Every year we submit our statistics to the Catholic (Kenedy) Directory, the respected source for a list of Catholic nonprofit organizations. This year the Conference of Bishops requested that our statistics include the number of hermits, if any.
St. Benedict discusses briefly the types of monastics in chapter 2 of his Rule. First are those who live a cenobitic life under a rule and a superior in community, e.g. St. Walburg Monastery. Second are the anchorites or hermits. The qualifications for hermits in the time of Benedict are that they:
- have lived in the monastery for a long time
- are beyond their first fervor
- are trained with the support of others to fight against temptation, and
- are now ready to grapple single-handedly with vices of body and mind.
Today’s hermits frequently belong to a community that gives them room for a deep focus on God, spiritual direction, and Eucharist and Liturgy of the Hours in common. Away from cities, in deep quiet, the natural surroundings nourish their spiritual lives.
Judith Sutera, OSB, notes in her commentary on chapter 2 that “Most of us would like to be hermits for all the wrong reasons: to ignore the needs of others, to do things on our own schedule, to have our failings be private and our efforts self-regulated.”1
Those called to the cenobitic life freely admit with Proverbs 11:14 “…in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Our failings are pretty obvious; forgiveness abounds. The first fervors we embrace are often short-lived, unless they lead to a new path, a new work for the common good, a spiritual awakening, a deeper compassion.
St. Benedict lived for a time as a hermit. His understanding of human nature led him to put the common life first, the support of our sisters, wise counselors, daily irritations and joys. It is not surprising that modern hermits, now to be numbered in the Catholic Directory, now enjoy some of the best features of the “common” life.
1Benedict’s rule: an inclusive translation and daily commentary. Judith Sutera, OSB. ©2021, Liturgical Press.
