The Hawk and the Dove
9 total works
A leader is making his way home. A priory has been torched. And now an enemy is knocking at the door.Prior William has caused a lot of pain in his time and is known for being an evil man. So when his own priory is burned to the ground and he seeks refuge with the brothers of St. Alcuin, everyone is quite uncomfortably surprised.The newly installed Abbot John faces the first challenge of his leadership as the brothers debate about mercy and justice, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears in coming face-to-face with a real enemy. After all, is it not positively ludicrous to invite a wolf in to live with the sheep? Yet, where is the beauty of the gospel without the risk of its grace?Penelope Wilcock takes us on an imaginative journey into a world rife with hostility and pain, exploring the complexities of grace, the difficulties of forgiveness, and the cautions of building trust. Her intimate knowledge of the human spirit will challenge our very own prejudices as we, along with her characters, are forced to ask ourselves, "What is the hardest thing to do, and will anyone actually do it?"
An awful crime has been committed. A leader is shaken to the core. And together the brotherhood looks toward the dawn of restoration.Abbot John never knew he could feel this way--utterly empty, dazed, breakable. The agony of his soul felt as though the whole of him were racked ...stretched ...stretched ...stretched to breaking, to the brink of tearing apart. Having just learned of an unthinkable family tragedy, the enormity of pain was more than he could bear. How could this have happened? What could he possibly do?As heartache and suffering linger like a cold, dark night, the brothers of St. Alcuin undertake the greatest task of nurturing the grace of God in their souls as they eagerly await the coming dawn of healing and hope.The Hour before Dawn explores the aftermath of trauma--the space between suffering and restoration--helping readers understand the grieving process and nurture an attitude of understanding and kindness.
Father William knew something was changing deep within him. He felt it-from his belly, from his from his heart, from his soul-the reality of what was streaming forth unchecked. There was no denying it. This was love. Yet Father William has more to worry about than simply upholding his vows to God, to the brothers of St. Alcuin, and to Abbot John. The brotherhood is running out of money and Father William must decide whether or not to take matters into his own hands. Seasoned author Penelope Wilcock unlocks the story of one man's struggles, mistakes, and heart's longings, and traces the possibility of what it means to get things wrong and to begin again.
Madeleine Hazell and William de Bulmer have been married a year.
She is a healer, a wise woman, practical, intelligent and blunt. He is not only an ex-monk, but an ex-abbot, a man accustomed to authority, a gifted administrator, at home with figures - but less capable in such matters as shutting up chickens for the night. They are deeply, irrevocably in love. And every conversation may become a battlefield that leaves both wounded and resentful.
When the aged monk who served as cellarer dies, Father John, the Abbot of nearby St Alcuin's Abbey, finds himself critically short-handed. Who will handle the rents? The provisions? He is a gifted infirmarian, a capable leader, but estate management is beyond his competence. With a sense of rising panic he turns to his friend, the man who renounced his vows for love, the former Father William - only to find that his own pastoral skills may be required in matters matrimonial.
She is a healer, a wise woman, practical, intelligent and blunt. He is not only an ex-monk, but an ex-abbot, a man accustomed to authority, a gifted administrator, at home with figures - but less capable in such matters as shutting up chickens for the night. They are deeply, irrevocably in love. And every conversation may become a battlefield that leaves both wounded and resentful.
When the aged monk who served as cellarer dies, Father John, the Abbot of nearby St Alcuin's Abbey, finds himself critically short-handed. Who will handle the rents? The provisions? He is a gifted infirmarian, a capable leader, but estate management is beyond his competence. With a sense of rising panic he turns to his friend, the man who renounced his vows for love, the former Father William - only to find that his own pastoral skills may be required in matters matrimonial.
'Even in the darkest moments of the story, hope tarries in the wings. A wonderful writer, a wonderful read.' Liz Curtis Higgs, New York Times bestselling author
'Wonderfully insightful, with a rich historical storyline. There's more substantial content here than in much Christian fiction - about grace, about leadership and loyalty, about humility, about disability and suffering.' FaithfulReader.com
The Hawk And The Dove is the opening title in this a series centred around the fictional Benedictine monastery of St Alcuin's, in Yorkshire, and set in the fourteenth century.
At the start of the first novel Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot, at the age of 45. Father Peregrine, whose name in religion is Columba, is an arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove, whose struggles to manifest the character he considers to be expected of an abbot provide much of the narrative.
Peregrine is surrounded by a company of flawed, human monks who are - for the most part - also serious about their calling, and who - again for the most part - come to love their driven and hard-driving leader. They lived six centuries ago, yet their struggles are our own-finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.
'Wonderfully insightful, with a rich historical storyline. There's more substantial content here than in much Christian fiction - about grace, about leadership and loyalty, about humility, about disability and suffering.' FaithfulReader.com
The Hawk And The Dove is the opening title in this a series centred around the fictional Benedictine monastery of St Alcuin's, in Yorkshire, and set in the fourteenth century.
At the start of the first novel Father Peregrine is appointed Abbot, at the age of 45. Father Peregrine, whose name in religion is Columba, is an arrogant, impatient man, a hawk trying hard to be a dove, whose struggles to manifest the character he considers to be expected of an abbot provide much of the narrative.
Peregrine is surrounded by a company of flawed, human monks who are - for the most part - also serious about their calling, and who - again for the most part - come to love their driven and hard-driving leader. They lived six centuries ago, yet their struggles are our own-finding our niche; coping with failure; living with impossible people; and discovering that we are the impossible ones.
The monastic rhythm of life at St Alcuins means that all is peaceful on the surface, but beneath there are strong currents as each monk contends with his own hopes, fears, challenges, and temptations. Not every monk is settled and secure. Sadness permeates the monastery when it is discovered early one morning that one of the novices, Brother Cedd, has disappeared. It quickly becomes clear that disturbance in the life of one can impact many. As the day goes on, the question looms: will Brother Cedd return? And what will be the consequences if he doesn't? In this moving conclusion to The Hawk and the Dove series, Pen Wilcock describes a single day in the life of the community weaving a deeply touching, frank, and witty tapestry of monastic life.
14th century Yorkshire: the time of Chaucer. Peregrine, strong and beloved abbot of St Alcuin's monastery, suffers a stroke. Now incapacitated, he begins an arduous recovery with the help of his brothers in the infirmary. Brother Tom, the young monk closest to him, is horrified by the suffering Peregrine's illness has inflicted. He keeps his distance, out of his depth. How will he find the courage to make this demanding journey of vulnerability with his friend? How will they communicate, now Peregrine can no longer speak? How will Tom respond to the terrible, secret promise his abbot asks him to make? In this journey to the depths of humanity, the two men discover together the treasures of darkness and the intimate mystery of compassion. Engaging and beautifully written, warm and haunting, The Long Fall concludes the first trilogy in The Hawk and the Dove series. Peregrine, the strong and dearly loved leader of the community of St Alcuin's monastery, suffers a stroke. Badly incapacitated, he begins an arduous recovery with the help of his brothers in the infirmary. Brother Tom, the young monk closest to him, is horrified by the suffering Peregrine's illness has inflicted. He keeps his distance, out of his depth. How will he find enough courage to make this demanding journey of vulnerability with his friend? How can they communicate now Peregrine can no longer speak? How will Tom respond to the terrible, secret promise his abbot asks him to make? In this journey to the depths of humanity, the two men discover together the treasures of darkness, the intimate mystery of compassion.
'What a delight a first-time reader of the series has ahead of them!' Donna Fletcher Crow
At the end of The Hawk and the Dove Father Peregrine is horribly injured in an attack originating from his previous life as a nobleman, before his calling to the monastic way.
Now, badly crippled, he finds himself humbled to request assistance of his fellow monks in the simplest task. Nevertheless the old indomitable spirit burns brightly. When he is asked to contribute to a conference on justice he finds himself ranged against the formidable Prior William.
The intrigues of monastic life can test the strongest: and Peregrine is no longer strong.
At the end of The Hawk and the Dove Father Peregrine is horribly injured in an attack originating from his previous life as a nobleman, before his calling to the monastic way.
Now, badly crippled, he finds himself humbled to request assistance of his fellow monks in the simplest task. Nevertheless the old indomitable spirit burns brightly. When he is asked to contribute to a conference on justice he finds himself ranged against the formidable Prior William.
The intrigues of monastic life can test the strongest: and Peregrine is no longer strong.
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In honor of nearly twenty years in print, and in the midst of three new volumes in the series, Crossway is rereleasing this classic trilogy, redesigning the cover and retypesetting the interior. Set in a medieval monastery and following the lives of the brothers of St. Alcuin, this three-in-one package consists of books 1 -- 3: The Hawk and the Dove, The Wounds of God, and The Long Fall.While the characters belong to another century, their struggles are our own--finding one's place, coping with failure, living with impossible people, and changing when we realize that we are the impossible ones. Rich with imagery and emotion, their tales depict love in action and love given in the most trying of circumstances.Penelope Wilcock takes a course that far too many Christian fiction writers never dare to take--writing a love story about God and man, and love between brothers in Christ rather than the typical romance between man and woman. A true ministry to the lonely of heart, Wilcock's captivating tales of monastic life reflects the timeless human struggle of people learning to love God and to receive his grace.