Returnee from the Othodox Eastern Church

[suella]

Hello everyone,

I have been in the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic church for
a long time and I have always felt the call to the religious life through out
the whole experience. I have a rare calling to live as a hermit. I have doubts
as to weather there is a actual place for me in the church due to past experience
and want to try this life style completely on my own. I am thinking of becoming
homeless in hopes of better fulfilling this role but I have to be sure I find some
sufficient hide away. Does any one out there have any ideas. Your help is
appreciated.

 

[rciadan]

Have you read “Ladder of Divine Ascent”? If not, I suggest you do.

 

[Aelred_Minor]

I have read of Catholic hermits who have connections to monasteries for spiritual direction and so forth. You might want to look into that.

 

[UncleBill]

I think you should have some direction from an eastern monastic…may I suggest you call Abbot Nicholas at Holy Resurrection Monastery…I’m sure he could give you some good advice.

hrmonline.org is the monastery Web site.

 

[Peter_J]

Hello everyone,

I have been in the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic church for
a long time and I have always felt the call to the religious life through out
the whole experience. I have a rare calling to live as a hermit. I have doubts
as to weather there is a actual place for me in the church due to past experience
and want to try this life style completely on my own. I am thinking of becoming
homeless in hopes of better fulfilling this role but I have to be sure I find some
sufficient hide away. Does any one out there have any ideas. Your help is
appreciated.

Is all this part of your reasons for leaving Orthodoxy?

 

[Jvrlns]

Being a hermit is a very serious matter, read the dessert fathers, solitude can do nasty things to people’s minds. You should get advise from a spiritual director and also be under the supervision of a bishop.

By the way, hermits are not homeless, they had at least a cave or a small cabin where to live, some in Syria I think lived on top of a pillar.

 

[UncleBill]

Being a hermit is a very serious matter, read the dessert fathers, solitude can do nasty things to people’s minds. You should get advise from a spiritual director and also be under the supervision of a bishop.

By the way, hermits are not homeless, they had at least a cave or a small cabin where to live, some in Syria I think lived on top of a pillar.

Many hermits were/are homeless…St. Xenia of Petersburg comes to mind.

 

[Jvrlns]

Many hermits were/are homeless…St. Xenia of Petersburg comes to mind.

Your’re right. I just searched for the info, some hermits were vagrants and didn’t have a home. Hermits are also considered members of the Consecrated Life in the Catholic Church.

From Wikipedia:

“contemporary Roman Catholic Church law (canon 603) recognizes also consecrated hermits under the direction of their diocesan bishop as members of the Consecrated Life (“consecrated diocesan hermits”).”

 

[Paul_theApostle]

In Orthodoxy ,the experienced monastics who have lived out years in their communities can receive their blessing to respond to their call to live in solitude as hermits.

Those who try this without blessings or having had experience in the community may fall into many traps and dangers.

How could a monk without a blessing or experience venture out into the solitary desert which is a place where the demons inhabit and expect to master those demons and save his soul?

Many of these inexperienced monks were deceived into leaving their communites and Spiritual Fathers and going out to live as hermits falling prey to the deciets and tricks of the devils and losing their souls.

God protect you.

 

[CDB1718]

Hello everyone,

I have been in the Eastern Orthodox and Western Roman Catholic church for
a long time and I have always felt the call to the religious life through out
the whole experience. I have a rare calling to live as a hermit. I have doubts
as to weather there is a actual place for me in the church due to past experience
and want to try this life style completely on my own. I am thinking of becoming
homeless in hopes of better fulfilling this role but I have to be sure I find some
sufficient hide away. Does any one out there have any ideas. Your help is
appreciated.

This has to be done with the guidance and support of an experienced spiritual director for religious formation and a confessor. If you won’t submit to their authority in humility then it is sign this isn’t a calling from God.