The most moving part of last Saturday, when my book officially went on pre-sale, was being on retreat with the Deacons and their spouses from the Diocese of Sacramento as their music director. Their presenter was Abbot Gregory Polan! That name is a big deal in Benedictine circles. Let me tell you who he is and how he impacted my weekend.

Abbot Gregory Polan is an American Benedictine Monk, scripture scholar, and theologian from Conception Abbey located in Missouri. The monks from Mount Angel and Conception Abbey come from the same motherhouse: Engelberg in Switzerland! He was elected in 1996 as the 9th Abbot of that community and led it for 20 years! In 2016, he was elected at a global congress of abbots in Rome as Abbot Primate, completing the 8-year mandate in that role.

What is an Abbot Primate? The Benedictine Abbot Primate is the elected global representative and servant leader of the Benedictine Confederation, a loose association of autonomous Catholic monasteries following the Rule of Saint Benedict. Pope Leo XIII created the office in 1893 to bring unity to a monastic family he famously called an ordo sine ordine (“an order without order”). The Abbot Primate has no governing authority or jurisdiction over abbeys. Rather, he is the “first among equals” in the Benedictine world.

So by those two paragraphs, he comes with accolades that pop off anyone’s CV. Yet when I met him, he was warm, cordial, and curious about me as a person. We met to talk logistics, and he was filled with humility, kindness, and charity. I was captivated by such a wonderful disciple of Christ.

And then I sat at the piano and heard him speak! Engaging from the first breath to the final question! Abbot Gregory spoke of the psalms found in the Liturgy of the Hours that will be released this upcoming Advent and mandated for use across the English-speaking world beginning on Ash Wednesday 2027. I ate every word up, took rigorous notes, and was moved by the way he spoke about the new translations and how we pray the psalms. It was terribly refreshing to hear him talk about how the psalms address every human emotion within our lives; the psalms are the words of Christ that he prayed every day. The psalms were the very words Mary taught the baby Jesus as she bounced him on her lap!

At the end of the retreat, I asked him to autograph my copy of his work. I was deeply honored.

Why am I sharing this story with you today?

It connects directly to the heart of my debut book. Inside, you will find spaces dedicated entirely to the Psalms—inviting us all to slow down, breathe, and listen together.

When we read these ancient texts carefully, something beautiful happens: we discover a completely new depth in our collective prayer life. The Psalms do not just give us individual words for our deepest personal feelings. Far more importantly, they unite us. They hand a voice to our neighbors, friends, and strangers who are quietly enduring suffering and pain.

By praying the Psalms, we bridge our humanity. We join a global chorus crying out to God together, ensuring no one has to walk or cry alone. I invite you to join our community on this journey and pre-order your copy today. Details below.

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The Upside-Down Kingdom explores the fourth-century Rule of the Benedictine Monastics and shows how it still matters in our digital world. The Rule celebrates its 1500th birthday in the next three years, and while many have reflected on the Rule before, this book stands out by focusing on Mount Angel Abbey in the Pacific Northwest. Through my own stories, I invite you to join me on the hilltop that has shaped my heart to be more compassionate and loving.

These short stories introduce you to the people and place etched into my heart, offering a close look at how the ancient Rule can shape our daily lives and help us build a life guided by community and service.

Early Praise

“It is gratifying for me to be able to endorse this meditation on the Rule of St. Benedict by an oblate of our monastery. Through his long association with our community, Manolito has let himself be formed in his married and professional life by the spirit of St. Benedict. He shares that here in ways that will help others to live by the same spirit in whatever way of life they seek to follow Christ.”

Jeremy Driscoll, OSB, Abbot, Mount Angel Abbey

“This book is an invitation to step away from the busyness of life and enter into both a deeply personal and refreshingly universal reflection on the Rule of St. Benedict at Mount Angel Abbey. The text brings the Abbey to life, utilizes the engaging framework of personal memoir to experience the daily monastic rhythm of prayer and work, while concurrently offering contemporary meditations on the Rule. A beautiful and engaging read.”

Myrna Keough, Professor and Director of Sacred Music, Mount Angel Seminary

Pick up your copy and find new wisdom, a fresh take on an ancient Rule, and see how it can still shape the heart of anyone open to faith.

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Reserve Your Copy

The exclusive pre-sale is open for a very short time. Secure your spot before the doors close on Saturday, August 29 at 12:00 PM.

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