Sickened by the post-Roman turmoil of 5th Century Italy, Benedict renounced the world and retired to a life of Christian contemplation in a cave just west of Rome. Revered for his sanctity, local monks asked him to become their abbot. But Benedict's discipline proved too strict - the monks tried to poison him, and he left to establish many small monasteries, eventually founding the famous monastery on Monte Cassino and gaining the title 'Father of Western Monasticism'. This book is the saint's directions for establishing an orderly and pious monastic community, covering, among other matters,...

The book, The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher calls on Christians to follow the spirit of Saint Benedict in living their lives. In fact, he calls for a new Saint Benedict to arise to bring about a reform of Christianity. He writes: "As we await a new Saint Benedict to appear in our quite different time and place and teach us how to reseave the tapestry of our Christian lives, ..." Let us pray that our wait will not be long. In fact these pages are dedicated to presenting Saint Benedict's life and rule to help all of live by Benedict's spirit. He outlines the downward movement from sincere...