“Thomas Berry’s wisdom deserves to be widely known and appreciated. Kathleen Deignan’s careful selections from his writings provides a luminous context for this to happen. This Book of Hours is a singular feast for meditation and enrichment that is nothing short of transformative.”—Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-author, Thomas Berry: A Biography

“We come here to begin to relieve an ancient wrong. We wish especially to restore to this Earth its ancient joy. For while much of what we have done is beyond healing, there is a resilience throughout the land that only awaits its opportunity to flourish once again with something of its ancient splendor.”  —Thomas Berry

This Book of Hours offers a unique encounter with the spirituality of Thomas Berry, a Passionist priest, ecological prophet, and self-described “geologian,” who recounted the “universe story,” described our place in the earth community, and defined the “great work” before of us: to develop an Ecozoic consciousness capable of sustaining life on this planet. Following the format of previous breviaries, drawn from the work of Teilhard de Chardin and Thomas Merton, this Book of Hours is arranged under themes divided into Eight days. Each day includes prayers, hymns, and readings for the four parts of the day: Dawn, Day, Dusk, and Dark.

Kathleen Deignan, CND, PhD, is a sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame, a teaching theologian, and founder of the Deignan Institute for Earth and Spirit at Iona College. A student of Thomas Berry while studying at Fordham University, she is a convener of the Thomas Berry Forum for Ecological Dialogue and a GreenFaith Fellow engaged in interfaith environmental leadership. President Emerita of the International Thomas Merton Society, her books include Thomas Merton: A Book of Hours and (as co-editor), Teilhard de Chardin: A Book of Hours.

 Cover design: Michael Calvente