If you look up Mary Rose O'Reilley, you will find she is a writer, a poet and a professor of English. You could guess from her name that she is of Irish descent but you won't find that she has been a stalwart of Lynn's thinking for years. O'Reilley's most popular book is "The Barn at the End of the World: The Apprenticeship of a Quaker, Buddhist Shepherd". That is a long title but it fits and describes accurately.
MRO went to a Catholic school and a Catholic college but later in life, she earned a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. You may know that the Quakers, a.k.a. The Society of Friends, emphasized their idea that "there is that of God in every person" and moved strongly away from having a clergy or other intercessory between the individual and God. Quakers speak of "meeting" instead of "church" and are famous for their hour of silence. Google shows this comment from quakers.org.uk:
In Quaker worship there are no ministers or creeds. We first gather together in silence to quiet our minds – we don't have set hymns, prayers or sermons. In the stillness we open our hearts and lives to new insights and guidance. Sometimes we are moved to share what we discover with those present.
If you are familiar with the practice of most American Protestant churches, the silence and waiting on God of a Quaker service can be quite a different experience.
How Quakers worship
It may be of interest to note that there are several branches of Quakers in the US and some do practice a more typical service and organization.
