The Glenstal Book of Prayer: A Benedictine Prayer Book

The Glenstal Abbey in County Limerick, Ireland, is a wonderful place to behold. They are a Benedictine monastery, operating a school, a ministry of hospitality, and providing an expression of Benedictine spirituality in the modern world. The pattern of their liturgical and prayer life is a modified form of the ancient Benedictine structure; this book reflects what that is. The first section of the book is on daily prayer, prayer cycles that adhere to the spirit of Benedict's instructions. The section is divided into prayers for each day of the week, prayers for the 'stops' (mid-morning, noon, afternoon, and compline), and prayers for the seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Ordinary time). These give the full text of prayers, canticles, Bible readings, psalms, invocations and blessings for use at each event. The second section highlights common prayers and recitations in the Christian tradition. These include the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary prayer, the Apostle's Creed, St. Patrick's Breastplate, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, and more. Among these one gets both the Celtic and the more universal Christian sense of things. The third section looks at ritual prayers and liturgical pieces. These include devotional prayers during activities (prayers before beginning work, prayers before and after meals), as well as prayers of vocation, guidance, and peace. This includes a section on blessings, blessings that can be given to homes, to families, to the sick, to the dead, and more. The final section includes additional psalms and a short selection of readings from the actual Rule of St. Benedict. The book itself is in a small format, about as wide as an average hand, which means it fits into the palm perfectly, as if it were made for being carried and used on a regular basis. The printing and paper stocks used are superb - as much as I am generally loathe to describe books in such terms, the basic construction of this book is worthy of note, as it adds 'flesh' to the prayers being given out of this text. It is a joy to read from the sensory perspective as well as the spiritual perspective. The Glenstal Abbey taps into an ancient history, but is itself a relatively new establishment, having been founded in 1927 as the first Benedictine monastery in Ireland since the Reformation (King Henry VIII dissolved monasteries as part of his Reformations in the British Isles). This book is a great reflection of part of their community.

My husband is from Ireland and his best friend gave me this wonderful book. We have a large family and the time for a decent prayer life can be limited. It is an easy and beautiful way to bring prayer structure and guidance into a busy person's life. It is a well worn book in my home.

I was looking for a good prayer book that my wife and I could use to integrate the Liturgy of the Hours into our lives. This prayer book has proved to be perfect for us. The book itself is made of high quality materials throughout including the binding and the paper on which the pages are printed. One of the features we really like is the calendar of saints in the back. The calendar identifies at least one saint for each day of the year. The daily roster of saints emphasizes for us our connection and fellowship with the long line of believers who have preceded us in the faith down through the centuries.

I am a Benendictine monk and know the monks of Glenstal, and have visited their abbey. They are a marvelous community who contribute much to the church. The Book of Prayer is an outstanding addition in a world in need of prayer. Anyone who prays regularly, regardless of one's station in life, ought to have this book in their library. Few such resources are available. In addition, it is a high quality book. Buy one today, and another for a friend!

Dear Reader, I am very proud to recommend this book to people. I count myself lucky to have spent so much time in this timeless place over the years and I am so thrilled that this had been captured by this book. The prayer has been laid out in such a way that it is easily said by one person or by many, as the needs of a person in this busy world dictates. The book uses actual scripture for its prayer, unlike so many prayer manuals that have flooded the market these days. Each day is given with a opening prayer, psalm, scripture text and closing prayer that fit perfectly with the rhythm of the week , not just the season. It is laid out from Sunday to Saturday along with prayers for holy days.Each session is divided into the typical monastic divisions of the day viz. Mroning, Midday, Evening and Night prompting the individual to pepper their day and work with prayer, not prayer with work. Prayers in English and Irish along with a calendar for Holy Days and saints are given along with traditional catholic prayers, yet this is a universal prayer book,. Time to stop and 'be' is made easy with this little gem. Ermmmmmmmmm!! ( an Irish prounciation guide would have been helpful for this american publication...). I recommend this to anyone who may have a liking for putting some sort of easy, accessable and short prayer into their lives without missing out on the depth that monasticsm gives. It's size lends itself for being put into the breast pocket of any coat and brought out while one is having a quick sandwich at work!! The calm and peace of this type of prayer 'shouts' out at the reader!! I enjoy the Icon on the front of the book and it is part of an extensive collection that the community have inherited from Russia over the past twenty years. There is a meditation on this included for use in prayer. The Monks have a wonderful collection to draw from and have put some of their musings into this book. Communal prayer is the goal of the church and the Monks of Glenstal have brought us closer to that goal. Thanks to Fr. Christopher and all the community for bringing me home with this companion in prayer. I hope you get a flavour of the silence and the contemplation of this gorgeous corner of Ireland that is so real in this book. I know the people who put this together and I can tell you that they are men of deep prayer and contemplation. You have been given a work carved from years of prayer in a beautiful church and a beautiful tradition: the Liturgy of The Hours. They do not use complicated words like Vespers or Matins that may exclude people by its language. The language used is modern and uncomplicated with recent translations of scripture and readings. Enjoy and welcome to the calm world of Glenstal where Benedictine spriituality says "You are welcome as if you are Christ Himself".