About the Book
This intimate, vibrant, and deeply moving portrait of monastic life in America today examines the long-debated question of whether the spiritual life can be led in the everyday world or whether it must, in its highest and truest forms, involve an ascetic life of renunciation, stern discipline, and celibacy. Thirty elders of the Benedictine Order share their touching and thought-provoking life stories, from the everyday rhythm and ritual of prayer and work, solitude and community, sanctity and humor, to the most challenging moments of questioning, uncertainty, and tribulation, but also to moments of infinite inner peace and mystical joy. Part graceful memoir, part sacred legacy, this book offers an inspirational journey into the hearts, minds, and souls of 30 exceptional men and women.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Joan ChittisterIntroduction1) Sister Jane Frances Brockman. Saint Scholastica Monastery, Fort Smith, Arkansas2) Father Stanislaus Maudlin. Blue Cloud Abbey, Marvin, South Dakota3) Sister Victorine Fenton. Mount Saint Benedict Monastery, Crookston, Minnesota4) Father Clement Pangratz. Saint Martin's Abbey, Lacey, Washington5) Sister M. Matthias Igoe. San Benito Monastery, Dayton, Wyoming6) Father Vincent Martin. Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valymero, California7) Sister Joeine Darrington. Queen of Angels Monastery, Mount Angel, Oregon 8) Sister Firmin Escher. Saint Benedict's Monastery, St. Joseph, Minnesota9) Brother Victor J. Frankenhauser. Assumption Abbey, Richardton, North Dakota10) Sister Lillian Harrington. Mount Saint Scholastica Monastery, Atchison, Kansas11) Sister M. Louise Frankenberger. Holy Angels Convent, Jonesboro, Arkansas12) Father Bernard Sander. Mount Angel Abbey, Saint Benedict, Oregon13) Sister Marmion Maiers. Mother of God Monastery, Watertown, South Dakota14) Father Theodore Heck. St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana15) Sister Leonette Hoesing. Sacred Heart Monastery, Yankton, South Dakota16) Father Bede Stocker. Marmion Abbey, Aurora, Illinois17) Sister Juliana Bresson. Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Clyde, Missouri18) Father Alban Boultwood. Saint Anselm's Abbey, Washington D.C19) Sister Annella Gardner. Sacred Heart Monastery, Richardton, North Dakota20) Father Eugene W. Dehner. Saint Benedict's Abbey, Atchison, Kansas21) Sister Mary Gregory Cushing. Benedictine Monastery, Tucson, Arizona22) Father Berthold Ricker. Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota23) Sister Placidia Haehn. Saint Placid Priory, Lacey, Washington24) Father James Jones. Conception Abbey, Conception, Missouri25) Sister Augustine Uhlenkott. Monastery of Saint Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho26) Father Placid Pientek. Saint Andrew Svorad Abbey, Cleveland, Ohio27) Sister Liguori Sullivan. Benet Hill Monastery, Colorado Springs, Colorado28) Father Paul R. Maher. Saint Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania29) Sister Agatha Burke. Saint Joseph Monastery, Tulsa, Oklahoma30) Father Frederic Schindler. Mount Michael Abbey, Elkhorn, NebraskaGLOSSARY of monastic termsTBD: EXCERPTS from the Rule of Benedict
About the Author :
Joan Chittister is the executive director of Benetvision, a resource and research centre for contemporary spirituality. She lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Review :
"Here is a portrait gallery of thirty men and women as they look back over long and varied lives-lives shaped by the Rule of St. Benedict. They speak of what that means with a clarity and an insight which will delight readers and at the same time encourage and inspire." Esther De Waal, author, Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict"This is a beautiful book. Anyone who gazes upon the faces of these women and men and reads their stories will appreciate the wisdom that is imparted by elders who never strayed from the path prepared by St. Benedict." Brother Benet Tvedten, author, The View from a Monastery"This book is a tool for our lectio in pondering what our elders would have us hear. It is a gift from heart to heart." Laura Swan, author, The Forgotten Desert Mothers"Here is a rare opportunity to sit in the presence of thirty Benedictine elders, as each tells the story of their life in the monastery. The wisdom passed on to us is a call to learn to be the awake, compassionate human being that God calls each of us to be." James Finley, author, Christian Meditation"This is a wonderfully nourishing book full of honest and inspired insights. It gathers the essence of Benedictine life, chronicled by those who have lived it and who know it best. Readers will find warmth, clarity, and a spark of the divine in these lives." Katharine Le M+e, author, The Benedictine Gift to Music
