The View from a Monastery

Brother Benet did an outstanding job discribing his life in a Monastery. This book should be required reading for those of whom might be thinking about joining a Benetictine community, or those who are just interested in the life of a Monk. Brother Benet reveals the mystery of life in a Monastery, and shows that Monks are as human as we are.

Brother Benet exemplifies the linear life path. While in high school, he saw his first Benedictines and decided that he belonged with them. He showed remarkable maturity as he chose a specific abbey to enter, right out of college, and chose to become a brother rather than a priest.The author's goal seems to be a modest one. He describes his life in a monastery and how he got to be there. He offers hilarious stories of characters he meets along the way -- not always the easiest men to live with, but definitely a source of spiritual challenge.Brother Benet can write. Each chapter is a self-contained essay, reminiscent of James Herriot. In fact, one of the most appealing chapters includes a description of "Katie the collie" and the efforts of the brothers to create a properly monastic canine. Reading between the lines, Brother Benet seems to have the perfect quietly cheerful temperament to live in community. He finds humor in frustrating events and as well as changes in monastic life: don't miss the reference to "liturgical lingerie." In telling his story, he has the advantage of someone who dealt with visitors, and he remains aware of an outsider's perspective. He tells us, without fuss, of his own struggles and also his ownn joys. Brother Benet also allows a glimpse of life in a contemporary monastery. In some ways, the "confreres" come across as a special fraternity. Watching a television show, they act like any group of males, using less than religious language. Yet there is caring, not only for themselves, for for those whose lives have touched the monastery. When a former postulant lies dying of AIDS, the monastery sends two brothers to be with him. And when two strangers, clad only in sheets, make the monastery a stop on their unique pilgrimage, the monks offer a washing machine as well as a room and meals. As a career coach, I hear people talk about finding meaning in their lives. Here's someone who has found meaning in a particularly unusual and dedicated way. Reading this book helps define the concept of "vocation" and "calling," although the vast majority of us will not find ourselves called so openly to such an extreme. Brother Benet offes an insightful non-New-Age perspective on spirituality, purpose and yes, abundance.

Every year I visit a monastery for a few days to retreat into a quiet environment and reconnect with the spiritual. This year I found myself at Blue Cloud Abbey near Marvin, South Dakota. There was a joyful spirit there which helped my find my smile and begin again to radiate the glow of Christ's love. These Benedictine monks present themselves wholly transparent to their visitors. They reveal their true personalities without reserve. They are, therefore, delightful and personable. It's refreshing, especially for a woman, to leave the daily duties of a household and career and be taken care of by a holy community who happen to be men. It sort of restores a woman's faith in the abilities of the opposite sex. I was given the gift of getting to know a few of these men before I met Br. Benet and found out through a fellow retreatant that he had written a book. I spent the next day reading it and was inspired with his ability to transcend joyful laughter as well as reverence through his skillfully written stories. I loved his honesty: "There are many false notions about monasticism. Pious people think that monks are holy. People who don't know much about religion think we are peculiar. The truth of the matter is that we are neither, though I have known individual monks who were both. Most of us are ordinary men who find that it is easier for us to be holy here than in some other place." I also loved the pictures he painted with words of his most memorable friends: "Brother Patrick was holy. His holiness was not the kind that is commonly associated with sanctity, but he was my kind of saint. He was not a plaster saint. He had a solid piety without being the least bit sanctimonious." Br. Benent then proceeded to describe this unusual monk who had fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and worked on the General Motors assembly line before joining the Benedictines. Br. Patrick's tendency to spin tall tales,especially regarding his war days and his pranks at the expense of the other monks made this monk a colorful person indeed. Even at his bedside, as he lay dying from inoperable cancer, his colorful spirit presented itself: ". . eager as ever to entertain all of the "brethren" (as he called us) who gathered at his bedside. Sitting on the edge of his bed and chain-smoking cigarettes ("Why not? I don't have lung cancer"), he regaled us with war stories and recollections of his youth in an upstate New York town where he could buy a bucket of beer for a nickel." Being Protestant, I found this book helpful in explaining Catholic practices, the difference between Trappists and Benedictines and the meaning of St. Benedict's Rule. But the most wonderful thing about this book is how Br. Benet has revealed the everyday life struggles and celebrations that are unique to monastic life but are not so very different from experiences that we all have in other communities. The mystery exists, however, that there is something special here. Not everything can b

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. Especially with the amount of other dull, short books on the subject. "The View From A Monastery" is very down to earth, and let's you hear, in great detail, about the various characters and goings on, of a monastery today. Whether you're curious about monks in general, or earnestly seeking a religious vocation, this book is a must read!

This is a heartwarming and informative book on what monastic life is really like. All too often I encounter people who hear the word "monk" and gasp, saying, "Don't they live in silence and never talk and laugh? What do they do?" I guess their questions are understandable, considering the way society portrays monastic life. And granted, not all monasteries are alike - perhaps the Trappists or Cistercians are more what they're thinking of. But Benet's book gives a glimpse into the Benedictine monastic life, which I find delightful and informative, even though I've been visiting Blue Cloud for many years now. I guess that makes me biased, but I found it delightful to get to know some of the monks better.This was one of those books where I was disappointed when it came to an end - I wish it would have gone on longer - that's my only disappointment with it. Perhaps we can hope for a sequel.