Douglas Steere’s Conversion to Quakerism

Douglas Steere’s conversion to Quakerism was a decision reached through sustained religious discernment rather than a sudden break with his past. In 1933, after weighing the spiritual resources of Roman Catholic monasticism against the faith and practice of his Quaker colleagues, he became a convinced Quaker. The choice united his attraction to contemplative life with commitments that would guide his later work in scholarship, interfaith dialogue, and relief.

The monastic encounter

During an academic sabbatical at Maria Laach Abbey, a monastery founded in Germany in 1093, Steere experienced the beauty and ordered rhythm of monastic life. The abbey stood beside a lake among trees and lush vegetation; its German Romanesque buildings, many towers, and church with an apse at each end made a striking setting for contemplation. More than the architecture, though, it was the daily pattern that deepened his interest: he attended the Divine Offices and heard the monks chant the psalms throughout the day.

The quiet, contemplative atmosphere and richly stocked library gave Steere time to study Christian spirituality. He read the Rule of St. Benedict and works by Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, and Teresa of Avila. He would later take an interest in Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton as well. Walking the abbey’s halls, praying in its church, meditating in the cloister garden, and speaking with the monks, he came to recognize the depth of Roman Catholic spiritual resources. Liturgy, devotional practice, and discipline appealed to him, and the monastic setting made Catholicism seem a compelling way to order a life of prayer and growth.

The choice between traditions

Steere’s attraction to Catholicism did not erase his ties to Quaker life. He was a professor at a Quaker college, and Quaker silent worship, pacifism, social justice commitments, and mystical heritage also held deep appeal. He respected the faith of his Quaker colleagues. The decision therefore involved two traditions whose spiritual strengths he had encountered directly, and he understood that whichever path he chose would shape the rest of his life.

The account presents the uncertainty as painful and unresolved for a time. Steere asked whether the Catholic Church would help him develop a rich spiritual life, while also confronting the claims of the Quaker community he already knew. The faith of Rufus Jones proved decisive: Steere found it impossible to resist. After wrestling with uncertainty, he became a convinced Quaker in 1933. The conversion was not a rejection of contemplative discipline; it was a choice of the tradition in which he could join that inward life to the commitments he valued.

Silent worship and spiritual experience

Steere’s account of Quaker worship emphasizes waiting, listening, and the possibility of change within a gathered community. He loved meetings in which no one spoke unless moved by the Holy Spirit, though he observed that not everyone followed the Quaker counsel, “When in doubt, wait.” He described silent worship as a “melting down” and a “tendering,” in which people felt bound to God and to one another. He had seen it level a group divided by an ugly barrier between two members and begin the process of their asking forgiveness.

That communal dimension also appears in his recollection of a Quaker relief-planning meeting. At about 8:50, Steere gave a brief prayer that came spontaneously; after Fred Tritten prayed, Steere experienced what he called the glorious release of the life of God. He was moved to tears, felt a certainty nothing could disturb, and felt close to everyone present. As the meeting ended, he noticed two others who seemed to have shared a similar experience. The episode links spiritual intensity not to solitary withdrawal alone but to prayer and fellowship among people gathered for practical work.

A life shaped by the decision

Steere went on to become one of the leading Quakers of the mid-twentieth century. His influence extended through scholarship, teaching, ecumenical work, and international service. He was active in the ecumenical movement and served with both the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches. As a Quaker Observer delegate, he was much in demand at the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, a later role that brought him into sustained contact with the Catholic tradition he had seriously considered.

His religious interests remained broad. He often quoted Jewish writers and organized dialogues between Christians and Buddhists in Japan and Christians and Hindus in India. He cared deeply about people and was known for affirming and encouraging them. Church historian Glenn Hinson recalled leaving their meetings buoyed by Steere’s optimism. The account characterizes him as combining the active and contemplative lives: the inward attention nurtured through prayer did not compete with engagement in the world but informed it.

That combination became concrete in July 1945, when, at the end of World War II in Europe, Steere led the organization of a Quaker relief effort in Finland, a country that had suffered greatly during the war. In 1987, the Finnish government recognized his work with the Declaration of Knight First Class of the White Rose in Finland. His conversion thus led not away from public responsibility but into a religious life in which silent worship, fellowship, ecumenical encounter, and service could belong together.