Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life

Ten years ago, Wilkes published one of the seminal works on the value lessons that monastic life holds for modern, secular life: Beyond the Walls. Over the course of one year, he made monthly trips to the brothers at Mepkin Abbey. During each visit he focused on a particular aspect of monastic life, and each month s visit comprises a chapter of this book.

In this Tenth Anniversary Edition of the classic work, author Paul Wilkes has added his own original, full-color photography and a new Introduction. Each chapter opens with a description of Wilkes' physical visit to the monastery, which he uses to lead into difficult explorations of issues such as faith, prayer, community, and discernment.

Each chapter closes as Wilkes searches for the proper ways to integrate what he learned during his time at the Abbey into his life as a father, husband, teach, writer, and lay minister. He uses monastic wisdom to speak to the journey of faith itself, letting readers discover their own path "beyond the walls."