The Lay Cistercian Review is for those who live the Lay Cistercian way, and for those still discerning whether they are called to it and for any, monastic or lay, who share in the Cistercian search for God.

It is meant to be more than a journal: a place for reflection and formation in the Cistercian tradition. Drawing on the heritage of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, it hopes to accompany lay men and women who seek God in the ordinary hours of the day.

In essays, reflections, poetry, artwork, and prayer, the Review turns toward what lies at the center of Cistercian life: silence and prayer, humility and simplicity, work and community. It looks to lay Cistercians, monastic advisors, and scholars to fill these pages out of what they have lived out of Lectio Divina, the Rule of Saint Benedict, and the practices that shape a contemplative life.

The Review also hopes to be a bridge among communities, carrying stories, struggles, and news from one region to another, so that a common vocation may be deepened and no community walk the path alone.

This is what it seeks: to form, and to nurture what God has begun. For Lay Cistercian life is rooted in a monastic tradition centuries old, yet lived fully in the world — in families, in workplaces, among neighbors, wherever God has planted us.

This is a BETA site. Please send suggestions, corrections, or updates to the Lay Cistercian Review