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A 1,500-year-old self-help program that still works?

People today are desperate to obtain happiness and joy, as the $11 billion strong self-help industry suggests. Everyday life is no doubt stressful for both young and old, who have found peace fleeting, happiness unattainable and joy unfulfilled. It is in that context that Father Augustine Wetta, a monk of Saint Louis Abbey, writes HUMILITY RULES, a modern-day translation of the short book of rules that St. Benedict famously wrote 1,500 years ago and which was adopted in monasteries worldwide.
A 1,500-year-old self-help program that still works?
Religion News LLC

SAN FRANCISCO – People today are desperate to obtain happiness and joy, as the $11 billion strong self-help industry suggests. Everyday life is no doubt stressful for both young and old, who have found peace fleeting, happiness unattainable and joy unfulfilled. It is in that context that Father Augustine Wetta, a monk of Saint Louis Abbey, writes HUMILITY RULES, a modern-day translation of the short book of rules that St. Benedict famously wrote 1,500 years ago and which was adopted in monasteries worldwide.

A juggler and surfer by nature, Fr. Augustine speaks directly to today’s overworked, underappreciated, and generally distracted population that is yearning for that something more in life. He artfully breaks down Saint Benedict’s twelve-step method of “The Ladder of Humility” into short, easily digestible chapters.

HUMILITY RULES can be read in an hour and utilizes both reverence and humor, is illustrated with reimagined reproductions of classical monastic art, and is enriched with stories and anecdotes from the author’s 20 years of ministry to high school students.


The messages are simple and relevant to today’s young Christians and Catholics, and are the antidote to clichés of “follow your dreams” and “learn to love yourself first” of today’s get-happy-quick culture. HUMILITY RULES offers an engaging take on 5th century rules for monks and points readers to real solutions on how to obtain true humility, not cheap substitutes.

Readers are able to put into action what they learn in HUMILITY RULES with short homework assignments, everything from cleaning a toilet to skip watching their favorite show this week to letting someone interrupt them without protest, and work towards obtaining humility.

“With warmth, wit and honesty, HUMILITY RULES presents a fascinating window into the way of the monk, showing how St. Benedict’s wisdom enables us to find freedom in Christ wherever we make our home,” said Dawn Eden, author of Remembering God’s Mercy. “The depth of this book’s spirituality makes it an engaging introduction to the Benedictine way for readers of any age.”

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For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Fr. Augustine Wetta:

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