Book of Prayers a surprise best-seller

A small book of prayers produced by monks at an Irish abbey has soared close to the top of the best-seller list.

It has so far reached number four in Irish best-seller lists, and its popularity is still rising.

The prayers come from Glenstal Abbey, run by the Benedictine order of the Roman Catholic Church in Co Limerick.

The editor, Father Simon Steven, said ‘‘The idea came from one of our senior monks here, Father Peter, who runs the shop. He said we should produce a prayer book of our own as others were ‘running out of the shop’.

‘‘I formed a committee and we spent a year planning this publication.

‘‘I think there are a couple of reasons why it has sold so well. First of all, it provides an ingredient for people’s spiritual life which is not readily available and also there is a gap in the market.

‘‘It answers a need people feel today. A lot of people are disillusioned with the formal religious diet they are fed and still have that hunger for meaning and value in their lives.

‘‘This prayer book has come at an apposite time to meet those needs.’’

Father Steven said the book had been produced in a small form so that it could be carried around in handbags and be readily available.

‘‘It was essential that the book should be small and open in your hand. I suppose the next thing is a companion edition on how to pray to accompany this. That will be the next project, we hope.’’