Testimonials

In Spirituality at the School Gate, Diane Jackson uncovers the exceptional in the everyday, alerting us to insights that should become central to our understanding of the spirituality of motherhood and women’s relationships.

… in her quest to integrate the sociology of religion and practical theology, Jackson has an important message for readers beyond the academy. These are the mothers who, like her previous self, have not yet realised that the ground outside the school gate is indeed holy. There is hope for these women within these pages, which must only serve as an encouragement towards the enrichment of their own spiritual lives.

Spirituality at the School Gate makes an important and timely contribution to the growing field of motherhood/spirituality studies. The author clearly shows how the mundane and ordinary activities are sacred spaces where the presence of God can be met. Our entire culture is in need of true spiritual community at these times. This book shows how crucial mothers’ voices and experiences are in the everyday spiritual encounters with their community.

With compassionate insight and the wisdom of experience Diane reveals the potential spiritual depth of an everyday activity. The school gate is a unique site of repeated micro-engagements between individuals, over a long number of years. Like so many other unremarkable areas of life, when it is approached with attentiveness and intention a deep transformative presence can emerge in this everyday experience.