One occasionally finds unconventional monastic communities, some in mainstream Catholicism and others in a completely “independent” situation. I have even come across people living in some kind of religious life inspired by that of hermits, even though in some cases they are married or live in an ordinary suburban home or a farm out in the countryside.
In the Rule of St Benedict, we find:
It is well known that there are four kinds of Monks. The first are Cenobites, that is Monastic, living under a Rule or Abbot. The second are Anchorets or Hermits, who, not in the first fervour of conversion, but after long probation in the monastic life, have learnt to fight against the devil, and taught by the encouragement of others, are now able by God’s assistance to strive hand to hand against the flesh and evil thoughts, and so go forth well prepared, from the army of the Brotherhood, to the single combat of the wilderness. The third and worst kind of Monks are the Sarabites, who have never been tried under any Rule, nor by the experience of a master, as gold is tried in the furnace, but being soft as lead, and by their works still cleaving to the world, are known by their tonsure to lie to God.
These in twos or threes, or perhaps singly, and without a shepherd, are shut up, not in our Lord’s sheepfolds, but in their own: the pleasure of their desires is to them a law; and whatever they like or make choice of, they will have to be holy, but what they like not, that they consider unlawful.
The fourth kind of Monks are called “Gyrovagi,” or wanderers, who travel about all their lives through divers provinces, and stay for two or three days as guests, first in one monastery, then in another; they are always roving, and never settled, giving themselves up altogether to their own pleasures and to the enticements of gluttony, and are in all things worse that the Sarabites. Of their miserable way of life it is better to be silent than to speak. Therefore leaving these, let us, by God’s assistance, set down a Rule for Cenobites, or Conventuals, who are the most steadfast class of Monks.
Despite this piece of wisdom from the sixth century, there have always been new and innovative forms of contemplative life, as attested by the multiplicity of orders and congregations in the Church, between Benedictines, Cistercians, Franciscans, Jesuits and many others. One of our regular commenters informed us about other forms of eremitical and “informal” monastic life. We should certainly heed the words of St Benedict as he warns against unattached monks or those who live in a community with very little in the way of monastic formation or a coherent rule of life. The soundest form of monastic life is in a proper community under the authority of a Father Abbot and the Rule. But, it is not always possible to join a monastery or find the right kind of official framework for every single person who desires to explore a more interior and ordered spiritual life, especially those who are married.
A very few are called to solitary life, and others yet find themselves as isolated Christians in a world that has rejected Christianity. I can conceive of the idea of lay people and isolated priests living what amounts to a monastic life even though they are not formally monks – simply those who want a simple way of life, under the discipline of a rule of life and of a certain temperament. Many people live this state of life in ordinary homes, without any external sign, and even better still, without anyone else knowing.
I came across some kind of fraternity which is not in communion with Rome or part of the Anglican Continuum, but something about them rings true. Regardless of what some “vagante” bishop and his wife are doing in some far-flung and remote part of America, they came up with an idea that can inspire us all in some way. Anyone with this kind of vocation can adjust his or her way of life and construct a disciplined contemplative life. The website of the fraternity explains – Our community has no formal vows, but is based on the simple monastic form of the early desert fathers/mothers, and is primarily friendship based. Do I not detect a note of St Philip Neri and the Oratorians, though the Oratorians like Benedictine monks live in stable communities in a coenobitic life? The link between Christians is not a vow, whereby a person freely relinquishes his or her freedom (!), but friendship and loyalty between persons who practice Christian charity and platonic friendship with each other.
The spirituality of the desert isn’t given to everyone, but I think it can be lived in differing degrees. Few of us can get to a place that is really deserted, except perhaps the few churches in cities that remain open. My desert is the sea. Go out about a league from the coast and the silence (other than the gurgling of water around the hull of the boat and the wind) is amazing. But the real desert is our own inner selves, our souls and secret gardens. No one can violate that!
We may know the story of Fr. Charles de Foucauld, the French convert soldier who took to the most austere possible monastic life in the Sahara Desert. In those days (1907), he had to have permission from the Holy See to say Mass alone. Before obtaining this permission, he had gone for years without Mass and the Sacraments! His life was incredibly harsh, even for a former soldier, but his message was clear – his vocation was one of intercession and obtaining for others the grace of conversion by means of prayer and self-sacrifice. In 1916, he was assassinated by fanatical Muslims at the door of his hermitage! In the whole of his time in the desert as a priest and a monk, he made not one single convert, and not one single person came to join him in the monastic life.
The apostolate of Blessed Charles was unique and prophetic. He refused to preach the Gospel to a population who would have only a superficial interest in the Holy Scriptures. His way was a silent and hidden presence in infidel lands. "My life is not that of a missionary, but that of a hermit". Further on, he said: "I am a monk, not a missionary, made for silence and not for words". One might be tempted to think he was selfish and unconcerned for the people around him. Not at all. He gave everything for his dear nomads, without asking for anything in return, not even conversion to Christianity. He knew the limits of proselytism. He lived in a country of Islamic people, learned their language, made himself loved.
I would certainly recommend thinking about this idea, and how a spiritual leaven can help to renew Christianity and Catholicism at a time when parishes and dioceses agonise and face their inevitable demise. All are called to holiness, but differently. But, the constraints and conditions are remarkably similar. People can be really good and welcoming even if they belong to other religions or no religion at all. It is not for us to sell our Faith, but to wait for others to discover what effect it has in us. That is the lesson of Father de Foucauld.
Seeds need time to grow, but first of all, they need to be planted.
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Thank you for this thoughtful reflection, Father.
It is only through prayer and worship that the Ordinariates will come to fruition. We must turn our eyes to the sacred heart of Jesus and not be preoccupied by the folly of our Anglican or other Christian brothers and sisters. The less we talk about what we are leaving behind the more we will have eyes to see where the Holy Spirit is leading and what is developing in the one Church of all the baptized – the single Body of Christ.
John Henry Newman ora pro nobis.
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Fr. Anthony Chadwick writes:
"But the real desert is our own inner selves…"
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Amen! And I can tell you from firsthand experience as a man living the vocation of a hermit that the demons in that desert are legion.
Disclaimers and warnings notwithstanding, I find it hard to take seriously, in a forum/blog which claims a connection with Catholicism, an endeavor such as this one which is led by a woman representing herself as a clergywoman. Fascination with vagantes is not a part of the patrimony.
You are right. I should have read the site more thoroughly before citing it as an example. My posting is modified rather than trashed.
Father, while the "idea" might be interesting, it might have been preferable not to use this particular group as an illustration, even to the point of providing a link.
Thanks for the revision, Father.
I have modified this posting. I failed to notice that, on the site to which I no longer give any link, there was a woman claiming to be a clergywoman. I definitely do not approve of that. I also say clearly that I do not have any monastic leanings myself.
Fr. Chadwick, what about the Great Commission? What about Jesus' words, "Go! Preach! Baptize! Make disciples!"?
Fr. Chadwick,
I agree with some of your sentiments here as I understand them, but I don’t think that I can agree with your terms and taxonomy. I am all for encouraging prayer, contemplation, and living out the evangelical counsels according to our state in life, which are duties of all Christians, but I don’t think that I can agree with the term “Informal Monasticism.” I go to our hermitage for a few days every couple of months, but that doesn’t make me a hermit, because a hermit is someone who has given himself wholly to that life and is now defined by it. Monasticism I think is much the same.
Much of the discussion on this forum and those similar to it is a lament about the way trouble has started when ecclesiastical concepts are blithely redefined. I think you’ll agree that no one here would be comfortable speaking of “Informal Fidelity” or “Informal Holy Orders.” To set aside centuries of tradition and let something that had a specific meaning become something fuzzy and individually defined doesn’t strike me as a good approach. Isn’t it enough to simply speak of the universal call to holiness without making an ancient term denoting specific obligations mean its opposite? Monasticism is a specific subset of the larger phenomenon of the vowed life which, in turn, is a subset of the Christian life.
New forms of religious life do evolve. Old orders die and new ones come, each making important contributions along the way and reflecting the needs and concerns of their times. We are seeing this at present in the New Movements, which are helping people be intentional about being in the world and not of it and I think that the Anglican Patrimony has a contribution to make to the wider church here.
One of the best things about Anglo-Catholicism is that it has maintained organizations like the CBS, the Society of Mary, and the Guild of All Souls and has a long history of encouraging its members to become associates of religious communities. I hope this history of individuals having a rule of life leavens the wider church.
Your comments are always thoughtful and your larger point about the value of prayer and intentionality is incredibly important. This is at the heart of our life as Christians and I agree that we must preach by example, but I think we can leave our existing terms intact to do so.
Thank you, dear Brother, for these wise words. They only confirm the quote I made from your Holy Rule. Monastic life is not improvised, and I for one would not be so foolish as to attempt it.
One thing that struck me about the "vagante" fraternity, or whatever it really is, is that it has given itself a name and a site describing itself on the Internet. That is not very "informal" or "hidden". But, it is not my problem, as I live nowhere near those people and I have never been anywhere near them.
However, I think you monks do much to help lay people and secular priests to find inspiration in monastic spirituality without being anything other than what we are. There have always been secular Oblate programmes, and that is something I would like to do after joining an Ordinariate and finding my canonical situation in the Church defined and dealt with by the proper authority. Oblates are linked to a proper monastery and are under proper spiritual direction. Yes, that would seem to be a better way.
Perhaps this is a good opportunity to mention the work of the great Orthodox theologian, Pavel Evdokimov, on "interiorized monasticism," which, as I hurriedly have read it (can a lawyer do anything but read non-legal stuff hurriedly and superficially?) sounds a lot like St Josemaria's "our cell is the street", but is very valuable for us laity for precisely that reason.
This is a lovely reflection. The monastic life is the calling of only very few people who have the right aptitudes for living in a community and staying put for life. Brother Stephen is absolutely right. However, many secular priests – married and celibate – and lay people would like to incorporate aspects of monastic life to give themselves a rule, but one which is adapted for our state of life. Monasteries have always had secular Oblates who don't wear the monastic habit, but take on disciplines like the daily Office, intercessory prayers for and with the monastic community to which they are attached.
I see no reason why priests and lay people should not adopt an Oblate's rule of life even if they don't find a community to link with, though it is safer and better to be linked with a community and a spiritual father. What is important is not a habit and trappings, or even a website, but to live the Gospel and our Baptismal commitment in our homes, hearts and ordinary lives.
Saint Josémaria created Opus Dei as a special kind of religious life for people in the world, especially the laity. Whatever kind of spirituality and rules of life we prefer (the medieval-monastic model or the "modern" (Jesuit, Opus Dei, etc.) model, the essential is to see everything as the "school of the Lord's service", or of the Lord's love as the Cistercians put it.
We all need direction, help and protection against our own illusions and sinfulness.
Apparently my ancient again played a trick on me with respect to the Saint Josemaria saying, but here is one, from one of his books (and the online writings site), that is probably where I got the original idea from, anyway:
"Whenever we feel in our hearts a desire to improve, a desire to respond more generously to Our Lord, and we look for something to guide us, a north star to guide our lives as Christians, the Holy Spirit will remind us of the words of the Gospel that we 'ought to pray continually and never be discouraged'. Prayer is the foundation of any supernatural endeavour. With prayer we are all powerful; without it, if we were to neglect it, we would accomplish nothing.
I would like us, in our meditation today, to make up our minds once and for all that we need to aspire to become contemplative souls, in the street, in the midst of our work, by maintaining a constant conversation with our God and not breaking it off at any time of the day. If we really want to be loyal followers of our Master, this is the only way."
In the Traditional Latin Mass movement, there is a group of Carmelite monks in Wyoming. That's right: they are not Carmelite friars; they are Carmelite monks. The reason? Well, partly that the Carmelite Order likely did not admit them. But it goes way beyond. Too complicated to explain in a blog! But Fr. Chadwick is right that there are countless different options there meant to accommodate different persons.
P.K.T.P.
The Carmelites in Wyoming also make excellent coffee:
http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/
Also, one of the more oddball (in the positive sense) developments in the Catholic Church is the fledgeling and microscopic "Plain Catholic" movement. Perhaps one day they'll out-Amish the Amish. It seems to me that they lean more toward the "Beachy" than the "Swartzentruber" direction.
Sometimes I think that if we had a few Benedictines living near Lancaster PA or Holmes County OH, we would establish a fruitful connection with the Plain People.
JMT has an interesting approach to monasticism:
http://www.littleportion.org/