Glory in All Things: Saint Benedict and Catholic Education Today

The Rule of St Benedict of Nursia, composed in the sixth century—a time of social disintegration and political decay—has been an inspiration ever since for those who seek to live the Gospel in community and build up society on the basis of humane virtues and evangelical hope. In Glory in All Things, lifelong educator André Gushurst-Moore shows (perhaps to the surprise of modern people) how even today—nay, especially today—this Rule offers valuable guidance on the means and ends of education, the proper conduct of leaders, the fundamental virtues needed for the happy life, the elements of a well-ordered academic curriculum, the unfolding of one’s vocation in prayer and service, and the ever-bubbling wellsprings of joy in the midst of adversity. Over the centuries, this oldest form of Christian education has touched every facet of European culture and spread far beyond it to the rest of the world. In his timely work, Gushurst-Moore shows that such a model has acquired new urgency as modern schools yield to a monotonous preoccupation with quantitative results while their students meanwhile suffer from existential homelessness, cultural deprivation, anomie, and fear of the future. At a time of crisis in civilization, education, and humanism, St Benedict and his Rule have lost none of their power to enlighten and inspire.

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