Basil Pennington
Encyclopedia
Dom
M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O.
(1931–2005) was a Trappist
monk and priest. He was a leading Roman Catholic spiritual writer, speaker, teacher, and director. He received a licentiate in Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) and a licentiate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University
. Pennington became known internationally as one of the major proponents of the Centering Prayer
movement begun at St. Joseph's Abbey
in Spencer, Massachusetts, during the 1970s.
Pennington's book Centering Prayer was first published in 1980, and had sold more than a million copies by 2002. Translations of this work have been published in Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, and Italian.
at St. Joseph's Abbey in June 1951. At St. Joseph's Abbey, he was appointed professor of Theology in 1959, professor of Canon Law and professor of Spirituality in 1963, and Vocation Director in 1978. In 2000, he was appointed Superior at Assumption Abbey in Ava, Missouri
, and later that same year, he was elected Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia
. He returned to St. Joseph's Abbey after retiring in 2002. He died on June 3, 2005, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
, from injuries sustained from a car accident.
McGinn
wrote that Pennington "not only wrote effectively about centering prayer, but he also traveled across the United States and the world spreading the practice through lectures and workshops. The renewal of contemplative prayer in the last decades of the twentieth century owes much to these efforts."
In Pennington's obituary, McGinn
stated that "For those who never met Basil Pennington, reading the published form of the journal he kept during [a visit to Mount Athos
] will provide a good sense of the man in all his humanity and irrepressible goodwill."
Dom (title)
Dom is a title of respect prefixed to the given name. It derives from Latin Dominus.It is used in English for certain Benedictine and Carthusian monks, and for members of certain communities of Canons Regular. Examples include Benedictine monks of the English Benedictine Congregation...
M. Basil Pennington, O.C.S.O.
Trappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
(1931–2005) was a Trappist
Trappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
monk and priest. He was a leading Roman Catholic spiritual writer, speaker, teacher, and director. He received a licentiate in Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) and a licentiate in Canon Law at the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
. Pennington became known internationally as one of the major proponents of the Centering Prayer
Centering prayer
Centering prayer is a popular method of contemplative prayer or Christian meditation, placing a strong emphasis on interior silence.Though most authors trace its roots to the contemplative prayer of the Desert Fathers of early Christian monasticism, to the Lectio Divina tradition of Benedictine...
movement begun at St. Joseph's Abbey
St. Joseph's Abbey
- External links :* .*...
in Spencer, Massachusetts, during the 1970s.
Pennington's book Centering Prayer was first published in 1980, and had sold more than a million copies by 2002. Translations of this work have been published in Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, and Italian.
Life
Pennington entered the Order of Cistercians of the Strict ObservanceTrappists
The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance , or Trappists, is a Roman Catholic religious order of cloistered contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict...
at St. Joseph's Abbey in June 1951. At St. Joseph's Abbey, he was appointed professor of Theology in 1959, professor of Canon Law and professor of Spirituality in 1963, and Vocation Director in 1978. In 2000, he was appointed Superior at Assumption Abbey in Ava, Missouri
Ava, Missouri
Ava is the only incorporated city in Douglas County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,993 at the 2010 census. Ava is the county seat of Douglas County. The city was founded in 1871 and was named Ava in 1881 after being renamed from the town's original name, Militia...
, and later that same year, he was elected Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia
Conyers, Georgia
Conyers is the only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, USA. It is twenty-four miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,689. Census estimates of 2005 indicate a population of 12,205. The city is the county seat of Rockdale County. By 2009, the reported population was...
. He returned to St. Joseph's Abbey after retiring in 2002. He died on June 3, 2005, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Feast of the Sacred Heart
The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a feast in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. It falls 19 days after Pentecost, on a Friday. The earliest possible date is 29 May, as in 1818 and 2285...
, from injuries sustained from a car accident.
McGinn
Bernard McGinn (theologian)
Bernard McGinn is a theologian, historian, and scholar of spirituality, affiliated with the University of Chicago, where he is Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on...
wrote that Pennington "not only wrote effectively about centering prayer, but he also traveled across the United States and the world spreading the practice through lectures and workshops. The renewal of contemplative prayer in the last decades of the twentieth century owes much to these efforts."
In Pennington's obituary, McGinn
Bernard McGinn (theologian)
Bernard McGinn is a theologian, historian, and scholar of spirituality, affiliated with the University of Chicago, where he is Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and of the History of Christianity in the Divinity School and the Committees on Medieval Studies and on...
stated that "For those who never met Basil Pennington, reading the published form of the journal he kept during [a visit to Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
] will provide a good sense of the man in all his humanity and irrepressible goodwill."