The Cloister Walk

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR"Vivid, compelling... An embrace of moral and spiritual contemplation." -The New York Times"A remarkable piece of writing. If read with humility and attention, Kathleen Norris's book becomes lectio divina, or holy reading." -The Boston GlobeFrom the iconic author of Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, a spiritual journey that brings joy to the meanings of love, grace and faith. Why would a married woman with a thoroughly Protestant background and often more doubt than faith be drawn to the ancient practice of monasticism, to a community of celibate men whose days are centered on a rigid schedule of prayer, work, and scripture? This is the question that poet Kathleen Norris asks us as, somewhat to her own surprise, she found herself on two extended residencies at St. John's Abbey in Minnesota.Part record of her time among the Benedictines, part meditation on various aspects of monastic life, The Cloister Walk demonstrates, from the rare perspective of someone who is both an insider and outsider, how immersion in the cloistered world-- its liturgy, its ritual, its sense of community-- can impart meaning to everyday events and deepen our secular lives. In this stirring and lyrical work, the monastery, often considered archaic or otherworldly, becomes immediate, accessible, and relevant to us, no matter what our faith may be.

PrefaceDawnSeptember 3: Gregory the GreatSt. John's Abbey Liturgy ScheduleThe Rule and MeSeptember 17: Hildegard of BingenSeptember 29: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, ArchangelsThe DifferenceSeptember 30: JeromeOctober 1: Thérèse of the Child JesusOctober 2: Guardian AngelsJeremiah as Writer: The Necessary OtherNovember 1 and 2: All Saints, All SoulsNovember 16: Gertrude the GreatExile, Homeland, and Negative CapabilityNew York City: The Trappist ConnectionLos Angeles: The O AntiphonsBorderlineThe Christmas MusicJanuary 2: Basil the Great and Gregory of NazianzusPassageThe Paradox of the PsalmsBaptism of the Lord: A Tale of IntimacyJanuary 10: Gregory of NyssaFebruary 2: Candlemas/Presentation of the LordCelibate PassionFebruary 10: ScholasticaGood Old SinAcediaPrideAngerNoonDegeneratesNew Melleray Abbey Liturgy ScheduleChicago: Religion in AmericaThe War on MetaphorMarch 18: Mechtild of MagdeburgApril 2: Mary of EgyptSaved by a Rockette: Easters I Have KnownTriduum: The Three DaysTriduum NotesCinderella in KalamazooThe Virgin Martyrs: Between "Point Vierge" and the "Usual Spring"Minneapolis: Cocktails with Simon TugwellMay 15: Emily DickinsonMaria Goretti: Cipher or Saint?EveningGenesisRoad TripPlaces and Displacement: Rattlesnakes in CyberspaceLearning to Love: Benedictine Women on Celibacy and RelationshipThe Cloister WalkThe GardenThe Church and the SermonJune 9: Ephrem the SyrianSmall Town Sunday MorningAt Last, Her Laundry's DoneDreaming of TreesMonks and WomenJuly 11: Benedict's CaveA Glorious RobeWomen and the Habit: A Not-so-glorious DilemmaThe Gregorian BrainOzGenerationsMonastic ParkAugust 28: AugustineThe Lands of Sunrise and SunsetThe Nursing Home on Sunday AfternoonOne Man's Life"It's a Sweet Life"Coming and Going: Monastic Rituals"The Rest of the Community""The Only City in America"NightAcknowledgments