Stead Julian

Julian Stead, OSB, a Benedictine monk and priest of St. Gregory's Abbey, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, has written Saint Benedict: A Rule for Beginners, as well as numerous articles on practical spirituality. He was born in Oxford, England of American parents and moved to Baltimore, Maryland in his youth. As a Benedictine, Fr. Julian has lived in Washington, D.C., Rome, Oxford and Scotland. Throughout his years in Portsmouth he has taught dogmatic theology, philosophy, and was novice master; he was also visiting lecturer in patristics at Providence College and Downside Abbey, England. He has published numerous books and articles.

His popular work: Saint Benedict: A Rule For Beginners (2nd Edition), Selected Spiritual Writings shows the applicability of the Rule of Saint Benedict to the lives of individuals and of society in the 21st century. After a comprehensive introduction and some selected passages of Gregory the Great’s Life of Saint Benedict, Father Julian presents excerpts of the Rule, intertwining his own commentary. For monks and nuns already following the Rule, this book can be a rediscovery of Benedict’s message in the context of their own vocations. For laypeople, it sheds light on how to live their daily commitment to the gospel.