Oneness considers the role monastic life plays within the life of the contemporary church.

Using a focus on the life, practice and history of the Shepherds Law community as a starting point, the book broadens the discussion to consider how such communities negotiate the boundary between the solitary life and life within their community.

With a foreword from Justin Welby and an afterword from Rowan Williams.

Table of Contents:

Foreword by Archbishop Justin Welby

Prologue by Diarmaid MacCulloch

Part 1: Setting the Scene

Introduction - Stephen Platten

1. Religious Communities and Their Citizenship - George Guiver

2. Northumbria’s Long Tradition - Sarah Foot

3. Father William’s Baton - Peta Dunstan

4. Shepherds Law: The Story so Far - Stephen Platten

Part 2: Unfolding the Mystery

1. The Skete - Andrew Louth

2. Francis of Assisi: A Hermit and His Hermitages - Brother Nicholas Alan Worssam SSF

3. The Monastic Sacrament in Life, Liturgy, Saints and Buildings - George Guiver

4. Gregorian Chant and Monastic Life - Dom Xavier Perrin OSB

5. Monastic Architecture and the Building of Shepherds Law: Monastic Life and Architecture - Christopher Irvine and Ralph Pattison

6. Waiting While Running - George Guiver

Afterword by Rowan Williams