A love letter to a community of Trappist monks who provided family when it was needed the most. This warmhearted memoir describes how a small, insecure boy with a vibrant imagination found an unlikely family in the company of monks at Holy Trinity Abbey, in the mountains of rural Latter-day Saint Utah. Struggling with his parents' recent divorce, Michael O'Brien discovered a community filled with warmth, humor, idiosyncrasies, and most of all, listening ears. Filled with anecdotes and delightful "behind the scenes" descriptions of his experiences living alongside the monks as they farmed, prayed, buried their dead, ate, and shared the joys of life, Monastery Mornings speaks to the value of spiritual fatherhood, the lasting impact of positive mentoring, and the stability that the spiritual life can offer to people of all ages and walks of life.

I initiated my book, by giving the title, "Padre", just to designate my life story in the monastery. I added the subtitle, "From the monastery to the forest", to highlight the content of my memoir. As the Abyssinian saying goes, "GuYiY Kab MeWal KiSad MiHaz" (instead of running non stop, better to be on the hill top), as an author I was highly calibrated, with that passion of telling a story. As there is no "Asha Misila", (silly sayings), I was sure enough not to run aimlessly, at the end do nothing. I believed in the short blessing of my father and the recitation of my mother's rosary. If I am here or there it was only for their blessings. Me and Beyene (Padre), lived in the same religious congregation, served the same poor people and committed to the same principles. Beyene was struck by the initial crises, to leave the congregation, at his early age, to joing the liberation front. The year was 1977. I was hit by the mid-crises, to live the life of an immigrant in USA, at the age of 40. The year was 1997. Two crises for two individual brothers, happened at different place and different times. My book presentation could confuse my readers. That was my greatest fear, when I was compiling it, as a book I was trying to make an issue, to everything that had fallen on my eyes. One experience, one battle, one struggle. I wish I would have mentioned, all the names and lives, of all with whom I had direct contact. In my case I was very selective.

Thousands of readers and listeners have benefited from the fatherly wisdom and insight of The Morning Offering, the blog and podcast of Abbot Tryphon of All-Merciful Saviour Monastery, Vashon Island, Washington. Now Abbot Tryphon's reflections on faith and contemporary life have been collected in book form, with one entry for each day of the year. Start your day with The Morning Offering and keep yourself oriented toward Christ all through the day.

For almost two millennia, Christian men and women have banded together to live in devotion to God and humanity. Recent studies have shown that, on average, men and women in Holy Orders are healthier and live longer than the rest of us. What timeless solutions to the things that ail us might we have dismissed in our rush into the modern age? Written by three very modern seekers who visited monastic communities to explore facets of the contemplative life, Wisdom from the Monastery reveals what these lay practitioners found so rewarding and deeply relevant to their lives today. Originally published in Germany as three separate volumes, the U.S. edition combines these major aspects of monastic practice: fasting, healing, and meditation. The book’s warm, engaging tone presents millennia-tested practices of contemplative Christianity free from Church dogma. One need not be Catholic, nor even Christian, to benefit from fasting, herbal and other natural remedies, and profound approaches to prayer, meditation, and silence. Readers learn what characterizes the best monastic communities and discover a sense of the retreat experience as spiritual adventure. Featuring over 100 photographs, daily exercises, personal anecdotes, and fascinating snippets on monastic experience through the ages, Wisdom from the Monastery introduces readers to a cast of remarkable monks and nuns who have chosen lives of renunciation and simplicity. Within these pages, monastic wisdom demonstrates its relevance across millennia and beyond monastery walls.