The Cistercian Way (Cistercian Studies Series #76) [Paperback]

Andre Louf (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 157 pages
• Publisher: Cistercian Publications (February 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879079762
• ISBN-13: 978-0879079765
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent overview of contemporary Cistercian life, July 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cistercian Way (Cistercian Studies Series #76) (Paperback)

Thomas Merton is the writer who comes automatically to mind when one thinks of the Cistercian Order, and while his books perhaps show greater spiritual depth than Louf's (which is probably an unfair comparison), it must be remembered that Merton is describing Trappist life as it was before and just after Vatican 2, many years ago. Dom Andre Louf's book is a brilliant, compact and beautiful overview of contemporary Cistercian life and will serve as an outstanding introduction to this way of life and devotion to God. Although each Cistercian monastery has its own character and differences, Louf is a very insightful writer and has a gift for describing what is a rather alien way of life to the modern world in simple, beautiful language. I read it in a Trappist monastery, which only made it better. Highly recommended!

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired Introduction to the Trappist Vocation, October 29, 1999

By 

Julian Kerrell-Vaughan (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cistercian Way (Cistercian Studies Series #76) (Paperback)

Dom Andre Louf, former Abbot of the Cistercian Abbey of Mont-des-Cats on the Franco-Belgian border, is a well-known spiritual writer, and especially within his own religious order.

The Cistercian Way is a seductive book, as indeed all books that talk of vocation to the religious life should be. "I shall seduce his heart and lead him into the desert" we read in the Old Testament. Movingly evoking the specifically Trappist vocation to follow God, Dom Andre redresses the several false notions that persist, even within the Church, about life as a Trappist. He writes with great truth that 'there is no reason why simplicity should mean ugliness...' Both for the man or woman who is considering life as a Cistercian, and for anyone seeking to understand more about Cistercian spirituality and direction, Dom Andre's book is an excellent starting point, and one to which one will always feel drawn to return.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Guide, October 4, 2005

By 

Billyjack D'Urberville (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cistercian Way (Cistercian Studies Series #76) (Paperback)

Abbot Louf's book is a succinct, clearly written exposition of all major aspects of Cistercian life and spirituality as it presently exists. Lucid and thoughtful, Louf deliberately and in an orderly fashion imparts the 1,000 year old tradition of the order founded by Saint Bernard in the 11th century, without getting bogged down in historical details or side issues. Absolutely authoritative without being at all polemical, richly informative without being colorful or showy, Louf's writing in itself conveys the root of his order's austere and durable charism. It is an essential guide and the best single volume available on its subject. A short but relevant set of photographs gives his teaching a resonant and striking contemporary dimensionality. If one is visiting the Cistercians for the first time or has visited them for decades, your experience will be solidly enriched and reinforced by this book.