Modern hermits and vows

[St.BJLabre]

Just out of curiosity, if someone where to want to become a hermit and be officially recognized by the Church as a hermit, what would they do? Can people take vows without actually entering a religious order?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

St.BJLabre:

Just out of curiosity, if someone where to want to become a hermit and be officially recognized by the Church as a hermit, what would they do? Can people take vows without actually entering a religious order?

There was a couple of years ago something on a person who lived as a hermit, recognized by the Church in some city in Philadelphia, PA maybe. It only takes the Bishop to accept your vows and approve your lifestyle, I guess.

 

[buzzcut]

I have heard about someone in Ireland doing this.

You have to take vows from your bishop, as per canon law #603.

**Can. 603

§2 Hermits are recognised by law as dedicated to God in consecrated life if, in the hands of the diocesan Bishop, they publicly profess, by a vow or some other sacred bond, the three evangelical counsels, and then lead their particular form of life under the guidance of the diocesan Bishop .**

 

[puzzleannie]

my brother is a professed hermit, approved by his bishop. When he first approached the bishop, through a holy priest now deceased, Fr. John Hardon SJ, he was assigned a spiritual director attached to a religious order (Franciscan, because they staff his parish and several in his area), became a secular Franciscan so that he has regular contact with a “support group”. He had originally planned to enter an order of hermits, but because of jurisdictional problems (it is a Canadian order) they could not operate officially in his diocese, so he went this route.

After several years of supervised formation his profession was accepted in a ceremony in his parish church. he is not entirely withdrawn, participates in parish life, worships at the parish etc., and works from home to supplement retirement income, but lives evangelical poverty and not incidentally is dedicated to the conversion of brothers and sisters and other family members. He has a regular monastic type schedule for prayer, spiritual reading etc. and meets with his director regularly.

 

[5-Decades-a-Day]

That is such an odd-sounding word:

“hermit”

“Permit” doesn’t sound odd, but “hermit” does. Sounds too much like “Kermit,” which just sounds… whatever.

Puzzleannie, just how much contact does your brother have with the world? What constitutes eremitic life, anyway?