www.byzcath.org Forums new old idea

I am delighted to hear of the interest in evangelization, and spreading the Gospel of Christ.

In another area of this forum, a number of members expressed a personal devotion to Saint Herman of Alaska.

Once it was common (in the western Church too) to pioneer the spread of Christianity and the Gospel in an otherwise pagan (today we might say 'un-churched'?) territory by planting a monastery there, and first of all, beginning relentless prayer for the conversion of the place.

Could zeal for mission, inspire our Church to plant new monasteries? Remember, he who builds a cell for a monk, receives the same benefit, as one who builds a Church. The reason for that, is that there must be some equivalence?

Not only the Eastern Churches, but also the celtic Christians were famous for monastic missions. Perhaps there is a need for new monasteries, and monastic founders and benefactors today?

Is this an old idea, whose time has come again?

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Heromonk Elias,

What a sound idea. This not only addresses the need to establish new Churches but it also addresses the need that many single Christians have for a vocation. What an excellent post!

CDL

In many ways it would be say that the northern Teutonic tribes i.e. Anglo-Saxons, rhineland tribes, dutch and so on and so forth were all converted by Benedictines. If its worked before no doubt it'll work again.

Absolutely, Father. It is completely consistent with what has been discussed. In northern Russia and Alaska the monks were the spearhead of evangelization and spreading "the Word".

We need new monasteries to populate the new "northern Thebaid" of secularism and dying parishes. That necessitates our hierarchy understanding and appreciating the charism of traditional Eastern monasticism.

I know this is non-traditional, and probably will touch off World War III, but here goes. Why do the contemplation and constant prayer of monastics have to be restricted to people who are life-long monastics? Could monasteries be set up to allow people, young or older, to spend say 6 months, a year, or whatever they can give, to that kind of prayer? Then they would go on with their lives, careers, marriage, or whatever. It does seem I am thinking more of lay associations than outright monasteries. But the prayers would do immense good, and it would build the church by having better formed Christians who would go into the world and be the salt of the earth. I am thinking aloud, or at least on the screen, but what do some of you think? For example, could the people of this forum devote 15 minutes a day for a period of time, to pray for the conversion of a certain area? This would work for any organization.

Dear byzanTN,

It is not untraditional at all. Monasteries have always welcomed people to take part in their life for shorter and longer periods. Monks who have made their renunciation, do not do so on the day they arrive, but sometimes spend months and years living the life, and considering if it is their chosen and life long profession. The heart of monasticism is this total renunciation, but its reach is to much more than these.

I am delighted that there is some interest, in this new old idea. I mentioned it, only to challenge our thinking on two points.

1. Evangelization is not just about building up parish life, and getting new parishioners for our parishes. Our Church is much more than parish life.

2. The regular life of monastics, and the existence of a healthy Monasticism can be an anchor, for the prayer of all Christians, encouraging and guiding one another.

In the Eastern Churches the presence of the monasteries and the monastic spiritual fathers and mothers was an integral part and parcel of the praying community.

The relationship of married and celibate clergy goes right along with this, Father. Did you get a chance to read Hieromonk Maximos' article "Celibacy in Context" in "First Things" in relation to married and celibate clergy? http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0212/opinion/davies.html

In our completely anticlerical society, this will likely be met with some scorn. We were discussing the Stylites earlier, and like them in general, monasteries do not fit the end user (i.e. parish) model of the "modern" church.

But they are needed more than ever.

Yes, Fr. Elias. I think new monastic communities will only lead the way to Evangelization. But what sort of monastic institutions will be allowed by the eparchies? I remember how monastics were considered a waste of vocations because we need priests instead. I even know some monasteries that were basically cleared out when the priest-monks were sent to parishes, never to come back. This is so sad because when we loose our monastics, the church looses its ethos.

The monasteries! Not the chanceries!

Joe

I think new monastic communities will only lead the way to Evangelization. But what sort of monastic institutions will be allowed by the eparchies?
Joe [/QB][/QUOTE]

I am so delighted to find a point of agreement with some of my friends from the forum. Thank you Joe!

I like to think of monasticism as a kind of 'charismatic' gift. Somehow not exactly of the 'institution' Church, it is not really part of the structure, and lives outside of the cathedral/chancery/parish environment. It is notoriously difficult to legislate or regulate 'charismatic' gifts, but when the time is ripe, the Spirit does what is necessary. It seems that in the history of the Church, the greatest monasteries always happened almost spontaneously, (humbly at first) and grew, developed, only to be accepted and then treasured by the whole Church after time.

You ask 'what sort' of monasteries. And the answer must be, the sort of places where ceaseless prayer and sacrifice are a way of life, and genuine holiness is stiven for.

Just to clarify, Monk Maximos (Davies) has not received the Holy Mystery of Presbyteral Orders. (unless our brother Diak knows something? )

But more to the point of Hieromonk Elias' post... Although this method of evangelization (monastic missions) may have a long history, the lived experience of evangelization, at least for the Metropolia of Pittsburgh, has been the task of the secular, ie, diocesan, clergy. With a fledging monastery of the traditional Byzantine model, such as Holy Resurrection, it may take some time for a monastic mission to become a reality. Of course, this would have to be something the monks would desire to undertake.

Why would founding a monastery "have to be something the monks would desire to undertake"? One presumes that that the monks founding a monstery would want to be a monastery?

I believe he meant "founding a new Church from the monastery" would have to be something that the monks would wish to undertake.

CDL

I know this often is greeted with dismay by monastics, put perhaps it is worthwhile to examine the example of idiorrhythmic life in this context?

A few monks living together in a house in community and with a rule and Hegumen, with something like a basement chapel, having services and doing some other work for livelihood and paying the bills, which could be Catholic Charities, programs, soup kitchens, printing, whatever.

A married Orthodox priest rents out a row of storefronts in the "inner city" of Kansas City, and in one of them is a group of mainly African American nuns living this kind of life.

It has become quite a community center for fellowship, and in this neighborhood, a little zone of peace and love where one can find someone to talk to, the chapel to pray in, a great bookstore, etc. Fr. Paissios has a web page at http://www.stmaryofegypt.net/stmary.shtml
It is a wonderful place. Many years to Fr. Paissios, his Matushka and the Sisters.

Thanks Dan,

I see I was not clear in the original post. The whole point of a monastic mission is not to found a new parish, but to found a new monastery.

Monasteries are monasteries, not parishes. I hoped it might fit in with the idea of mission, and conversion, by pointing out that Evangelization is not just a matter of founding parishes, or bringing new members into parishes. The Church is more than its parishes.

A monastic presence in a place, praying for the conversion of that place, and all the world, is really proclaiming the Gospel, sanctifying the world, converting hearts to God.

To be a monastery is enough.

Elias

This is most excellent!