Brother Paul Quenon, who was inspired to write by his mentor Thomas Merton, says “the purpose of the monastic life in the modern world is to show that we don’t need a purpose. The purpose of life is life.” More →

May 6, 2011

An acclaimed new movie shows that a monastery is “at once a refuge and a very integral part of the world,” says Jesuit priest James Martin, and that “the life of faith is not without doubt.” More →

April 8, 2011

“Deep down there is only one faith that all human beings have, and that is deep trust in life.” More →

November 19, 2010

The New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care is training chaplains, caregivers, and health care professionals in how to listen to patients and lighten the burden of their suffering. More →

November 12, 2010

“As the mind becomes a little more quiet the sacredness of everything, within and without, becomes clear,” says Norman Fischer, who has been teaching meditation for more than thirty years. More →

June 25, 2010

Tom and Kitty Stoner started the TKF Foundation in Annapolis, Maryland, to create green sanctuaries that would “offer a temporary place of sanctuary, encourage reflection, provide solace, and engender peace.” We visited some of the foundation’s faith-based partners in Baltimore to talk to them about how sacred places serve their communities. More →

June 10, 2010

Read excerpts from THOMAS MERTON: A LIFE IN LETTERS: The Essential Collection edited by Willam H. Shannon and Christian M. Bochen (HarperOne, 2008): November 10, 1958 …It seems to me that, as a contemplative, I do not need to lock … More →

June 4, 2009