Benedict in the World presents biographical sketches of nineteen men and women who were oblates of the Order of St. Benedict, that is, members of the Benedictine family of a given monastery who lived in the world, observing the Rule of St. Benedict as they raised families and pursued professions and careers. Dorothy Day, Rumer Godden, Jacques and Raïssa Maritain, Walker Percy, H. A. Reinhold, and Elena Cornaro are among the oblate subjects of this book.