Domestic Monastery

Transform Your Everyday Life into a Sacred Space

In Domestic Monastery, bestselling author and spiritual guide Fr. Ronald Rolheiser offers a profound yet practical invitation: discover the sacredness of daily life and find peace, purpose, and grace amidst the chaos of modern living.

Through ten short, insightful chapters, Fr. Rolheiser explores how the principles of monastic life can transform our homes, relationships, and routines into spaces of reflection, prayer, and spiritual growth. Whether you're a parent overwhelmed by the demands of family life, a professional navigating the busyness of work, or simply longing for a deeper connection to God, Domestic Monastery shows how the contemplative wisdom of monasticism can bring meaning and balance to your everyday world.

Let Domestic Monastery show you that a holy and fulfilling life doesn't require a cloister--it begins at home.

Inside This Thoughtful Book, You'll Discover:

• Parallels Between Monastic and Family Life: Learn how parenting and daily duties mirror the self-giving love and discipline of monastic life.
• The Sacredness of Time and Rituals: Find simple, practical ways to infuse your routines with spiritual reflection and intentionality.
• The Value of Powerlessness: Embrace life's limitations as opportunities to surrender, grow, and experience God's grace.
• Inspiration for Every Season of Life: Explore the wisdom of balancing action with contemplation, community with solitude, and love with self-abandonment.

Perfect for parents, caregivers, and anyone seeking solace in the midst of life's demands, Domestic Monastery is a gentle, inspiring guide to cultivating a life of prayer and presence right where you are.

Whether you're looking to deepen your faith, navigate parenting with more grace, or discover beauty in life's smallest moments, Domestic Monastery will uplift and inspire you. This timeless book makes an ideal gift for busy parents, spiritual seekers, and anyone longing for a sense of sacred calm in today's fast-paced world.

“"If ever there was a time when a book like Fr. Ronald Rolheiser's Domestic Monastery was needed, that time is now. With schools closed and many people telecommuting, our domestic churches have become the centers of our world like never before. Parents like me, long removed from the housebound days with very little children, will re-familiarize themselves with what it's like to be at home with our families: no school, no sports, no rehearsals, no trips to the movie theater. I was greeted cheerfully last Friday by my 18-year-old son (my youngest), who'd just learned that he probably won't be back in school until after Easter: "So who's ready to spend the next four weeks with ME?" Domestic Monastery , a mystical yet down-to-earth look at the spirituality of being a parent, will encourage and uplift parents at any stage in their parenting journey. Rolheiser emphasizes that there is nothing "lesser-than" about being a parent, as opposed to being a priest or religious. Instead, he compares the life of a parent to that of a monastic, drawing parallels that focus especially on the self-abandonment necessary in love. Spiritual writers and mystics such as St. John of the Cross provide wisdom, Rolheiser asserts, that is valuable to parents as well as cloistered religious. This little book invites parents to contemplate and appreciate their particular vocation in a new and deeper way. It will also whet the reader's appetite for digging into the works of mystical writers. Domestic Monastery is only 89 pages long, but it took me longer to read than I'd expected. That's because I kept stopping to meditate on a phrase or sentence more deeply. This is a book that a reader can keep coming back to: once you've read it all the way through, keep it handy so you can revisit the pages with quotes. They are excellent journal prompts or prayer starters. Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS, created the painting of the Holy Family that graces the cover of this book. It is striking that there are four figures in this painting: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Holy Spirit. What a beautiful representation of the Family that is the example for all families! If you or someone you know are feeling overwhelmed by the demands of your time, energy, and love that being a parent requires, Domestic Monastery will help you put your situation in perspective in a comforting and engaging way." -- Barbara Szyszkiewicz, CatholicMom.com”

"If ever there was a time when a book like Fr. Ronald Rolheiser's Domestic Monastery was needed, that time is now. Domestic Monastery, a mystical yet down-to-earth look at the spirituality of being a parent, will encourage and uplift parents at any stage in their parenting journey. Rolheiser emphasizes that there is nothing "lesser-than" about being a parent, as opposed to being a priest or religious. Instead, he compares the life of a parent to that of a monastic, drawing parallels that focus especially on the self-abandonment necessary in love. If you or someone you know are feeling overwhelmed by the demands of your time, energy, and love that being a parent requires, Domestic Monastery will help you put your situation in perspective in a comforting and engaging way." --Barbara Szyszkiewicz, CatholicMom.com
"Prayer, for Fr Rolheiser is 'a relationship, a long term one and lives by those rules' (p.43). Pointing out the necessary tension that lies between contemplation and action (as well as that between 'passion and purity, intellect and will, community and individuality', p.55) Fr Rolheiser shows us the 'creative tension' that lies in the path of those who seek a 'Domestic Monastery'. I would not only recommend you buy a copy of this small spiritual classic but that you purchase one as a gift for those friends, colleagues, loved ones and family members who have struggled these past few months to make sense of the impact of the deadly covid virus. This charming little book will, I am sure, bring a lot of healing to a traumatized world. Thank you Fr Rolheiser." -- Peter Tyler, soulpursuit

Rev. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is a theologian, professor, award-winning author, and serves as president of the Oblate School of Theology. A specialist in the fields of spirituality and systematic theology, and a New York Times bestselling author, Fr. Ron writes a weekly column that is featured in more than 70 newspapers worldwide. He is the author of many books, including bestsellers The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire, as well as The Restless Heart, Forgotten Amongst the Lilies, Bruised and Wounded, and Domestic Monastery. He holds Bachelor's degrees from the University of Ottawa and Newman Theological College Edmonton and Master's degrees from the University of San Francisco and University of Louvain, Belgium along with a PhD/STD from the University of Louvain. Apart from his academic knowledge in systematic theology and philosophy, he has become a popular speaker in contemporary spirituality and religion and the secular world.

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