In 270 AD, Anthony, an Egyptian born man who was raised in a devout family, heard the words of the Gospel If thou wilt be perfect, go sell all that thou hast and give to the poor, and come follow me and thou shalt have treasure in heaven (Matt. 19:21).He gave to the villagers the property of his inheritance and sold all else for a great sum of money. Upon entering the church again, he heard the Lord say to him Be not solicitous for the morrow (Matt. 6:34).
He then gave the profit of his sale to the poor and was driven by the Spirit into the desert. Anthony grew in holiness through ceaseless prayer, work, penance, and perseverance, and many sought to follow his example. In doing so, hermits populated the desert forming what are called Lauras after the Greek word meaning ‘pathway,’ as each hermit had a path leading from their individual cell to the chapel.
This Christian monasticism spread rapidly to Palestine, Syria, and the surrounding areas in the Middle East before igniting the same spirit across Europe. It was from this eremitical root that monasteries grew and bore the fruit of the rich, cenobitic, life and traditions which formed many of the saints we look up to today.
The vocation of the hermit yet remained a separate calling. It is these solitary hermits who gave their lives as an offering to God who are credited with the salvation of culture and religious doctrine in Europe during the darkest moments of history. Today, the Church, in all her wisdom, continues to recognize the eremitical life as a unique call to this aloneness and to the immediacy of the encounter with the Lord God of Hosts before whom we stand that characterize the vocation.
A hermit may live either under private vows or be publicly consecrated in the hands of a bishop, and both forms are recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as we read in the Catechism (920) "Without always professing the three evangelical counsels publicly, hermits devote their life to the praise of God and salvation of the world through a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude and assiduous prayer and penance."
He then gave the profit of his sale to the poor and was driven by the Spirit into the desert. Anthony grew in holiness through ceaseless prayer, work, penance, and perseverance, and many sought to follow his example. In doing so, hermits populated the desert forming what are called Lauras after the Greek word meaning ‘pathway,’ as each hermit had a path leading from their individual cell to the chapel.
This Christian monasticism spread rapidly to Palestine, Syria, and the surrounding areas in the Middle East before igniting the same spirit across Europe. It was from this eremitical root that monasteries grew and bore the fruit of the rich, cenobitic, life and traditions which formed many of the saints we look up to today.
The vocation of the hermit yet remained a separate calling. It is these solitary hermits who gave their lives as an offering to God who are credited with the salvation of culture and religious doctrine in Europe during the darkest moments of history. Today, the Church, in all her wisdom, continues to recognize the eremitical life as a unique call to this aloneness and to the immediacy of the encounter with the Lord God of Hosts before whom we stand that characterize the vocation.
A hermit may live either under private vows or be publicly consecrated in the hands of a bishop, and both forms are recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as we read in the Catechism (920) "Without always professing the three evangelical counsels publicly, hermits devote their life to the praise of God and salvation of the world through a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude and assiduous prayer and penance."
A Teresian Laura
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The Hermitage of Saint Joseph is a Teresian Laura, following the example of the early hermits on Mount Carmel and the spirit and Reform of Saint Teresa of Jesus. The Rule of Saint Albert will regulate the Laura and the hermits will receive lifelong formation in Carmelite spirituality. |
Saint Albert
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Saint Albert Avogadro was born about the middle of the twelfth century in Castel Gualteri in Italy. He became a Canon Regular of the Holy Cross at Mortara and was elected their prior in 1180. Named Bishop of Bobbio in 1184, and of Vercelli in 1185, he was made Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1205. There, in word and example, he was the model of a good pastor and peacemaker. Around 1195, several men who were returning from the Crusades decided to stay in Palestine on Mount Carmel to live out their lives as hermits. While St. Albert was Patriarch (1206-1214), these hermits asked him if he could give them a rule. St. Albert then wrote a “way of life” for these hermits. He was tragically murdered during a Church procession on the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross in Acre on September 14, 1214.
The "way of life" St. Albert wrote for these hermits in the 13th Century is the same rule St. Teresa of Avila used for the Reform of the Carmelite Order in the 16th Century. |
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OUR MISSION STATEMENT
“To promote the contemplative life of prayer in the Catholic Church; to give financial, logistic and spiritual support to those who wish to live the eremitic life following the example of the hermits of Mount Carmel and according to the spirit of the Reform of St. Teresa of Jesus for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.” (Article III of the Articles of Incorporation.)
The origins of the hermit life in the Catholic Church began in 270 A.D. when St. Anthony of Egypt started his quest for purity of heart and became the father of the hermit movement in the Church. He did not found any monasteries per se, but established a way of life in which one sought God in solitude and unceasing prayer. He not only founded the life of strict solitude (hermits that lived totally alone in the wilderness), but also “lauras,” where hermits would live closer together in clusters and gather for Saturday Vigils and Sunday Mass. This is the origin of monastic life in the Church.
Early in the 12th century a group of crusaders returning to Europe decided to stay in Palestine and live as hermits on Mount Carmel. They chose to live near the spring of the Prophet St. Elijah, and organized themselves into a laura. In the early 13th century they asked St. Albert, Bishop of Jerusalem, to give them a Rule sometime between 1206-1214. This was the beginning of the Carmelite Order.
In order to establish a laura according to the ancient tradition of monastic life and in imitation of the hermits on Mount Carmel, the Hermitage of St. Joseph was founded as a religious non-profit corporation, under the patronage of St. Joseph. It has been granted a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. In order to carry out its mission, the Hermitage of Saint Joseph will acquire land and build hermitages for those who join the laura.
The Hermitage of St. Joseph will assist in the formation of its members according to the example of the hermits of Mount Carmel. The areas of formation will include spiritual, intellectual, and economic, as follows:
· Spiritual formation focuses on what is proper to the eremitic life such as prayer, solitude, and lectio divina (holy reading) or the meditative reading of Scripture and other spiritual books.
· Intellectual formation focuses on the history of the eremitic life in the Church, emphasizing the early written sources such as The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, the hermits of Mount Carmel in the 12th century, and the Carmelite Reform of Saint Teresa of Jesus in the 16th century, as well as the study of theology and Church documents, such as papal encyclicals.
· Economic formation focuses on training in those areas of work appropriate for a hermit such as painting Icons, rosary making, wood work, or some other craft. Intellectual work is acceptable if it is not disruptive to the life of a hermit.
Each hermit will make his/her own contribution to the well-being of the laura with his/her own unique gifts in the spiritual, intellectual and economic areas of life. The laura enables each hermit to live out his/her own vocation, and in turn each hermit will help maintain the life of the laura, as well as strive for the well-being of the whole Church through a life of prayer, penance and solitude, and giving spiritual counsel to those requesting it.
The Hermitage of St. Joseph will also build hermitages for those who desire to experience a life of solitary prayer for shorter periods of time, such as a retreat or time of discernment.
The origins of the hermit life in the Catholic Church began in 270 A.D. when St. Anthony of Egypt started his quest for purity of heart and became the father of the hermit movement in the Church. He did not found any monasteries per se, but established a way of life in which one sought God in solitude and unceasing prayer. He not only founded the life of strict solitude (hermits that lived totally alone in the wilderness), but also “lauras,” where hermits would live closer together in clusters and gather for Saturday Vigils and Sunday Mass. This is the origin of monastic life in the Church.
Early in the 12th century a group of crusaders returning to Europe decided to stay in Palestine and live as hermits on Mount Carmel. They chose to live near the spring of the Prophet St. Elijah, and organized themselves into a laura. In the early 13th century they asked St. Albert, Bishop of Jerusalem, to give them a Rule sometime between 1206-1214. This was the beginning of the Carmelite Order.
In order to establish a laura according to the ancient tradition of monastic life and in imitation of the hermits on Mount Carmel, the Hermitage of St. Joseph was founded as a religious non-profit corporation, under the patronage of St. Joseph. It has been granted a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. In order to carry out its mission, the Hermitage of Saint Joseph will acquire land and build hermitages for those who join the laura.
The Hermitage of St. Joseph will assist in the formation of its members according to the example of the hermits of Mount Carmel. The areas of formation will include spiritual, intellectual, and economic, as follows:
· Spiritual formation focuses on what is proper to the eremitic life such as prayer, solitude, and lectio divina (holy reading) or the meditative reading of Scripture and other spiritual books.
· Intellectual formation focuses on the history of the eremitic life in the Church, emphasizing the early written sources such as The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, the hermits of Mount Carmel in the 12th century, and the Carmelite Reform of Saint Teresa of Jesus in the 16th century, as well as the study of theology and Church documents, such as papal encyclicals.
· Economic formation focuses on training in those areas of work appropriate for a hermit such as painting Icons, rosary making, wood work, or some other craft. Intellectual work is acceptable if it is not disruptive to the life of a hermit.
Each hermit will make his/her own contribution to the well-being of the laura with his/her own unique gifts in the spiritual, intellectual and economic areas of life. The laura enables each hermit to live out his/her own vocation, and in turn each hermit will help maintain the life of the laura, as well as strive for the well-being of the whole Church through a life of prayer, penance and solitude, and giving spiritual counsel to those requesting it.
The Hermitage of St. Joseph will also build hermitages for those who desire to experience a life of solitary prayer for shorter periods of time, such as a retreat or time of discernment.