Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., has a new book, published by Sophia Institute Press, The Hidden Power of Silence in the Mass: A Guide for Encountering Christ in the Liturgy. It is his fifth book and was released in April. Father Boniface serves as director of spiritual formation for Saint Vincent Seminary as well as director of the Seminary’s Institute for Ministry Formation (IMF). The book retails for $18.95 and is available on the Archabbey Publications online store, www.stvincentstore.com, as well as on other online sites.
Sophia Institute Press notes that in this book, “Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., reveals how you can actively listen and open yourself to receive God’s personal love for you in the Mass, where our Lord waits to quench your deepest longing and heal your wounds. Drawing from the wisdom of the saints, modern-day spiritual giants, and his own penetrating reflections, you will learn how to quiet your mind, stretch your heart, and become childlike in the sense of experiencing the sacred mysteries with wonder and awe.
“The Mass, as most Catholics are aware, consists of words and gestures through which the Church worships the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. But as far fewer Catholics know, the periods of silence are more than pauses or empty spaces, as Father Hicks explains. They are beautifully textured with prescribed prayers spoken quietly by the priest, meaningful images such as incense and chalice veils, and expectant faith ready to surrender or receive from God in particular ways. Learning how to attune our hearts to these silences can greatly increase the fruitfulness of our reception of grace at Mass.
“In these soul-enriching pages, you will explore the various textures of silence in general, the ways in which silence affects your interior life, and how silence can draw you into more intimate prayer. You will also find:
“How our Lady is the supreme model on how to cultivate active and receptive silence;
“The secret to settling slowly into silence, relaxing, and entering into an inner dialogue with God;
“Tips on how to commune with God in your heart and on practicing lectio divina;
“What Saint Benedict teaches on developing silence in prayer, speech, activities, and thoughts.
“Father Hicks further guides you through each of the nine silent (secreto) prayers of the priest, the silent gestures in the Mass, such as the use of incense and the unveiling of the chalice, and the intentional periods of silence, including during the Liturgy of the Word and after receiving Holy Communion.”
In his endorsement for the book, Father Tom Acklin, O.S.B., notes that “criticism of the celebration of the contemporary Roman Eucharistic liturgy is that it becomes an almost unbroken flow or a barrage of spoken and sung words. In this excellent book in which he truly shares his heart, Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., evokes the silence that is the ground of possibility of the spoken word and all physical noise, and especially the divine silence, which is the possibility of any interior word and interior listening. Father Boniface shows not only where silence is provided and intended in the Roman Rite but how to pray in silence.”
“Catholics have too long emphasized the adornments of the Mass while backgrounding its essence,” wrote Mike Aquilina, author of The Mass of the Early Christians.
“Father Boniface skillfully connects the realities that are present in the various aspects of silence in the Mass with the ache of every human heart,” Sister Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T., wrote.
“…it is in these silent depths that we discover the communion we so desperately long for, satisfied by the loving embrace of the Trinity and uniting us to one another as we experience a taste of Heaven on earth,” wrote Sister Alicia Torres, F.E., who is on the executive team of the National Eucharistic Revival.
“Were silence simply an absence of noise or sound, perhaps such a treatment of the topic wouldn’t be necessary,” noted Christopher Carstens, Office for Sacred Worship, Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin. “But liturgical silence—true, authentic, positive—is anything but a void. Indeed, as Father Boniface shows, silence reveals God Himself so that we may encounter Him most profoundly.”
Calling the book a significant contribution to Eucharistic revival, Most Rev. Aleander K. Sample, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Portland, stated, “I have long believed that priests, deacons, lay ecclesial ministers, and the faithful need to enter more deeply and reverently into the mystery we celebrate in the Eucharistic sacrifice. Father Hicks’s profound reflections on the various moments in the celebration of the Mass will certainly help us do that.”
Father Boniface co-authored, along with Father Thomas Acklin, O.S.B., two books. They are Spiritual Direction: A Guide for Sharing the Father’s Love (2017), and Personal Prayer: A Guide for Receiving the Father’s Love (2020), both published by Emmaus Road Publishing, Steubenville, Ohio. His book, Through the Heart of St. Joseph, was released in 2021 by the same publisher. In 2023 his book, The Fruit of Her Womb: 33-Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus, was published by Sophia Institute Press.
Father Boniface earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and a Master of Science degree in computer science from Penn State University, both in 1997. He earned a Master of Arts degree in 2003, and a Master of Divinity degree in 2004 from Saint Vincent Seminary, summa cum laude. Following ordination to the priesthood in 2004, he returned to Penn State where he completed his Ph.D. in computer science and engineering in 2007. In 2023, he completed his Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Angelicum in Rome through Sacred Heart Seminary’s program in pastoral theology, specializing in the New Evangelization, summa cum laude.
He has been a monk of the Archabbey since entering as a novice in 1998. He professed solemn vows, or vows for life, in 2002. At Penn State, he was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and campus minister at Penn State Catholic Center (2004-2007). At Saint Vincent, his roles have included faculty member at Saint Vincent College (2007-2011); associate director of spiritual formation (2015) then director of spiritual formation (2016-present), adjunct faculty member (2016-present) and director for alumni affairs (2017-present) at Saint Vincent Seminary.
