Product Description

Fr. Benedict tells of his calling to the life of a cloistered contemplative monk, his training in a Spanish monastery, and his being sent to only Carthusian monastery in the U.S. He was trained to live to the letter of the rule, and compares that training to what he actually lived as a fully trained monk, including the several positions of authority he exercised within the monastic community, up to his eventual departure and ultimate severance of ties with the Carthusian Order.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #277025 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 276 pages

About the Author
The author was a cloistered contemplative monk for a total of twenty years in the most strict and austere Order of the Catholic Church, the Carthusian Order. He held the offices of Novice Master and Vocation Director, and exercised several other positions of authority within the community. Unfortunate difficulties within that monastic community contributed to his eventual departure and ultimate severance of ties with the Carthusians. By a special determination of the pope, he was released from the obligations of his vows and the priesthood.

Customer Reviews

THE MONK'S STORY
Over seven hundred years after Benedict and Scholastica founded their communities, St. Thomas Aquinas declared that the most perfect form of the religious life was that of contemplation and action. This tome does not get involved in that argument, but focuses on the experience of one young man seeking God alone through silence and contemplative prayer. It is truly a unique volume in that it is autobiographical, and presents a peek at a life which is widely unknown even among Catholics.

I did not find this book to be Merton-like, nor a grinding of some ax regarding the practices of the order. Rather, I found the story to be an honest and respectful sharing of experience with the reader. In a world of instant communication and everlasting networking, which does place high value on service to those in need -- especially the poorest of the poor -- there is almost a cultural bias against discipleship through seeking deep silence, mystical contemplation, and aloneness with the One.
Father Benedict culls a new awareness of Carthusian spirituality, and the eremetic life as being of high value to the church and to some called to that form of discipleship.

My hope would be that every seeker and performer of good works would read of this journey, discern what is useful in the ordinary round of life, and find deeper meaning in the silence which is so annoying to the noisy world in which we live. As Tolstoy and so many of the saints noted, the kingdom of heaven is within.

THOMAS PATRICK HULL
CHICAGO

Wonderful biography
Having been uniquely called by God through a spiritual journey that allows Father Benedict to ultimately live the Carthusian way for many years, I have found his life both fascinating and informative. Fr. Benedict's personal account of his life is both unique and refreshingly frank, allowing the reader to follow the struggle of one soul to ultimately be alone and silent in God's presence.

Wonderful, thoughtful and inspiring story
A life well worth living, in a search for God and peace. This book is so well-written, with so much detail, it was almost as good as being there. Contrary to one reviewer's comment about "settling old scores," I found this man's personal tale full of comprehension or the search throughout.

I admire and applaud this person for taking the time to make sense of a life "lived alone" in a cell, with a spiritual goal that so few of us even attempt to do in modern life.

I wish he and his family only the best, as he has well-earned it. The images from his book have stayed with me long since I've read it, and it will stay on my "favorites" shelf.

God bless you for describing and leading the way for a glimpse of solitude and peace. One of the most prophetic lines in the book was the description of looking out the window, seeing the smoke coming out of the wood stove chimney of another brother's cell, which allowed you to know they were still alive. That image has never left me.

We all should find a way to find time for solitude and contemplation. Perhaps if we did, our minds and our worlds might come to rest.

Peace be with you my brother, and to all who enjoy reading this book. It can be a transforming experience.

The only thing I would wish for is more detail about the author's change of circumstance and what brought that about, and his new life that he found beyond the cloistered walls.

I wish our prison system in this country could use prayer and meditation to calm the spirit and calm the mind, but of course that is not possible nowadays. Since we don't seem to be able to accept other people's religions, we are not allowed to pray at all. It's a shame but heartening to see that some people choose this life willingly. Would that there might be more.