(emergent) Anglo Catholic and Neo Monastic

[Karen Ward]

Okay, I'm outing myself here as being 'one of these' in most ways. I'm finding rich resources for church praxis and the call to do justice within in deep liturgical and sacramental life. Early expressions of Anglo Catholicism upheld this connection, and some of us 'emergents' have picked up on this and resonate with it. Also many of us express this via 'new monastic' practice as well, so I thought a forum to discuss this might be of interest.

[Fr. Thomas Beasley+]

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne has been the seminal reading that has inspired me on my journey to develop a new monasticism life-style for inmates. I am currently attempting to learn as much as possible about the new monasticism as I can in order to bring monasticism to my brothers behind the razor wire( I am a volunteer chaplain working in local prisons to establish Episcopal faith-communities for the Commission on prison and related ministries in the Diocese of Florida).

Although this effort is only just beginning, I would appreciate any and all suggestions on how to bring this about. What I have so far can be found here: http://home.earthlink.net/~beesknees/id1128.htm Click on the bar to get beyond the face sheet. -Fr. Tom+

[Kate Lufkin Day]

I don't yet have any brilliant ideas for you, but am very, very happy to find someone doing prison ministry. I have visited a number of men behind the razor wire, and am right now working with a member of my parish who is in for arson. I am helping him do his "fearless moral inventory" step. He hopes to get parole in November.
The 12 steps are the most familiar form of religious life in prison. Perhaps you can do something with that in a monastic way. Hmmm. If I think of something, I'll let you know.
I will check out what you're doing in the meantime.

[C. Earl Mahan]

Karen,
Your "outing" is my outing is, and is I suspect, a whole bunch of people's outings. Thanks for starting this conversation.

The connection between do justice and liturgy / word and sacrament is the heart of the matter for many, whether they think of themselves as "emergents" or not. It is that connection that distinguishes the church from others doing similarly "good works" but for whom the Christ factor is missing. Help me understand, though, what you mean by "new monastic." In what ways do you see it differing from the ancient practices, and how is it the same in your view?

[Karen Ward]

Yipee!, I'm glad not be alone as an 'out' AC ;-0

'New monastic' is a phrase used to describe 'emergent' folk who are exploring how aspects of monasticism can come to play and add needed depth and 'staying power' to living and practicing faith in today's culture. The new part means folk are exploring this outside or parallel to traditional religious orders. Many are also influenced by 'modern' orders and communities like Taize, Iona, Lindesfairne, Northumbria and Catholic Worker.

Many who are exploring this are coming from evangelical protestant traditions which have maintained no monastic practice, so they are *discovering* monasticism for the first time.

A minority of us are coming at this from traditions which have maintained traditional monastic orders and practices,
so what we are doing is giving 'fresh expression' to a long tradition in our communion (sort of St. Brigit meets an IPod ).

At my community, for example we have a 'Rule of Life' instead of a 'mission statement' so we have consciously chosen not to 'lead' with statements (belief driven) but lead with our common prayer and common life together in the way of Jesus .

We 'draw upon' monastic traditions but contextualize them for our local life and apply them to the whole of our community. This is similar to traditional 'third orders' except for many of us, we do this 'local only,' so no other community besides COTA would use our rule of life (it does not travel) but is a local expression of our communal life in the way of Jesus.

Also many 'new monastics' resonate with the charisms of particular traditional orders. Here our community is quite Benedictine (realizing that all Anglicans are by ethos, de facto) while many of those doing this from the evangelical free groups tend towards new form Franciscian expressions. Also as Mennonites have historically seen their tradition as a lay order, some neo monastic oriented Mennonites are picking this up and running with it. (folk like Missio Dei in Minneapolis).

[Kate Lufkin Day]

Karen: Thanks again for coming to us in Syracuse today. I couldn't help thinking, as you talked about us being basically Benedictine, how the first thing Henry VIII did was destroy the monasteries in order to get their wealth. The destruction was vicious and incredibly thorough, and is etched deeply in the English consciousness. Hmmm. Is it simply ironic that the church that rose from his actions is deeply monastic in its ethos? Or was there something deep in English monasticism that could not be destroyed, that in fact has flowered in a whole new way in every new environment? Or is this about "You become what you fight against"?

[Beau Surratt]

Hi Karen!
Thanks for outing yourself so some of us can too!
We're just beginning to start the Emerging conversation here in the Diocese of Chicago and there is much energy here to discover what God is already doing in our midst that is 'emerging' how we can take this and run with it in a number of contexts.

I'm very interested in the conversation about Neo-Monasticism, but I often wonder if many folks don't know much about a community here in TEC that, though it has been around for many years, is quite neo-monastic in spirit--the Brotherhood of St. Gregory (www.gregorians.org).

This a non-residential community with a rule of life that involves vows of poverty, chastity and obedience (defining these values in ways that fit with living in the contemporary world), the fourfold Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer, Scripture study, daily meditation, etc. They come together twice a year for retreat and convocation where they live for that week much like traditional monastics. These men (and women--their companion community, the Sisters of St. Gregory) live in the world and many service the church as musicians, administrators and priests or deacons, and many serve in the church and the world as workers for social justice, and as those who care for the poor and wounded.

As someone who is exploring a vocation to this community (God willing I'll be come a postulant this Summer) at the age of 25, I would be the youngest person ever to come into the community. I discovered the community a while before I knew anything of the Emerging conversation. Now I'm super interested in the connection between the two.

I believe all of the folks in the Diocese of Chicago who are a part of BSG are Anglo-Catholics. Being an Anglo-Catholic, however, often goes along with an ethos of narrow ideas about how things should and must be rather than what is at the heart of one's practice. I was talking with one of our folks from Chicago who is a member of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory and he was speaking of what he perceives as sort of "indigenous", non-Victorian revival of Anglo-Catholicism among younger generations. Although I don't think he would want to label it as such, I wonder if this one of the things that is happening in the Emerging conversation- a renewal of the ritual sense and Sacramentality of Anglo Catholicism that emerges from a group of people who yearn for a rich and meaningful connection with the divine. This renewal is or would be not quite so concerned with rigid, specific forms, but with the authentic heart of Sacraments and ritual--connection with God and the changing of lives. And, as with the original movements that began Anglo-Catholicism as we know it, it is/would be intimately connected with the call to do justice and to care for all of God's people.

Sorry for the rambling post--this is a conversation I'm very passionate about continuing and these are questions I'm really just now starting to explore. Thanks for providing a place to make this conversation happen.


Hopefully we'll see you sometime in Chicago, Karen!

Blessings,
Beau Surratt

[Karen Ward]

Dear Beau, you do need to come out here for your 'internship' !
Do talk to +Lee to see if there is any help from the diocese or your parish.
You can email him via this site.

We can take you or send you for a few days to Portland. OR, also while you are out here, to visit Fr. Kurt Neilson, who wrote 'Urban Iona' He is on this site also.

Cheers

[Br. James Patrick Hall]

Beau,
I look forward to seeing you at Convocation and becoming a Postulant with you!