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Jennifer_G
Guest
Looks like there’s a new documentary coming up about a Benedictine Monastery. Kind of reminded me of “God or the Girl” when I saw it advertised on TV.
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Dale_M
Guest
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this show. The British version was very well received.
BTW, this show is about men, but women will get their turn in January. That one take place at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey.
BTW, this show is about men, but women will get their turn in January. That one take place at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey.
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Tonks40
Guest
Hi folks! I was watching TLC tonight when I caught a commercial for an upcoming show called The Monastery. Has anyone seen this ad? This is what the show’s premise is:
Looks really interesting to me. Anyone going to watch it?
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Leslee68
Guest
The BBC produced this last year. bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/04_april/22/monastery.shtml
It was very interesting and there were some surprising events. There was also a follow up this year called The Convent.
It was very interesting and there were some surprising events. There was also a follow up this year called The Convent.
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Celia
Guest
I saw the commercial for it yesterday while watching the What Not to Wear marathon. 
Looks pretty good- I’ll definetly catch it if I can. 
Looks pretty good- I’ll definetly catch it if I can.
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Dale_M
Guest
It should be pretty interesting. The female version will start airing in January.
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RLT
Guest
This show is not going to be like “God or the Girl”. This show is about 5 men spending 40day/nights in a Benedictine monasery to sort out their lives, not to decide wether or not to devote their lives to God as a brother.
The 5 men were selected through Craigslist.org and word-of-mouth. They weren’t told where or what sort of monastery they were going to until they arrived.
One of the men want’s to be an Episcopalian and had “issues” with many of the thing s the Monks did in respect to Catholic tradition
From USA Today:
**Many participants bristled at various tenets of the Catholic Church and took on the monks and nuns on such issues as women’s and gay rights.
Warren Huber, 24, of Worcester, Mass., did so most. Huber is an aspiring Episcopalian minister with a voracious reading appetite for theology texts who says he is still recovering from childhood physical abuse.
"For a lot of it, I was able to say, ‘OK, this is what they do, this is what they believe, not what I believe,’ " Huber says. “But once in a while, it did kind of rub me a little bit the wrong way. Especially if I was scheduled to do or say something I didn’t believe.”
His defiance occasionally set off a conflict, as when he refused to sing certain songs about saints. Ultimately, the abbot said it would be OK for Huber to abstain.
“In my tradition, we don’t pray to the saints, but this is a very big thing for the Catholics,” Huber says. “The basic concept of praying to saints isn’t bad, but there are some prayers that border on idolatry, and some that cross that line. Some of those things, I could not do in good conscience.”**
Makes for good TV I guess.
The 5 men were selected through Craigslist.org and word-of-mouth. They weren’t told where or what sort of monastery they were going to until they arrived.
One of the men want’s to be an Episcopalian and had “issues” with many of the thing s the Monks did in respect to Catholic tradition
From USA Today:
**Many participants bristled at various tenets of the Catholic Church and took on the monks and nuns on such issues as women’s and gay rights.
Warren Huber, 24, of Worcester, Mass., did so most. Huber is an aspiring Episcopalian minister with a voracious reading appetite for theology texts who says he is still recovering from childhood physical abuse.
"For a lot of it, I was able to say, ‘OK, this is what they do, this is what they believe, not what I believe,’ " Huber says. “But once in a while, it did kind of rub me a little bit the wrong way. Especially if I was scheduled to do or say something I didn’t believe.”
His defiance occasionally set off a conflict, as when he refused to sing certain songs about saints. Ultimately, the abbot said it would be OK for Huber to abstain.
“In my tradition, we don’t pray to the saints, but this is a very big thing for the Catholics,” Huber says. “The basic concept of praying to saints isn’t bad, but there are some prayers that border on idolatry, and some that cross that line. Some of those things, I could not do in good conscience.”**
Makes for good TV I guess.
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SORROWS
Guest
I’ll pass.
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oat_soda
Guest
**
then why go to a benedictine monastery??? what a stupid show. this makes as much sence as a catholic joining a budhist monastery and complaining about it.**
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Dave
Guest
Sounds interesting. I was impressed with A&E’s series earlier this year that followed around 5 guys discerning the priesthood. I’m hoping this will be as good.
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contemplative
Guest
the show starts in 8 minutes eastern time
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slyboots
Guest
It’s set at Christ in the Desert near Abiqui, New Mexico. I think it’s interesting.
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blessedtoo
Guest
I thought it was wonderful. I don’t know if the rest of the series will be as good, but I really think most of the forum folks would like this show. The monks are beautiful and warm and extremely articulate. They sound like monastic apologists! For once, the Catholics on a TV show look fabulous and the “regular” folks look like boobs! I highly recommend checking it out. TLC usually reruns their shows 10 times during the week.
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aimee
Guest
I liked it also. I thought I wouldn’t but your right…it is worth watching.
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Vianney
Guest
I caught about the last 20 mintues of the premier episode tonight of The Monastery. Although I think this is a great idea for a show, which could bring such wonderful fruit through a new evangelization, I have a bad feeling the monastery chosen for the show is not the best for representing the faith.
Now, it could be a matter of editing, but every time one of the five men sought answers to questions about the faith, or monastic life, the response was incredibly weak, and left the five men and the audience unsatified.
One of these five men, a non-Christian, after reluctanly going through the motions of prayer with the monks, asks his mentor, “Why would I want to participate when I don’t know what’s going on, and what you believe?”, or somewhere along those lines. The response of the mentor is, well… pathetic. In few words, he basically tells the young man that sometimes going through the motions will reveal the answers to unanswered questions.
What a missed opportunity for evangelization! This non-Christian was opening up to receive Catholic theology, and was denied by a Benedictine monk!
This is just one example of the few poor answers I saw given on the show tonight. I only saw a small portion of the show and do not want to make too many conclusions so soon. But first impressions are not good.
If only the show could have been with the CFR’s and Fr. Benedict Groeschel!
Now, it could be a matter of editing, but every time one of the five men sought answers to questions about the faith, or monastic life, the response was incredibly weak, and left the five men and the audience unsatified.
One of these five men, a non-Christian, after reluctanly going through the motions of prayer with the monks, asks his mentor, “Why would I want to participate when I don’t know what’s going on, and what you believe?”, or somewhere along those lines. The response of the mentor is, well… pathetic. In few words, he basically tells the young man that sometimes going through the motions will reveal the answers to unanswered questions.
What a missed opportunity for evangelization! This non-Christian was opening up to receive Catholic theology, and was denied by a Benedictine monk!
This is just one example of the few poor answers I saw given on the show tonight. I only saw a small portion of the show and do not want to make too many conclusions so soon. But first impressions are not good.
If only the show could have been with the CFR’s and Fr. Benedict Groeschel!
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contemplative
Guest
Part I was interesting enough. For some reason I thought the 5 men entering the monastery were there for discernment of religous life as a monk. It is actually about 5 men doing a 40 day religious retreat.
Alex sure is immature!!! They all appear to be like fish out water in the monastery.
I learned a new term…zealoter?? The monk who roams around correcting others who are out of step with monastic life.
Alex sure is immature!!! They all appear to be like fish out water in the monastery.
I learned a new term…zealoter?? The monk who roams around correcting others who are out of step with monastic life.
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aimee
Guest
I smiled when the one Monk said a part of him would really like to ‘duke’ it out with Alex. I’ll watch again…
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contemplative
Guest
I can’t believe Alex…acting like a 10 or 12 year old. Maybe there are many guys out there who are similar to Alex? Is he the one with an armful of tatoos? Ugh! That really gives me the creeps! The pattern looks snake-like.
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prv
Guest
" ‘Duke’ it out?"
How come that sounds like “Survivor?”
I think Alex needs to speak with a counselor first, then talk to his vocation director next if he doesn’t want to pray the way the monastic community does.
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JKirkLVNV
Guest
I haven’t seen the show, but the monk’s response as you relate it is not that far off from “fake it till you make it,” and “Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.” And not all monks have the gift of oratory (not all people have it), but this one may possess gifts that his abbot thinks will benefit this man. Fr. Benedict and the CFRs are friars, not monks, and they don’t live in a monastery. I’m sure part of the reason Christ in the Desert was chosen was because of its location (Abiqu, New Mexico, is where Georgia O’Keefe lived and painted). But as far as I know, no one has ever accused that communiy of heterodoxy and they’re in good standing/communion with the Archbishop of Santa Fe.
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