The Benedictine Order In The U.S.:: An Interpretive History

Father Joel Rippinger's account of monastic life in the United States in the last 150 years is as rich and varied as the Benedictine tradition itself. While individual monasteries and convents have left written records of their own history, Father Rippinger's particular contribution lies in weaving those various strands into their religious, social, political, and cultural context. The resulting synthesis is a valuable addition to the literature not only of the Benedictine Order but also of the Catholic Church in the United States. Illustrated.

Father Joel Rippinger, OSB, is a monk of Marmion Abbey. With graduate degrees in history from the University of Notre Dame and in monastic studies from the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome, he has written extensively on Benedictine history and spirituality for the past forty years. He is the author of The Benedictine Order in the United States: An Interpretive History (Liturgical Press, 1990). He is a long-term member of the editorial board of the American Benedictine Review and a member and past president of the American Benedictine Academy. He continues to serve as formation director and director of oblates at Marmion Abbey and as instructor and faculty/staff chaplain at Marmion Academy in Aurora, Illinois.