2025 Book Club on The Radical Christian Life: A Year with Saint Benedict by Joan Chittister

Looking for more this year? Join this one-of-a-kind, 10-month, global monastery dialogue on The Radical Christian Life. Led by Benedictine sister Mary Ellen Plumb and spiritual seeker Katie Gordon, they will offer monthly intergenerational, cross-vocational reflections on living the radical Christian life both within and beyond the monastery. 

Why are you called to this monastic, counter-cultural path? What meaning do Benedict’s miracles bear on your life? How does friendship inspire your spirituality, or justice challenge your faith? Join us as we reflect on these questions and more, guided by Sister Joan’s telling of the stories of Benedict. 

In this 10-month journey, experience nine Zoom Gatherings with space for reflection, storytelling, and small group discussions. On a different theme of Benedict’s life each month, this book club will ground you in our 1,500-year old “tradition that transforms,” and encourage you to look anew at how we live today. Join the conversation with fellow seekers across our global community like no other.  

Monthly Zoom Gatherings from February - November 2025
Fourth Thursdays of the month at 6:30 - 8:00pm EST
Recordings of Zooms will be provided each month 

Getting the Book
Please note: you must purchase the book separately from book club registration. Purchasing the book is encouraged but not required for this eCourse. The book has daily reflections as well as monthly stories, offering much to guide you beyond the Zoom Gatherings. The book will be available at a 20% off discount at JoanChittister.org but is currently out-of-stock there. It is also available in print as well as eBook/Kindle format from the publisher and third party websites (Liturgical Press). 

What the $80 supports
Our online monastery is entirely supported by the income from eCourses like this one, as well as by generous donors who give monthly or annually. We know that this might seem like a steep cost, but it goes a long ways to ensure we are able to offer formative and free monastic practices all year long! What you get for the $80 registration is over 14 hours of meaningful conversation throughout the year, during nine monthly gatherings, each time getting to know the stories of seekers who like yourself desire to live deeply and faithfully. From previous book club feedback, we know that the sense of community built in these virtual conversations are priceless. Scholarships available in certain cases.

Dates of Zoom Gatherings (each at 6:30-8pm ET):
Feb 27; March 27; April 24; May 22; June 26; July 24; August is off; Sept 25; Oct 23; Nov 20 

About the facilitators:

Katie Gordon is a spiritual seeker who has spent much of her life and work building co-creative communities for those who are “spiritual but not religious.” Previously, she worked with Nuns & Nones, the Formation Project, and in interfaith organizing. She is most inspired by Benedict as a model of “living otherwise” today, and attempts to translate the Christian monastic tradition for younger generations through her teaching and writing. 

Mary Ellen Plumb, OSB has been a Benedictine Sister of Erie for 50 years, and spent much of her professional life in secondary education, teaching, counseling, and coordinating campus ministry. She has also worked in the Erie Benedictine community ministry as director of initial monastic formation, liturgy, and the Oblate program. She is most inspired by Benedict because he is such an authentic seeker empowering us to fully embrace the monastic way of life.