Monastic Ecological Wisdom - Print Book

Monastic Ecological Wisdom: A Living Tradition.

By Samuel Torvend.

Soft cover 176pp.
ISBN 9780814667972.
Liturgical Press (2023).

[Allow 4 weeks].

Can early medieval monasteries serve as a model of sustainable development and environmental conservation in today’s world?

Inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Sí and Benedictine communities around the world whose shared monastic values inform ecological practice, Torvend uncovers the hidden story of early Christian and monastic care for the earth.

He shows how it is possible that medieval monastic values and practices could assist in the careful conservation of what we claim is God’s first gift, God’s first gesture of grace: the earth and all that dwells with it.

By reflecting on an ecological reading of New Testament texts, the Rule of St. Benedict, and early monastic engagement with the natural world as seen in the life of St. Benedict, such practices can serve thoughtful Christians today who care deeply about living in harmony with the earth and all who call it home.

 “Monastic Ecological Wisdom tells us the inspiring story of how the life of Saint Benedict influenced the way he would see God’s creation as a way of encounter with the divine. Samuel Torvend speaks to the present historical situation in a way that sees the riches of Saint Benedict’s 1,500-year-old Rule as relevant to our present situation. The connections between Saint Benedict’s Rule and Laudato S í, as presented here, inspire a careful reading of both these early and contemporary documents.” Abbot Primate Gregory Polan, OSB, Badia Sant’Anselmo, Rome, Italy