www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Building a Byzantine Catholic Village

Athens at its peak had perhaps 20-30,000 people, and most of them farmed the surrounding countryside. In other words "civitas" was not a city in the modern sense.
Cities in the ancient and medieval worlds were rooted in the countryside, not alienated from it...
-Daniel

Would it be something like a Christian Kabutz community?

Ungcsertezs

It wasn't until the Industrial Revolution that the "urban" life really took hold as divorced from the country.

Vestiges of the good ol' agrarian sustenance life are still present in Europe, as even in the largest cities Russia and Ukraine you can find those who still own a dacha and go there to tend gardens, pick fruit, etc.
DRLB

Please keep a new venture in your prayers, as all here on this thread seem to be good GBrs or at least sympathetic.

There are plans being drawn up now for basically a Chevetogne-style approach to a small GB college here in the midwest, with a working farm and the availibility of both Byzantine and traditional Latin liturgy. Don't know where it will go, but like most good ideas it started over a few glasses of wine talking about the good life.
DRLB

My dear Deacon Randy- by all means keep us informed! A Second Spring of the real Catholic Moment- the one in the 30s- 50s- would be welcome indeed...
-Daniel

This venture will definitely be in my prayers. Will you be a part of this venture?

Also could you please explain what a chevetogne-style approach means?

MFC - Chevetogne is a monastery in Belgium where both Byzantine-Russian and Roman communities live together under the Rule of St. Benedict. They have a wonderful website at http://www.monasterechevetogne.com and have some heavenly recordings of Russian and Kievan chant in Slavonic.

This monastery, originally at Amay, was a joint dream of Popes St. Pius X and Benedict XV as well as Dom Lambert Beaudoin, Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, and Cardinal Mercier. Actually the original idea started even earlier, with Pope Leo XIII thinking out loud to Cardinal Mercier.

The monastery idea materialized further with brainstorming sessions over coffee and tea between St. Pius X, Mercier and Dom Lambert about how to take the Octave of Unity one step further and involve the Eastern Catholic Churches.

By "Chevetogne" approach I mean a couple of things. First and obviously, the cojoined living of Latin and Byzantine liturgical traditions side by side, and the opportunity for the kids to see and experience both.

But secondly also the impact of monasticism on Christian Culture cannot be overemphasized. The Rules of St. Benedict and St. Basil have so very, very much to offer as guides to a virtuous life, intimately connected with the land, ora et labora, and also have much to offer teachers in guiding the students and instilling true Christian order in young lives.

As far as my involvement, you think I would pass something like this up with my old GB buddies and not get my hands dirty?
DD

Sounds wondeful! You will be in my prayers!

Just this evening as my husband and I were driving in the car, he turned to me and said: "The country would be a better place if everyone tended a small garden and kept a few chickens, maybe a cow or a goat."

I am going to have to show him this thread! G!

Do you need a goat or ewe for a starter animal?

Dear Fr. Deacon Randy:

But you cannot start with either a doe or an ewe unless, of course, either already is gestating!

Throw in a billy/buck or a ram in the deal!

Amado

I wanted to bump this thread, because it's just plain awesome!

I want to hear from the past participants in this thread, has anything come to fruition? Do you still have these dreams?

Anybody else out there who desire this type of life?

My wife and I and potentially 4 other Catholic couples are looking to leave the city and start a farm, mainly focused on a vineyard, but potentially having other crops/animals as well. We are saving money and doing the research to make this happen, but it will definitely happen. That's where we are currently at, it might take 1-5 years to do it, but it will happen.

So let's hear some updates.

Wow!

Made for communion, would this be open to Orthodox Christians too?

Hopefully, an Orthodox Church would be located nearby too.

My husband is thinking of moving to Arizona close to St. Anthony's monastery if that is an option at all.

My husband and I desire to do something like this. We're talking about selling our house in WA and buying large acreage in the Midwest (MN or WI) to live very simply.

The idea earlier in this thread about a place with a combo of Byzantine/traditional Latin liturgy available sounds awesome!

Andrea