Call Number:

RG5.316

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Extent:

4 linear ft. (8 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item or series here], Patricia Loring papers, RG5/316, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Date:

1982-2015 (inclusive)

Creator:

Loring, Patricia, 1936-2016), Cronk, Sandra Lee, -1942, and Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

Abstract:

Patricia Loring was a Quaker author, teacher, and retreat leader, most active in her related work in the 1980s and 1990s. She was the author of a widely read Quaker spiritual guide, Listening Spirituality, vols. 1 and 2. For eight years her ministry was supported by Bethesda Friends Meeting, Bethesda, Maryland. This collection includes a variety of Patricia Loring's papers, largely beginning when she joined the Religious Society of Friends. Much of the collection consists of papers from workshops she lead, which include schedules, readings, correspondence, and notes. Also included in this collection are drafts of her books and other writings, correspondence, and private journals.

Patricia Loring Grady was born in Rochester, New York, the daughter of Stanley Grady and Bernice Dammart Grady, on July 26, 1936. She married Robert Basine in 1959, and the couple settled in Hartford, Connecticut. They had two children: Robert, Jr., and Melissa Basine. Patricia Basine was divorced in 1976 and changed her name to Patricia Grady Loring, reversing her original middle and last names. In Hartford she became involved with Friends and joined Hartford Monthly Meeting. She earned a Master's degree in anthropology from Hartford Seminary followed by study at Pendle Hill Center in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, and at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C. She lived for significant periods of time in Princeton, New Jersey, where she was active in the Princeton Friends Meeting; and in Bethesda, Maryland, where she was a member. Pat was widely known among Friends as a retreat and workshop leader, writer, and spiritual director. For eight years, Bethesda Friends Meeting supported her ministry. Her work culminated in the publication of two volumes titled Listening Spirituality. Volume I (published in 1997) covered personal spiritual practices among Friends, and volume II (published in 1999) dealt with corporate spiritual practices among Friends. She was also the author of a Pendle Hill Pamphlet, "Spiritual Discernment: The Context and Goal of Clearness Committees." In 1998 Patricia moved to Oregon hoping to improve her health, and in 2008, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, and became active in Friendship Meeting. She died in Greensboro on August 21, 2016.

This collection includes a variety of Patricia Loring's papers from after she joined the Religious Society of Friends. Much of the collection consists of papers from workshops she lead, which include schedules, readings, correspondence, and notes. Also included in this collection are drafts of her books and other writings, correspondence, and private journals. Correspondents include Sondra Cronk, Bethesda Friends Meeting, and Baltimore Yearly Meeting.

This collection is arranged in five series by category (workshops, correspondence, writing, journals, notebooks, miscellaneous). Topics within these categories are organized alphabetically.