The Gardens of God - Hardcover

by Arthur Roche (Author), Paul Murray (Foreword by)

"The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed" (Gen. 2:8). From the very beginning of Scripture, key moments in God's plan of salvation have played out in gardens, from the Garden of Eden to the Garden of the Resurrection.

In The Gardens of God, Cardinal Arthur Roche reflects on these gardens as images of the spiritual life. The sorrow of Gethsemane, the joy of the empty tomb, the intimacy of the enclosed garden, and the hope of paradise all speak to different moments in the journey of faith. Initially developed as retreat talks for bishops and priests, The Gardens of God will also appeal to all the faithful, inviting them to again walk with God in the garden of the soul.

Author Biography

Cardinal Arthur Roche is the current Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Cardinal Roche was ordained priest for the Diocese of Leeds in 1975. In 2001, he was appointed to the See of Westminster as Auxiliary Bishop. The following year, Pope St. John Paul II appointed him as Coadjutor Bishop of Leeds, and he became its ninth bishop in 2004.

From 2002 to 2012, Cardinal Roche was Chairman of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy. On June 26, 2012, he was appointed as Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Benedict XVI and received the title of archbishop. He served in the role for almost nine years before Pope Francis appointed him Prefect of the Congregation on May 25, 2021. He was created a cardinal on August 27, 2022.