Wow, there is such a thing as a lay hermit? Can anyone give me information or links on that? Trying to see all available options if possible.
I do want to try to relate to lay people.Except for the fact that you still need to work outside the hermitage, everything sounds like you COULD or MIGHT be called to eremitical life. I would suggest you consider living as a lay hermit in a conscious way for a couple of years or more (3-4 years). There is a vast difference between sort of doing something and merely being hermit like, and embracing a countercultural vocation in a conscious way. Work regularly with a spiritual director during that time so you are clearly living a contemplative life and growing in that. Learn to leave your work at work as far as possible and, also as far as possible, work out a schedule where you do not need to be out of the hermitage too frequently.Your posts are very informative! Thank you so much!
I am the type of person who has become more of a contemplative as I have gotten older. I can sit for hours in contemplation and the time will hardly seem to go by. Hours will go by and it will have seemed like I just sat down to pray.
On the other aspect, one of solitary life, I already live that type of life, one could say. I long for a life in solitude, but I understand as a lay person that it is looked upon as unhealthy, so I “have to keep up appearances” so to speak. I’d rather not, but I don’t want to seem anti-social. I go out as little as possible, though. I love to pray and to be totally absorbed in the Lord, but because of recent financial problems, and the stress of being a union steward at work, worry creeps in and causes all sorts of havoc in my prayer life. I try, I really do. And I try to talk to God all day even if it’s for a few seconds here and there at work or on the way to and from there. At home, it’s a bit better, but I still carry that worry with me. Before I became union steward, life at work was perfect with regards to being as stress-free as possible. I was much more prayerful, even though I still had my financial problems. I have considered leaving the steward position to someone else to get back on track in my prayer life, but unfortunately it is a large place where I work and there is only one other steward who, unfortunately, is quite ill at the moment and needs to go in for surgery any day now. I would be the only steward and if I left, no one would have ready availablity to a steward if a problem arose.
As far as training goes, I meant in my OP that one would have to go through rigorous testing and training, psychological especially, to see if one was indeed cut out for the eremitical life. I have longed for that type of life for a long while now, even though I didn’t realize what exactly it was called way back when I was in my 20’s. However, all that said, I understand that just becuase I think I would like it or need it, doesn’t mean that it is cut out for me. I would have to research it more fully and speak to many in my diocese. And of course, those obstacles I mentioned in my other post would have to be taken care of even before serious consideration. However, research into it while I resolve those issues seems to be the remedy for my longing at this point.
Thanks all for your responses. They have helped me immensely.
God Bless,
Snert
The majority of hermits today (not part of a congregation nor professed and consecrated under Canon 603) are lay hermits. That will always be the case, I think since the Church will admit to profession less often than not. I would suggest you check out my blog on this issue, and regarding the need for hermits (lay and otherwise) in the contemporary world.Wow, there is such a thing as a lay hermit? Can anyone give me information or links on that? Trying to see all available options if possible.
Thanks so much and God Bless,
Snert
I really appreciate your (name removed by moderator)ut!
The term nun is used commonly and interchangeably today by Bishops, religious, canonists, etc, so the OP’s usage is not incorrect — it is simply not “technical”. As for the habit, etc, this matter is left up to the candidate’s Bishop, and one may well wear a habit for months or years prior to perpetual profession.
I was simply expressing that which was told to me by our hermit-canonist in regards to training with the habit for a year. It is what she went through when she was training to be a hermit, and this is part of the TRAINING/FORMATION that our hermits are going through.
Thomas Merton was a Cistercian in community who became a Cistercian Hermit. As I understand it this is not uncommon. As a previous poster mentioned many religious grow into the eremetic life.
Thanks then for the clarification, Gemma, though I am unclear how I have misunderstood you, much less “again”. You might be sure next time to clearly state that this is what is happening within a particular diocese in a single case rather than expressing it as a general rule. My objection was to the statement that this is how it is without qualification. That is not true and misleads people in what to expect in their journeys toward eremitical profession and consecration .
Generally Cistercians are not an eremitical, but a cenobitical order. Camaldolese and Carthusian are eremitical or eremitical/cenobitical mix. Merton had lots of problems getting permission to become a hermit because most of his confreres saw it as incompatible with community life or the Cistercian charism. That changed only over time, with reflection and the urging of those both inside and outside the Order who understood the eremitical life as an outgrowth of cenobitical life for some; for this and other reasons today Cistercians have hermits — though not as a common vocation — but Cistercian life remains an essentially cenobitical form of life.
That is absolutely true, and I did not mean to infer otherwise, but several cenobitical religious of various orders have gone on to become hermits of which Merton was an example.
Will look into your suggestion. Thanks.
