As we have received questions from readers about monasticism and the status of monks and nuns within mainstream Protestantism, mainly due to our Monday postings, we are offering an overview of this largely quiet ministry. Please forgive this post’s piecemeal construction as we are responding to individual questions.
While The Episcopal Church is not the only Protestant group that practices formal asceticism, there are some tiny monastic orders in Lutheranism and Methodism, monasticism is firmly included in American Anglican history and witness.
While Roman Catholic orders are better known, due to their strong historical influence and the greater number of members involved, the smaller orders in Anglo-Catholicism are worth noting, too.
Naturally, as the Church is an institution, canon law regulating monastic and other communities is particular and precise. While I could quote the canons like our more boring bishops do at conferences, I will simplify them for the discerning reader.1
According to the national Episcopal Church website, there are a number of canonically recognized monastic orders and Christian communities in The Episcopal Church.2
Monastic orders differ from Christian communities in that the former are expected to conform to the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Christian communities are not bound by the traditional vows but are organized through a rule of life that is based in some part on the Benedictine, which is the mother of all rules.
Unlike monastic communities, Christian communities are often co-educational, as were the original monastic orders of the early Celtic Church, and some adopt a form of dress that denotes their membership in the community. Others eschew that requirement.
Both monastic orders and Christian communities within The Episcopal Church are expected to abide under the authority of a bishop, are required to be in communion with the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury3, and are to have at least six members.
For the sake of our discussion, and because of their historical gravitas, we will concentrate on the long-grounded monastic orders that still abide within American Anglicanism.4 Please click through the links to some interesting websites.
Among orders for women in the United States are:
The Community of the Holy Spirit in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.
The Community of St. John the Baptist in suburban New Jersey
For men, the monastic orders currently recognized are:
The Order of St. Benedict* [St. Gregory’s Abbey] in Three Rivers, Michigan
The Society of St. Francis [better known as The Franciscans] in San Francisco
The Society of St. John the Evangelist* [also known as The Cowley Fathers] in Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Society of St. Paul in San Diego [just a scant 45-minute walk from the beach with guest rooms for visitors. I just thought I’d mention it.]
Each order follows a “Rule,” either that of St. Benedict with its structured daily prayer routine, or something modified, more contemporary, and better suited to the order’s mission.
The monastic orders usually include ordained priests and deacons working and living alongside lay sisters or brothers. There is not to be a “caste system” as duties within the order tend towards the egalitarian, save for when the clergy have specific roles in the chapel’s celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
Historically, it is not unusual for a lay brother or sister to serve over the clergy as an order’s superior.
In service of this practice, the monastic apparel or habit serves to de-emphasize the individuality of the members and offer a small theology lesson, as well.
For example, in the early and medieval church, the more important the individual, the longer were their vestments. A bishop or archbishop would often require an acolyte or two whose sole duty was to attend to his train during liturgies.
Thus, some orders, in particular the Society of St. John the Evangelist, wear habits that are deliberately abbreviated at the lower hem to highlight their absence of importance.
A standard habit is made of three pieces: the tunic or cassock, the scapular, and the hood, cowl, or veil. There is usually a leather belt or rope cincture that holds the pieces together. The headpiece or veil used in nuns’ habits may be particularly distinct, and sometimes quite elaborate, in order to differentiate one order from another.
The colors and materials vary, as well. Franciscans favor a rough brown or gray cloth; others use cotton, wool, rayon, or a poly/cotton blend in either black, white, or gray. Some orders also use a work habit, often made of denim material.
For readers who wish to read more, a fine resource may be found here.
The entire experience of monasticism is that of a “grounded mysticism” in that the average day is a combination of communal prayer and work.
Some orders are purely contemplative, spending their days in prayer mixed with the labor necessary in maintaining their monastery, others fulfill a mission to the greater world as educators, healthcare workers, or in staffing parishes.
As an example, I would offer what was once a day in my life following a modified Benedictine order as a novitiate of The Society of St. Barnabas6 where I served as sacristan and bell-ringer:
Tuesday through Friday 8am - Matins [Latin for Morning Prayer] followed immediately by Mass 9am - Breakfast and the beginning of the day's silence within the monastery. We did all our own grocery shopping and cooking. 10am - Work day begins; as we were a mission order we staffed three parishes in the eastern part of Erie, Pennsylvania so we would officiate or celebrate the appropriate services, make hospital and home visits, and take care of the operation of the parishes. At least one monk would remain at the monastery to answer the phone, process the mail, enter donations into the ledger, etc. Noon - Diurnam, or noonday prayers that feature intercession [Prayers of the People] 12:30pm - A light, informal lunch that was bound by silence. 1-5pm - Continued labors, including cleaning, maintenance, and repairs to the monastery's physical plant. 5:30pm - Vespers [Evening Prayer] 6pm - Dinner marking the end of the daily silence. These were often chatty occasions. 7pm-9pm - Personal time, which I always found the most productive time to write a sermon; or read the collected works of C.S. Forester in the monastery’s library. [Yes, I was also the librarian.] 9:30pm - Compline 10:00pm - Retire to the cells [our rooms, in other words; which were much nicer than what one usually thinks of when hearing the word "cell".]
Saturday A modified schedule as parish duties would claim greater attention, often with weddings, funerals, tag sales, adult education, etc. The only official offices of the day were Matins/Mass and Compline. As the monastery was open to the public for Mass on Saturday mornings, we would use the main chapel rather than the smaller side chapel. A transferred or anticipated Feast Day dinner was usually held at 6pm. Guests were often invited to join us in the monastic enclosure. Sunday The entire day was dedicated to parish service. There were no monastic offices except for Compline. Monday Day off. Yep, even monks get a day off. While we were usually left to our own devices, we would sometimes take group trips to local vineyards, nearby Niagara Falls, etc.
All in all, not a bad life, as long as you’re okay with poverty, chastity, and obedience, which I ultimately was not.
Any Coracle reader may become associated with some of the orders as they offer membership to an extended community.
For example, the Third Order of the Franciscans and the Associates of the Holy Cross are designed for those who live in the secular world but still want to build Benedictine spirituality into their daily life.
Each expects an annual retreat from the associates, which is actually a rather pleasant experience, especially as a day or two of silence, prayer, and meditation can be restorative. More information may be found on their respective websites.
As a personal aside, I’ve always found The Order of the Holy Cross in West Park, NY to be the most contemporary, clever, and innovative.
When other orders were making jam, they were designing web pages. Their online presence has always been strong and they even have an electric vehicle re-charging device in the monastery parking lot.
They happen to be located in a particularly nice mansion in the beautiful Hudson River Valley near the cabin of John Burroughs and encourage visitors, especially on the days when their gift shop is open.
A particular note: It occurs to me that the readers of A Wandering Coracle already have, through this medium, a foundation for an online Christian community. We could create our own, based through this newsletter. Perhaps it is time to resurrect the Society of St. Barnabas as a community of associates, rather than a monastic order. We will have more news about this on Saturday.
As St. Benedict said, “Rursus incipiemus nunc et semper”, or “Always we begin again.”
For the many lawyers who read these pages, the relevant canons may be found online under Title III, Canon 14, sections 1 and 2.
Monasticism refers to either monks or nuns living within a specifically designed community.
In other words, they cannot be organized to create or encourage a schism in the greater church or its communion.
For what it is worth, those marked with an asterisk are orders with whom I have worked or celebrated Holy Communion. I can vouch for their spirituality and good works.
Sewanee is also the home of the University of the South, The Episcopal Church’s largest institution of higher education.
Yes, now I see your reply below. Honey, eh?
Fantastic overview! Thanks so much for sharing. Definitely filled in some blanks. And that 3rd picture is cracking me up--what is he doing?!