Charism ~ the gratuitous gift of the Holy Spirit enabling each to be a channel of God's Love and Redemption in the world.
| Perpetual Devotion to Divine Love |
Actions & Interactions |
| Our calling is not to traditional, geographically-bound, community life. What differentiates the eremitical tradition is its physical independence. But being alone has many spiritual dangers – it is very easy to leave the “narrow way” and begin following our own fancies. Monastic literature is full of such warnings. St. Benedict does not spare them by calling them a “most vile class of monks.” He called them Sarabaites and they are the ones who “have been tried by no rule.” His warnings are especially pointed: "They live in twos or threes, or even singly, without a shepherd, in their own sheepfolds and not in the Lord's. Their law is the desire for self-gratification: whatever enters their mind or appeals to them, that they call holy; what they dislike, they regard as unlawful." (RB1) Let us pray that never will this community be known as such. For the protection of our immortal souls, therefore, this community eagerly embraces the Camaldolese approach for living both a solitary lifestyle while still receiving the spiritual protection which comes from a common rule and knowing ourselves as belonging to one sheepfold. Our community looks to create a space where the individual can engage in the hard work of following the Lord every moment of the day, while at the same time being supported by a community of like-minded workers. We do share a common life of prayer and are united with each other in the recitation of the Divine Offices, Lectio Divina and meditation/contemplation, as well as in the common study of those teachers and masters that have gone before us, especially the writings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, and the Camaldolese saints. 'Living Novenas' to Divine Love Relying on the love and protection of the Holy Trinity, we are called by Christ to offer our lives as a perpetual devotion, a “living novena,” for peace and reconciliation of the heart and soul of the world, and to ease the suffering of our neighbors through our own sacrificial prayerfulness in thought word and deed. Fundamentally we seek to be the instruments of Divine Love. Our guide in life, first and foremost, is Holy Scripture. We search without tiring for a closer union with Our Lord. To achieve this we have found it beneficial to be organized in the manner set out by the Rule of St. Benedict, but following the eremitical structure outlined by Sts. Romuald and Paul Giustiniani (the founders of the Benedictine Camaldolese and the Camaldolese Hermits of Monte Corona respectively), especially St. Romuald’s Brief Rule. We do not restrict admission to this community based on age, gender, clerical or marital status. If you are baptized Christian and can honestly agree with the traditional Creeds of the Church (Apostles, Nicea and Athanasian) then you are welcome as Christ. It is our belief that if one is called to this way of life by Jesus, no one can stand in their way. And once called to this way of life by Jesus, the person cannot stay as they are; they are now on a path of irrevocable transformation. We understand that this community is not in any way owned or in the possession (even emotionally) of those who undertook the call to found it in the name of Christ. The community belongs only to God. Admission to the Community of Solitude requires that one have a good understanding of our way of life. Formation in the community is self directed, in concert with a mentor from the vowed ranks. If one already has a tradition of prayer and solitude in their life you may be called to join with us. 1. Contact a member of the Guardian Council and initiate a discernment process or just chat to get to know us and understand better what we’re all about. 2. Talk to your spiritual director about your journey toward an “interior/inward” way of life. 3. Read about and reflect on the Camaldolese way of life and the vows of Conversion of Life, Stability in a life of prayer and Obedience to God’s Will. 4. Above all, talk to God…..PRAY! |
We serve our community and the world through our life consecrated to prayer, silence and solitude. But these are tools, not ends in themselves. Their function is to create a space for a deeper and more constant conversation with God. Prayer More accurately we should say “prayerful presence.” We aim to pray always as the Apostle Paul suggests. The concrete details of how to prayerfully go to the supermarket or drive on the freeway are the very work which a solitary must engage in. There are no formulas for this. Silence Even with our mouths closed, we are hardly ever silent. Our eyes dart to and fro, our mind races forward into a fantastical future and backwards into an imagined past. We are hardly ever just present to the moment. Yet it is in this very moment where silence and healing are to be found. So our work is to constantly strive to be where Christ is, here and now. Solitude Just as Our Lord blessed the poor in spirit (while clearly not suggesting that being destitute, hungry, and homeless were noble ideals) so too we take the meaning of “solitary” to be a person who, in the midst of their life, is profoundly aware of being alone with God. Practice We carry our cloister in our hearts and our monastic cell is wherever we are. We believe the Lord is calling us to be a visible witness of the eremitical life without a monastic enclosure. We place emphasis on the centrality of the Holy Eucharist. Following Romuald, we dedicate much time to the “one way” of recitation of the psalter. The Divine Offices We all have different tastes and spiritual inclinations. Therefore, we do not restrict recitation of the offices to any one version. Some use the offices from the Book of Common Prayer, some use a traditional Roman breviary, others a different version, and some may have constructed their own Office book using the shape and form traditional to each office. It doesn’t matter which version is used. What matters is that you recite the office. We also place emphasis on “quality v. quantity” when praying the office. Sometimes life circumstances limit the number of offices one can recite on any given day. Rest assured the community supports you with their prayers when this occurs. Lectio Divina Apart from the Offices this is the single most important “weapon” in the arsenal of a solitary. A great part of the formation of the novice will be spent teaching and refining the practice of Lectio, until it becomes second nature. Fundamentally, lectio is to be a time where the individual seeks the Heart of Christ in the Gospels, learning directly from the Master how to become fully human. A visible witness - Habits Life circumstances vary among us. We offer the option of wearing the Holy Habit wherever and whenever it is appropriate. As we do not hold any property or possessions in common, the Holy Habit is purchased by each member. |
