A Day in the Life ... of a Monk

For most people, the only monks they come across are in Brother Cadfael or The Name of the Rose, and the only signs that they once existed are the ruined abbeys and priories that dot the English landscape, and the survival of their titles in place names, from Abbey Road to Zeal Monachorum.

It often comes as a surprise to learn that they are also real people, living and working in the twenty-first century. For there are still monasteries of monks and nuns in England, most of them belonging to the Roman Catholic Church, all of them witnessing to God by their life of prayer and by a rich variety of works including teaching, running parishes, giving retreats, creating beautiful objects like stained glass and ceramics, and inspiring others with uplifting music and worship.

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