I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read of for Abbey friend and guest teacher Mícheál ‘Moley’ Ó Súilleabháin’s reflection and poem on Inis Cealtra/Holy Island. Looking out over the majesty of the lake from the Graves of the Leinstermen, I see only one island with pasture or grassland. All other islands on Lough Derg are completely covered in trees. This island, with its proud round tower just visible, is Inis Cealtra, or Holy Island, a magnificent early monastic ruin with a well preserved round tower and the

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Wisdom Council member Michael Moore’s reflection on sanctuary and safe spaces. When I first became acquainted with the Abbey and Christine’s writing; I was a newly retired Air Force Chaplain living in the Florida Panhandle and making my way back into parish ministry after 21 years of active-duty military ministry. When Denise and I were looking for a house one of the important ingredients we wanted in our home was a sense of sanctuary. We found that

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to our Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Jessica Barrett ‘s reflection “How I Bring Contemplative Presence to My Life and Family.” I didn’t used to be this slow. I used to rush through my mornings with a to-do list etched in my mind like scripture—feeding the baby with one hand while replying to emails with the other, brushing my teeth while bouncing a toddler on my hip, guiltily skipping breakfast in favor of coffee and deadlines. There was a time when productivity felt like a

I am delighted to share another beautiful submission to the Monk in the World guest post series from the community. Read on for Janeen R. Adil’s reflection on love inspiring contemplation and action. I was an undergrad when I first read the works of esteemed poet Richard Wilbur. Decades later, the title of one of his poems still resonates with me. As I seek to live as a contemplative monk in the world, the title’s words land as a sort of rallying cry: “Love Calls Us to the Things of This World.” The deeper I’ve been led into my Christian