Issue 93

Interesting and little-known facts about Benedictine monasticism.

Alone or in community, early monks and nuns sought to follow Christ in a whole-hearted and vividly countercultural way.

The “Father of Western Monasticism” spent his life teaching spiritual beginners about kindness, community, and prayer.

Benedict’s Rule became the gold standard of monastic life.

From its roots in the early Eastern church, through the Benedictine centuries, to the birth of new kinds of religious orders in the Middle Ages

For centuries, monks were at the center of the Western missionary enterprise.

Under Charlemagne’s influence, the monasteries shaped the future of Western education, trade, and even handwriting.

As the peace and unity of Europe collapsed, the monastery of Cluny pointed a new way forward.

Many Catholics and Protestants are looking back to Benedict for the community and spiritual intensity they can’t find in modern culture.

Julie Andrews made it popular, but the real musical genius behind this singing aid was a medieval monk.

After a crushing political defeat, William Wilberforce nearly gave up his fight to abolish the slave trade. But a life-changing letter from John Newton sent this Daniel back into the lion’s den.

The history of the church would have looked very different without these famous moms.

An 18th-century book gave Richard Foster new eyes for the present moment. The ordinary had never looked so extraordinary.