Monasteries

Traditionally places of solitude and contemplation, many of the 200 monasteries in the United States are now open to the general public for meditation, prayer, and work, and funded by voluntary donations. Presented in travelogue fashion, Monasteries features Christian author Jim Murphy offering an overview of seven different types of monastic communities (with contact information for each): Dormition of the Mother of God (Romanian) Orthodox Monastery (MI); St. Augustine's House Lutheran Community (MI); Assumption Abbey Trappist Monastery (in the Ozark Mountains); St. Meinrad Archabbey (IN); Franciscan Sisters' Monastery of St. Clare (IN); Holy Trinity, a new Benedictine monastery in Arizona for priests, sisters, brothers, and retired folks; folk rock singer John Michael Talbot's Little Portion Hermitage (AR); and a hermitage within Madonna House in northern Ontario, Canada. The program concludes with Murphy's observation that people have always sought God and His peace, urging those who cannot partake of the monastic experience to “take time for prayer or silence.” DVD extras include four short biblical teaching segments by Murphy. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Reed)