diocese of Chelmsford. This was during Ascensiontide in 1921. She led her first retreat at Pleshey during Lent in 1924. The invitation for her to so came from the then Warden, Lucy Menzies, a personal friend. For the next decade or so she was, arguably, the most distinguished Retreat Conductor of that time. She loved the Retreat House at Pleshey which, she wrote after her first retreat here, ‘seems soaked in love and prayer,’ and many of her retreats each year were conducted here.

A prolific writer, many first editions of Evelyn’s work can be viewed at Pleshey, and today there is a great resurgence of interest in her work and teaching on spirituality. Evelyn may take credit for establishing the place of retreats in the spirituality of the Anglican church in this country, and still today, many people come to the tiny Essex village from all over the world to see the place she loved, breathe the prayer-filled air she breathed, and, perhaps, sense her presence still in the great communion of saints which is so important to our past and our future.

Of the Saints, Evelyn wrote,
“If we ask of the saints how they achieved spiritual effectiveness, they are only able to reply that, insofar as they did it themselves, they did it by love and prayer!
That is a good and apt reflection on her.

Growing in Prayer

Do not entertain the notion that you ought to advance in your prayer. If you do, you will only find you have put on the brake instead of the acceleration. All real progress in spiritual things comes gently, imperceptibly, and is the work of God. Our crude efforts spoil it. Know yourself for the childish, limited and dependent soul you are. Remember that the only growth which matters happens without our knowledge and that trying to stretch ourselves is both dangerous and silly. Think of the Infinite Goodness, never of your own state. 

– Evelyn Underhill

{There is much information about Evelyn Underhill on the Web. Try the Pleshey Retreat House Website.
The website of the Evelyn Association has a wealth of information.}