Simple Living Catholic Communities

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Christphr

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There are many people who try to live simpler lives - no car, growing food, tiny houses…Are there lay Catholic groups/communities living this life?
 
Very literally: any monastic community. For lay people - I haven’t heard of such a place.
 
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If you feel called to such a life, then pray and ask God where he is leading you. There are plenty of lay communities who live together and live simpler lives such as together in retreats and the like working as part of a community (usually attached to an Order as far as I’ve seen) , these are often part of Third Orders or Secular institutes but not all of these people live in this way, in fact it is not usual for them to live in communities, but it can happen. Or at least I have seen such things in the UK and expect it to be the same there. So pray and ask around and be open to what God wants for you. I attended a retreat earlier in the year in a rural area, a protected forest where the retreat house was an old converted English manor house and run by an Order (Passionists) and staffed by lay members (mainly) and a few priests and non enclosed nuns. Next door (but on the same premises as there is nothing much near by) had a few enclosed nuns who only came out for mass each day. They mostly grew their own food (except meat) but they did keep chickens for eggs and ran the retreat house on locally sourced produce and had a peace garden etc. They also did walks locally in the forest. Most of the lay people worked in the gardens, in the kitchens cooking or on the house maintenance and housekeeping. Is this the kind of thing you were thinking? It’s not a tiny house, but many people in big houses. Maybe you meant smaller groups. Oh these lay people were both married and single.
 
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There are often small groups like this, but they simply don’t advertise themselves - they don’t view themselves as an entity other than a few families in proximity sharing ideas (and there may be a concern about outsiders disrupting the lifestyle?). I’ve uncovered a few traveling around the Midwest.
 
In India, Ashrams are common. Lay (married and single) live in enclosures where life is simpler. India has Christian ashrams too. India is a highly religious country. Even so, ashrams exist it seems because many people know that to be serious about seeking a true life requires discipline and focus. I know of no similar ways of communal life in the Western church. Even the monasteries are on their way out.
 
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I agree there are such places in India, but I have just told you there are places like that in the Western world in the Catholic church, so now you know that such places exist, you cannot say you know of no such place.
No offence but just because one person does not know of them, does not mean that they do not exist. It may be that they are just not recognised as such, as they do not appear as they did in the past ie monasteries/convents behind closed walls. It is true monasteries and the like are less and less these days, though I’d not say they are on their way out. Blessed Frederick Ozanam (society of Vincent de Paul) who lived in the 19c believed the lay people hold the key to healing the broken world and it is quite likely that lay people will feature in the churches future and present. I think it likely we’ll see more and more communities coming together like the one I described of few religious if any and many lay members.
 
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To each his own, but it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. That said, our family lives simply, because we have to, for financial reasons.

Very often, less is indeed more.
 
Divine3 said:
Another way to a simpler life is if your vocation is marriage…be open to life…follow the teachings of the Church regarding Natural Family planning and humanae vitae.
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Haha, this made me chuckle. I’m genuinely curious how you feel this simplifies life. I mean… I agree with you that it does, but I’m curious what you had in mind. I don’t think that “simplicity” is the first word that comes to people’s minds when they see me and all my kids trying to run into the grocery store “real quick” to grab something we need. 🤣:crazy_face:💝
 
Well most families who have children learn fast about, sharing, sacrificing for the common good, trying to work together, trying to communicate with one another, forgiveness, not being the center of attention, working to get extra funds when needed, making food and other things stretch as far as possible…I am sure people might have many more facts on the life of being in a large family. 😁
 
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