Lay Family Community

[hamilte3]

Does anyone have any ideas or opinions on the success spouses being in a third order or some other approved association and moving near a monastery to for a better Catholic community? Is this just too utopian? Does it ever work? Is it a new idea?

Any links would be also appreciated. I would like to work more completely in an apostolate and am not sure if it is wise to move. It would be full time work and I could either live in a more contemplative type of environment (in remote setting) or to a poor community to serve the poor better and help build up the local area.

Thanks!

Ed Hamilton

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I know a number of families and couples who are Benedictine Oblates. They don’t live near the monastery but they have definitely brought Benedictine spirituality into their homes and lives. In part it is that they pray together, but it goes beyond that to include values and attitudes.

 

[anruari]

Within the realms of modern “Covenant Communities” there’s something of an “Anything Goes” situation. there are a number of community movements which are parish based, but do aim to draw the members of the movement into a far stronger community within the wider parish structure.

The Opus Dei are an organisation which specifically encourages married members (Supernumeraries) to live a life according to the spirituality of the Opus Dei while working on specific areas of apostolite. in this case the chances are that there are other active Opus Dei members living near you.

As you mentioned there are 3rd Order movements of several religious orders which you could become involved in but that would depend on what exists in your local area or within the areas you would consider moving to.