Hermits

[ThomasEugene]

hi! i am posting a link to a blog maintained by Bro Dismas Mary of the Cross. He’s a hermit in Gambia

http://brotherdismas.blogspot.com

I am just curious, how does one become a diocesan hermit? Does one go to the bishop first before living? What about the formation? I am quite interested in this vocation, since I find Bro.Dismas’ life is very simple. I remember a OCD Nun from our archdiocese who became a hermit. I don’t know the hows.

take care and God bless!

 

[Ocarm]

I am just curious, how does one become a diocesan hermit?

The canon law provisions are relatively non-specific:

*Can. 603 §1. In addition to institutes of consecrated life, the Church recognizes the eremitic or anchoritic life by which the Christian faithful devote their life to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through a stricter withdrawal from the world, the silence of solitude, and assiduous prayer and penance.

§2. A hermit is recognized by law as one dedicated to God in consecrated life if he or she publicly professes in the hands of the diocesan bishop the three evangelical counsels, confirmed by vow or other sacred bond, and observes a proper program of living under his direction.*

This being so, the local bishop has some discretion over what kind of processes are required to enter eremitical life, and you would be subject to his decisions in that respect.

There’s a useful FAQ on the subject at:

sfvocations.com/hermit.html

The page refers to Sister Laurel, a hermit in the diocese of Oakland, whose blog can be read at:

notesfromstillsong.blogspot.com/

The consecrated virgin and canon lawyer Therese Ivers also gives some very helpful information at:

doihaveavocation.com/blog/archives/108#more-108

As a Carmelite, I have a particular interest in eremitical life: we are the only religious family whose original rule is eremitical in nature, and the spirituality of the desert experience remains important in our charism.

Best wishes on your journey into being alone with God.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

we are the only religious family whose original rule is eremitical in nature, and the spirituality of the desert experience remains important in our charism.

And at times in our history a Great Tension.

 

[Cowfold]

hi! i am posting a link to a blog maintained by Bro Dismas Mary of the Cross. He’s a hermit in Gambia

http://brotherdismas.blogspot.com

I am just curious, how does one become a diocesan hermit? Does one go to the bishop first before living? What about the formation? I am quite interested in this vocation, since I find Bro.Dismas’ life is very simple. I remember a OCD Nun from our archdiocese who became a hermit. I don’t know the hows.

take care and God bless!

Think long and hard. Let me tell you that there are many, many people arriving at Parkminster to test there vocation but very, very few stay for any length of time and even fewer stay the course to full profession.

 

[Ocarm]

Think long and hard. Let me tell you that there are many, many people arriving at Parkminster to test there vocation but very, very few stay for any length of time and even fewer stay the course to full profession.

Without prejudice to the truth of what you say, being a Carthusian monk and being a dicoesan hermit aren’t necessarily that close, are they?

I know the Carthusians live an eremitical existence but they do it in a highly distinctive way, which does include shared resources i.e chapel, library etc. in the monastery. The life of a hermit in the diocese can follow many forms, and counter-intuitively perhaps, doesn’t rely on leading an entirely solitary existence all of the time.

Just asking.

 

[Cowfold]

I know the Carthusians live an eremitical existence but they do it in a highly distinctive way, which does include shared resources i.e chapel, library etc. in the monastery.
Just asking.

True! But this is a well tried model and it works!

 

[ThomasEugene]

thank u very much for the replies… i appreciate all of them. i am really interested in eremitcal life but yes, i have to think over and over about it. got to find another spiritual director… i got a VERY bad (traumatic) experience with the previous one. anyway, please pray for me in my search.

another question: how are monasticism and eremticism differ, and how they are similar, if ever there are similarities? i am considering the trappist monks, and i got to write them back (i owe them a letter!). i want to experience eremticism or/and monasticism but i have no money to go to a monastery. anyway please pray for me. it’s really hard to live in an archipelago.

God bless u!

 

[Cowfold]

thank u very much for the replies… i appreciate all of them. i am really interested in eremitcal life but yes, i have to think over and over about it. got to find another spiritual director… i got a VERY bad (traumatic) experience with the previous one. anyway, please pray for me in my search.

another question: how are monasticism and eremticism differ, and how they are similar, if ever there are similarities? i am considering the trappist monks, and i got to write them back (i owe them a letter!). i want to experience eremticism or/and monasticism but i have no money to go to a monastery. anyway please pray for me. it’s really hard to live in an archipelago.

God bless u!

Thomas Eugene,
I am not recommending you jump in at the ‘deep end’ and try a Carthusian vocation but I can tell you one of the finest Cantors to grace Parkminster in the 90s was from the Philippines.
Haveing said that, try the Cistercians as that is an excellent route. Charterhouses abound with ex Trappists. It’s a good training ground. Thomas Merton always aspired to be a Carthusian.

 

[Br_John_Marie]

In response to your interest in living the eremetical life… (Hermits)

We are a small new community of men and women hermits in the Netherlands (Holland) started by laity studing at the Angelicum and Gregorian universities in Rome during the Holy Year 2000.

While we are Carmelite at heart, our way of life closely resembles that of the Carthusians / Camaldolese. Our vision (and rule of life) is to live in seperate hermitages, the men on one side of the property and the women on the other. We are devoted to our Blessed Mother, spend several hours a day in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and are obedient to the Magesterium and the Holy Father. Presently, we are under a bishop in the Netherlands. We do wear habits
Please let us know if you would like to know a little more about us and our charism. Br John Marie

 

[puzzleannie]

my brother put his case to his bishop, on advice of his spiritual director when he moved to a new diocese. The spiritual director also conversed with the bishop, who put my brother under direction of the local Franciscan pastor, and suggested he become a SFO for ongoing support and guidance while in discernment. This was because the order of hermits he had been discerning, based in another country, while they did have some men living in his diocese directly under the bishop, was waiting for legal permisson to establish their institute in this country. This never happened and he remains under direction of the new bishop himself living the eremetical lifestyle but maintaining ties to the local parish and pastor and serving as asked.

This happened only after a long re-conversion and years of living a prayerful celibate life under spiritual direction, and when personal circumstances permitted (now retired on a fixed, though limited income, no dependents). I am sure there is some process where you have to be able to assure this is not a whim and based on good understanding of this lifestyle and what it entails both spiritually and practically.

you will probably be advised at some point to live for an extended period of time in a secluded community so that you can answer for yourself the differences between eremetical and monastic life. It won’t hurt to begin now becoming immersed in the Rule of St. Benedict. He does not have much to say about anchorites, other than that he would only consider them ready for eremetical life after a long period of faithful membership in the monastic community, which he calls a school for beginners.