Benedictine Monasticism

A Good Neighbor
Benedict's Guide to Community, by Robert Benson.

This is a timely book; few people these days really feel part of a community, though the word is used by politicians every day. We can be involved with people all day long and never feel the shared life and love, the support and interest that are the features of community.

Benson meets the modern world head on and shows us how to use St Benedict's wisdom to transform work and neighbourhood, family and friends so that a sense of meaningful relationship, love and mutual support emerges and grows.
Price: £10.99 / €12.20

Benedictine Yearbook 2010
The official guide to the abbeys, priories, parishes and schools of the monks and nuns following the Rule of St Benedict in Great Britain, Ireland and their Overseas Foundations.
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Price: £3.50 / €3.89

Basil Hume - Ten Years On
by William Charles (nephew of the late Cardinal)

Cardinal Hume was a much loved man. Those who met him know why they found him lovable. This very personal book seeks to show and to explain to those who did not meet him why he was so much loved. Those who met him may also learn and understand more about their old friend. Chaptesr are by a variety of different people almost all of whom knew him very well indeed and have never until now written about him. They show the warmth and humanity, the charm and humour and, above all, the deep spirituality of the man. There are delightful, entertaining stories never previously told, and pieces of material never previously published, including his own notes ath the back of his prayerbook, and the last words he said to his fellow monks as he left us here at Ampleforth to become Archbishop of Westminster.

One of our brethren who knew him well, says of this book: "it is like meeting him again".
Price: £12.99 / €14.42

Touched by God
Edited by Laurentia Johns OSB and with a foreword by Henry Wansbrough OSB.

At a time when there seems to be an unusually keen interest in the monastic life and the Rule of St Benedict, but there are few authentic accounts of how the Benedictine life is actually experienced.

In this book ten monks and nuns give personal and honest accounts of what their monastic experience is like and how it brings them closer to God. It makes compelling, reassuring and uplifting reading. (Pb, 237pp).
Price: £13.99 / €15.53

Our Father St Benedict
by Regina Oberna OSB and Lourdes Vinas OSB.

It is tempting to imagine this little book was intended for children, mostly because of the naïve and charming illustrations throughout. But although the text deliberately aims at a simple 'voice', the thoughts themselves deserve not just an adult reader, but a reflective one.

This easy style, however, makes it particularly suitable for use with groups and for retreats, since it encourages the reader to engage with it in a personal way. (Pb, 126)
Price: £7.50 / €8.33

Praying with the Benedictines
"A window on the Cloister" edited by Gerric DeBona, OSB.

This is a collection of excerpts, most of them only half a page long, from Benedictine writers of the last 1,500 years. Each is an insight, a glimpse, into what a life of monastic prayer and living is intended to lead us to - the Vision of God. Contributions come from St Benedict, Gertrude the Great, St Anselm, Hildegard of Bingen, Abbot Chapman, Augustine Baker, Basil Hume, and dozens of others. It is the sort of little book that ends up covered in margin notes and turned down corners! (Pb, 64pp)
Price: £5.99 / €6.65

The Way of Simplicity
The Cistercian Tradition, by Esther de Waal.

De Waal reveals the riches of the Cistercian tradition and its relevance for today's world. The book draws not only on such twelfth century writers as Bernard of Clairvaux and Aelred of Rievaulx, but also on Thomas Merton and many contemporary Cistercians. These wrote on matters of perennial concern: the true self, growth, integration, friendship, the love of God and above all the life of prayer. (Pb, 164pp)
Price: £9.95 / €11.04

St Benedict and St Therese
The Little Rule and the Little Way by Dwight Longenecker

The writings of these two saints complement each other beautifully. The old monk's teaching is made explicit in the young girl's teaching. Therese went to a Benedictine school and always wore a Benedictine medal round her neck. For those who love both of these saints for the wisdom they offer us, here is a moving explanation of how each of them illuminates the other. (Pb, 215pp), Sorry, TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK.
Price: £9.99 / €11.09

Radical Hospitality
…Benedict's way of love, by Daniel Homan OSB and Lonni Collins Pratt. In this book the authors present a radical vision for a kinder world. For them, Benedictine hospitality is not cosy and comforting, but risky and world-rattling. It is not about 'sipping tea and making bland talk with people who live next door or work with you', it is rather about mutual reverence - 'a call to revere what is sacred in every person ever born'.
Price: £9.99 / €11.09

Benedict of Nursia
…his message for today, by Anselm Gruen. This is an easy, short but punchy introduction to Benedict's Spirituality. Chapter headings include: Living in the Presence of God; Prayer and Work; The Gift of Discernment; Benedictine Peace; Stabilitas and Order; Community. Reduced from £5.99 in July. Paperback, 63pp.
Price: £6.50 / €7.22

Desiring Life
Benedict on Wisdom and the Good Life, by Norvene Vest

This book addresses the issues of relationship, particularly our relationship to the world (wisdom); to ourselves (virtue); and to each other (ethics). Vest asks questions of pressing concern today, such as: What is the 'good life' we seek? How can we live fully and well? What sort of people should we as Christians try to be? Sorry, TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK.
Price: £11.95 / €13.26

Finding Sanctuary
Monastic Steps for Everyday Life - by Abbot Christopher Jamison.

Following the success of the TV series, 'The Monastery', Abbot Christopher here offers ways in which the lessons of monastic living, and the teachings of St Benedict can be put into practice in our hectic, modern lives.

He speaks especially to those who are not sure what they believe but are looking for ways to find spiritual space and peace in the busy, and often confusing, modern world.
Price: £6.99 / €7.76

Strangers to the City
by Michael Casey, a monk of Tarrawarra.

One of the world's experts on monastic spirituality here offers his wise teachings on what it means to live today in the distinctive path of St Benedict. Eloquent and incisive, Casey invites us to embrace the challenge of gospel living, which is opposed to the dominant, secular culture around us. He presents thoughtful reflections on the values of asceticism, silence, leisure, reading, chastity and poverty, placing each of these ancient beiefs in a vibrant, contemporary context.

Strangers in the City is a for all who are interested in deepening their faith through the dynamics of the monastic experience.
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Price: £12.50 / €13.88

Basil Hume the Monk Cardinal
by Anthony Howard, paperback 342 pp.

This is the authorised biography of the late Cardinal, former Abbot of Ampleforth, who in his 23 years at Westminster provided spiritual leadership for so many, and not just for Roman Catholics.
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Price: £7.99 / €8.87

Benedictine Daily Prayer
This provides an everyday edition of the Divine Office for people who desire to pray with the church in a simple manner. Based on 1500 years of liturgical prayer within the Benedictine monastic tradition, it offers a rich resource for all, but is perhaps ideal for Benedictine Oblates.

The book is compact (12cm x 16cm x 4cm, or 4" x 6.5" x 1.5") but contains over 2,200 pages of the fine but very strong paper used in traditional missals. It is handsomely bound in soft burgundy leather with five coloured ribbons. (The picture is of the cardboard sleeve)
Price: £45.00 / €49.95

A Good Life
by Robert Benson

What makes a 'good life' in today's fast-paced, competitive world? In this book Robert Benson turns to the Rule of St Benedict for answers because it balances prayer, rest, community, and work in a way that has helped centuries of people to lead more fulfilling lives. With trademark humour and elegant prose, Benson shares his own sturggle to balance a spiritual life with the demanding roles of father, husband, and writer. Anyone who feels pulled in too many directions will find in this book thoughtful, ancient wisdom for creating a life of deep meaning and joy.
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Price: £9.99 / €11.09

Saint Benedict's Prayer Book
This hardbacked prayer book includes a two week cycle of morning prayer, a one week cycle of evening prayer, and a short version of Compline or night prayer. It also has chapters on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, praying the bible, the Rosary, prayers for the dying and the dead, prayers to know by heart and other prayers. Each page has a quotation from the Rule of St Benedict at the foot.
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Price: £10.00 / €11.10

Living with Contradiction
by Esther de Waal, subtitled "Benedictine wisdom for Everyday Living". These simple, inviting reflections on the Rule of St Benedict take as their starting point the tensions and uncertainties that we can experience in our personal lives and in the world at large. From its ancient wisdom, we can discover how these ambiguities can become the doors that lead us to a place of healing.
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Price: £7.99 / €8.87

Saint Benedict for the Laity
by Eric Dean has for thirty years reflected on and put into practice the Rule of St Benedict. In this book he comments on how the Rule "has important things to say even to those of us who - because we are already acommitted to lives in the secular sphere - can never think of a monastic vocation. The Rule can speak to us of values which, even apart from the daily structures of monastic life, are relevant to our own lives in 'the outside world.' "
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Price: £10.50 / €11.66

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