Synopses & Reviews
In Finding Sanctuary Abbot Christopher Jamison, host of the BBC television series The Monastery, suggests the teachings of St. Benedict are a tool for everyday life for those who are religious and for those simply searching for spiritual guidance.
The Monastery involved five non-monks living the monastic life for forty days while TV cameras tracked their progress. The sight of monks responding thoughtfully and helpfully to ordinary people's struggles was a surprise to millions of viewers who had presumed that monks were out of touch."
St. Benedict wrote his Rule for monastic living 500 years ago when he was abbot of Monte Cassino, the monastery that sits atop an inspiring Mountain to the East of Rome. The name, "The Rule of St. Benedict," often misleads people into thinking that Benedict wrote "a book of rules." In fact, he wrote insights for Christian living with practical suggestions for daily practice. The insights still guide people today and many of the rules have been adapted to local conditions as Benedict requested.
In every generation monastics integrate modern realities and the wisdom of the Rule in a new fusion. That fusion is the spiritual energy enabling monasteries to be places of sanctuary today as they have been for centuries. And that sanctuary can be recreated in the hearts of people of God's will. This book explains how St. Benedict's wisdom can be applied to busy modern lives, and how sanctuary, peace, and insi' can be achieved by people living inside and outside of monasteries.
Christopher Jamison is abbot of Worth Abbey, a Benedictine monastery near London. He is also president of the International Commission on Benedictine Education and sits on the Council of the alliance for International Monasticism, a body that promotes links between monasteries across the North/South divide. He is author of Finding Happiness: Monastic Steps for a Fulfilling life and was the host of the popular BBC documentary series The Monastery."
Review
[Y]oung and old, who are looking for a spiritual guide [are encouraged] to read this book.Pastoral Music
Review
Soul Searching is an excellent introduction to Mertons life and thinking. Its generous use of well-reproduced photographs, and chatty style, make it very accessible.The Merton Journal
Review
Merton speaks to each generation about prayer, social concern, interreligious dialogue, and the search for the true self. Soul Searching helps us meditate on this legacy, and may send many more people back to the books that Merton himself wrote.Commonweal
Review
Atkinson and Montaldo draw from Trappist Monk Mertons journals, books, letters, poetry, and photos, offering readers fascinating glimpses into the man beneath his public image.Episcopal Life
Review
While the book would not fit into your back pocket it would grace any prayer stool, bedside locker, glove compartment, or student desk. It is a good introduction to Merton and whets the appetite for further reading.The Furrow
Review
Thomas Merton was a highly spiritual man who gave much comfort to many people, and Soul Searching is a read for those to who want to be inspired further.Midwest Book Review
Review
The book of reminiscences, like the documentary, will surely awaken interest in Merton as an outstanding cultural figure and spiritual pilgrim.Midwest Book Review
Review
Following the film release, Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton as a book makes a considerable contribution to Merton studies. Twenty-four well-known Merton interpreters reflect on the monk, the solitary explorer, the social critic, and the man of letters in this engaging volume, thanks to the editorial collaboration of Morgan Atkinson and Jonathan Montaldo. It can be highly recommended to all seekers of God in our troubled times.Br. Patrick Hart, Monk of Gethsemani and Mertons last secretary
Synopsis
Award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson's documentary and the companion book of the same title come together for the first time in Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton book with DVD. The documentary DVD, which is scheduled to air on US PBS stations this December, is included in the inside back cover of this new hardcover edition of the companion book.
Synopsis
Soul Searching: The Journey of Thomas Merton draws us into the geographical landscape of Thomas Merton's life in America, a landscape that was intrinsic to his spiritual journey. Containing a considerable amount of rich material unused in the documentary by the same name, Soul Searching is alive with the narrative of those who either knew Merton well or passionately care about him: Father Daniel Berrigan, Rosemary Ruether, Martin Marty, Paul Elie, and many others. Their insights are linked to the places--from the Abbey of Gethsemani to the Redwoods Monastery in California, from New York City to Christ in the Desert Monastery in New Mexico--that both nurtured and shaped Merton. The picture that emerges, through both the narrative and vivid photography, is filled with provocative insights into the interior landscape of one of the spiritual giants of modern times. Bonus DVD of the PBS documentary by award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson is also included.
Synopsis
The Documentary as seen on PBS.Noted by Google ' as a best book of 2008
A companion to award-winning producer Morgan Atkinson's documentary of the same title, this work draws us into the geographical landscape of Thomas Merton's life in America, a landscape that was intrinsic to his spiritual journey. Containing a considerable amount of rich material unused in the documentary, Soul Searching is alive with the narrative of those who either knew Merton well or passionately care about him: Father Daniel Berrigan, Rosemary Ruether, Martin Marty, Paul Elie, and many others. Their insights are linked to the places 'from the Abbey of Gethsemani to the Redwoods Monastery in California, from New York City to Christ in the Desert Monastery in New Mexico that both nurtured and shaped Merton. The picture that emerges, through both the narrative and vivid photography, is filled with provocative insights into the interior landscape of one of the spiritual giants of modern times.
About the Author
Morgan Atkinson has worked as a communications professional since 1975. In 1985 he established Duckworks, Inc., a production company that creates independent and commissioned work. A resident of Louisville, Kentucky, Atkinson's primary focus is programming that examines issues of community and culture. He has had seven documentaries broadcast on KET/PBS, most recently the companion DVD to this volume.Jonathan Montaldo has served as director of the Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University and is a past president of the International Thomas Merton Society. His editions of Thomas Merton's works include Entering the Silence: Thomas Merton's Journals, Volume 2; The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals (with Patrick Hart); Dialogues with Silence: Thomas Merton's Prayers and Drawings; A Year with Thomas Merton; Thomas Merton In His Own Words; Choosing to Love the World: Thomas Merton on Contemplation; and the eight-volume series Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton (with Robert G. Toth).