Who can Live Canon 603 and in what sense?

[[Sister Laurel, can someone who is not professed under c 603 live the canon?]]

Thanks for writing! Because I believe the vision embodied in c 603 is normative of eremitical life in the church, my answer is yes, they can. At least, that is, the first section of the canon can be lived by any hermit in the church, no matter their canonical state or form of eremitical life. However, a non-canonical hermit and a canonical hermit in an institute of consecrated life would not live the second section of the canon. I recently cited that second section, but let me put the text of the entire canon up for you to see what I mean.

Can. 603 §1. In addition to institutes of consecrated life, the Church recognizes the eremitic or anchoritic life by which the Christian faithful devote their life to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through a stricter withdrawal from the world, the silence of solitude, and assiduous prayer and penance. 

§2. A hermit is recognized by law as one dedicated to God in consecrated life if he or she publicly professes in the hands of the diocesan bishop the three evangelical counsels, confirmed by vow or other sacred bond, and observes a proper program of living (Rule of Life) under his supervision.

Members of institutes of consecrated life including those properly termed semi-eremitic, are canonical, but they do not fall under the second section of the canon. This is because their professions, consecrations, legitimate superiors, and canonical standing are rooted in other canonical norms and the proper or particular law of their institutes. Non-canonical hermits can fulfill all of the terms of c 603.1 but do not have standing in law required in 603.2, nor do they live a "proper program of eremitical living"  because in c 603.2 this phrase means an approved Rule that serves as their own particular law lived under the supervision of the local ordinary.

I've written this before. but please note that "proper" in 603.2 is not a Britishism meaning "well or appropriately done" like when someone can make a "proper cuppa" tea for their guests. Proper in the c 603.2 sense refers to particular law and is approved, as an institute of consecrated life has approved constitutions and statutes that form their own proper or particular law in addition to the requirements of universal or Canon law. Canon 603.1-2 is universally applicable to every hermit professed under this canon. Section 2 begins very clearly, "a hermit is recognized by law as one dedicated to God in the consecrated state of life. . ." This entire paragraph 2 applies to canon 603 hermits alone. On the other hand, any person could certainly write a Rule that serves as a vision of and means to live their own personal  vision of eremitical life. It would be considered proper or particular to them alone even though it is not an officially approved Rule; it would just not meet the conditions of c 603.2.