The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life by Joan Chittister is the introductory resource for this new movement. Sister Joan, a spiritual leader of our times, draws on her lived experience as a Benedictine as well as her years of studying, writing and speaking on the Rule of Benedict. In this text, she distills from that ancient Rule its essential values. Her purpose? To make the Benedictine way of life accessible to all seekers who desire to live a “monastic life” in the midst of the modern world.

Each chapter of the book addresses an essential aspect of Benedictine life. It traces its historical significance and then suggests how this value is relevant in the new Monastery of the Heart.

Getting started is simple. Get the book, The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life and the study guide that accompanies it. Excerpts from the first three chapters and the complete study guide are available here (You must be a registered member to access the study guide.) Find a few people who share your spiritual search and begin.

Monasteries of the Heart is a movement for people of all ages and ways of life who are drawn to a God-centered life. Groups of 6 to 12 members will probably gain the most from Monasteries of the Heart and we encourage you to meet at least once a month. Where can you form Monasteries of the Heart groups?

• online
• families
• neighborhoods
• parishes
• college campuses
• book clubs
• prisons
• intentional communities
• in you