Sant'Egidio Book of Prayer

Good basic introduction to building and establishing a daily prayer life by the founder of a community of lay people who work with the poor.

Widely regarded as one of the most important lay ecclesial movements since Vatican II, The Community of Sant'Egidio has worked for over 41 years in loving friendship with the poor and for peace and justice worldwide, but all its labors are born from prayer. This beautiful small volume is the first book of Sant'Egidio about Sant'Egidio and so introduces the reader into not only into the Community's way of prayer but also into knowledge of the Community itself. From its humble beginnings as a gathering of high school students in Rome who met "to pray, to take the Gospel seriously, and to meet the poor" the Community of Sant'Egidio has grown to, among other things, mediate the end of the Mozambican civil war, create the most effective anti-HIV/AIDS program on the African continent, successfully petition the United Nations to pass the moratorium on the death penalty, run Schools of Peace for disadvantaged children living amidst violence, and to humanize the poverty of the elderly by caring for them as beloved family members.Present in over 70 countries, and with growing numbers in the U.S. with communities in such cities as New York, Boston, the Twin Cities, Washington, D.C., South Bend, IN, and Oxford, MS, the Community of Sant'Egidio gathers publicly in prayer and friendship with the poor. For those who are unable to experience prayer with the Community firsthand, this is a lovely volume to pray with daily, as Cardinal Theodore McCarrick writes in his introduction, "it contains so many of the answers to the most vital questions of our lives, because it moves us all along the journey to that Word who is Life itself."

Very enjoyable!

This gives, at last in English, a very good feel for some aspects of the Community of St Egidio originating in Rome, and now having groups in other parts of the world. It is a handy, almost pocket, size compared to the unhelpful tendency for some books to be fairly large paperback versions of library versions !The first part outlines the Community's pilars of belief and action as a recognised Roman Catholic lay community, with an ecumenical and social thrust. Also something of its history, including details of official Roman Catholic Church approbation. It could provide good food for thought for Christian life. The second part gives outlines of the daily evening services used by members. This gives prayers and hymns used, with a particular Christian theme for each day. Christians would find it a very good framework for daily prayer times, both as individuals or in groups. Some will be happy to use the services as they are, but to fill them out, it would be a good idea to prepare and bookmark songs etc. from other parts of the book. Use of some kind of lectionary with Bible readings and Psalms readily included, perhaps with suitable reflection material would also be helpful. For those with ready web access, a visit to the Community's website [...] will also provide the Bible texts and reflections used each day, which are very helpful. The texts for each day, can also be found there, as separate links, and this could be useful as a preview of this part of the book.My one reservation about this book is that it is called "The ... Book of Prayer" and while the first part gives a good background, it is more of a description of the thrust of the Community's way of life and would really be better as a separate book with a suitable title. Only the second half of the book is truly a book of prayer and as a separate book would be half the thickness of the book and therefore more handy for daily use, one way and another. Perhaps the Community and the publishers would consider this for the future, including perhaps publishing the Prayer Book half, in a more robustly, but flexible and light, covered edition for those wanting to carry it around and use it regularly.I believe that there are more books published by, or in relation to, the Community, in other languages, in addition to  Living Together  by Andrea Riccardi, who is one of the founders, and it is to be hoped that some of them will become available in English translations in due course. Living Together