When Silence Speaks

True solitude is a rare experience in today’s busy world. For many people it has negative connotations, but for the Carthusian monks it is a blessing. They have given up everything in order to share in the desert experience of Jesus and to continue the ancient traditions of the Desert Fathers, who searched for God in the realms of silence.

When Silence Speaks uncovers the deep spiritual foundations on which this remarkable and mysterious order of hermits has built for more than nine centuries: solitude and silence, separation and simplicity, contemplation and prayer, asceticism and perseverance. It includes an anthology of the original spiritual literature of the Carthusian tradition, the testimonies of monks who still follow the Carthusian way today, and a selection of photographs that provide a rare window into their world away from the world.

‘To understand what is almost incomprehensible,’ writes author Tim Peeters, ‘we will take a walk with Saint Bruno and the Carthusian monks. We will climb into the high mountains of the Chartreuse massif near Grenoble [in France] where the origins of the order are situated. We will watch over the walls of the monasteries and enter into the cells and the hearts of the monks. And we hope you will taste something of the ultimate goal of this solitary and silent life: God, who speaks when the Carthusian listens and keeps quiet.’

The original Dutch version of this book received the award for Religious Book of the Year in Belgium. It has also been published in French and Italian.