Kenneth Leech (1939–2015) seeks out the relationship between silence, contemplation, and Christian ministry in a noisy and fragmented world. Drawing on Scripture, the Eastern Christian tradition, Bonhoeffer, Julian of Norwich, and the realities of urban ministry, he argues that authentic prayer is not escape from the world but a deeper attentiveness to God and to the suffering hidden beneath the surface of society.
Leech reflects on silence as both struggle and liberation: the silence needed for self-knowledge, for listening, for theology, and for resistance to the destructive powers in modern culture. At the heart of the book lies a vision of priesthood and ministry shaped not by status or efficiency but by servanthood, inwardness, and solidarity with the wounded Christ. His meditations on the Eucharist, the Transfiguration, conflict, and the washing of feet unite contemplation with social engagement in a way that is both prophetic and deeply pastoral. Passionate, searching, and richly theological, Leech’s writing remains strikingly relevant to the life of the Church today.