Abbey Editions, the imprint of the monks of Clear Creek, has just republished The Spiritual Life and Prayer According to Holy Scripture and Monastic Tradition by Mother Abbess Cécile Bruyère. This is a newly typeset edition based on the first English edition of 1900.
Softcover, 304 pages, 6 x 9 inches.
The Spiritual Life and Prayer explores monastic spirituality and prayer, deeply rooted in the Scriptures and monastic tradition. Mother Abbess aims not to satisfy the reader’s curiosity but to increase “in souls, even in this world, the desire of union with God, for the glory of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, who will be the object of their contemplation for all eternity.” She treats in these pages the nature of prayer, the transforming power of grace, and the place of the liturgy and our Lady in the spiritual life.
About the Author:
Mother Abbess Cécile Bruyère (1845–1909) was the first abbess of St. Cecilia’s Abbey in Solesmes, France. She was deeply influenced by Dom Prosper Guéranger, the founder of Solesmes Abbey and a key figure in the revival of Benedictine spirituality. With his support, she established the first women’s house within the French Benedictine Congregation in 1866, dedicated to Saint Cecilia. At just 24 years old, she was appointed abbess by Pope Pius IX in 1870. Mother Cécile was a remarkable spiritual guide and contributed significantly to Benedictine traditions, including the re-establishment of the office of abbess and the consecration of virgins. Her teachings emphasized the importance of the liturgy in the spiritual life. Her community faced exile in England due to anti-religious laws but eventually returned to Solesmes, where she was reburied in 1921.
