The Surprising Face of Eremitical Solitude Through the Centuries

In my last post, I was asked about living in solitude and why it is that hermits don't always live strictly alone. My response presupposes a lot of what I said in that post regarding the meaning of words and especially on the nature of the constitutive elements of c 603, but it also involves the history of eremitical life, which is rather different than some believe it to be. Perhaps most surprising to those who believe solitude always means being absolutely alone is the fact that throughout the centuries hermits have often lived with one or two others. This was true of the Desert Abbas and Ammas because they accepted that novice hermits needed to be mentored and gradually introduced to eremitical life under the tutelage of an experienced hermit. There are other reasons two hermits might live together including safety, some degree of illness or debility, etc., and this has never been seen as a betrayal of the vocation's requirement of solitude.

Saint Francis' Rule for Hermits is a very brief but really significant document for the way we look at eremitical life; it sets up a living situation in which two or three individuals live in solitude while being looked after by at least one other Friar who serves as "Mother" to the hermits. After a sufficient period of time in solitude roles are reversed and the one serving as Mother begins his period in solitude while the hermits take turns serving as Mother. All of the brothers spend their days in community in a broader sense, but the community allows for significant eremitical solitude for individuals. In other words, it makes safe and healthy Franciscan eremitical life possible. While life in this setup was not luxurious by any means, I am struck by the complete lack of accent on any kind of harsh, arbitrary, or externally imposed asceticism in the name of spiritual "purification". Solitude in this scheme is not some kind of brutal attempt to gut out absolute aloneness for aloneness' own sake or to learn the hard lessons that isolation might be able to teach. Rather, it is about giving generous and humble Friars the chance to spend significant time alone with God in genuine solitude within a loving community of brethren.

I recently cited the work of Edward L Cutts on "The Hermits and Recluses of the Middle Ages" and one of the insights his work gives is into the hermitages and living situations of some hermits who are not recluses. He notes that Richard Rolle lived for some time at the residence of Sir John Dalton who gave him a solitary chamber, clothed him in a hermit's habit and paid for his necessities. It was from this place that Rolle wrote books, counseled visitors, and was absorbed in prayer. Interestingly, Rolle had experiences of temptation and "demonic assault" and became most concerned with the spiritual consolation of recluses. Later he lived near a Cistercian monastery (nunnery) in Hampole and it was here that he died after a long history of writing devotional and mystical works.

While this may seem an exceptional account, Cutts also notes, [[It was not very unusual for hermitages to be built for more than one occupant; but probably in all cases, each hermit had his own cell, adjoining their common chapel. This was the original arrangement of hermits of the Thebais in their laura. The great difference between a hermitage of more than one hermit, and a small cell of one of the other religious orders, was that in such a cell one monk or friar would have been the prior, and the others subject to him; but each hermit was independent of any authority on the part of the other; he was subject only to the obligation of his Rule, and the visitation of his bishop.]]

I want to point out the similarity in what is being described here and what sometimes happens with c 603 hermits today. In the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, for instance, the current Bishop has professed and consecrated three older women who live together in the same house. I was asked several years ago how this could be allowed under c 603 and suggested a living situation very like the one Cutts has just described from the Middle Ages. Similarly, when c 603 hermits join together in a laura, the requirement that this not rise to the level of a religious institute, but that the c 603 hermits each have their own Rule, own bank account, etc., so each is self-supporting, sounds very like what was true in the Middle Ages. The same is true of Sister Beverly's Marymount hermitage in the Diocese of Boise, though Sister Rebecca no longer lives there. In these examples, eremitical solitude, which is not defined in terms simply of being alone but which implies significant time alone with God, yet also within a parish, diocesan, or neighboring community (and sometimes a small community of other solitary hermits) may, for some, be a surprising way of looking at solitude.

The point here is that eremitical solitude is a special form of solitude with a special purpose, namely communion with God for the sake of others. Yes, some of us live a significant degree of aloneness in our time with God and some find they are called to actual reclusion. This is critically important to the vocation and to the witness the vocation provides. (Here I am thinking of Thomas Merton's comment about nature, peace, and the grace of God and what the hermit's life says about these. cf last paragraph of Ministry of the Hermit.) Community, however, is always a dimension of (Christian) eremitical solitude precisely because the life is both rooted in and serves a faith community. Through the centuries this tendency to distinguish eremitical solitude from a dangerous and destructive isolation with practices like that of  Saint Francis, the Desert Abbas and Ammas, Anchorites and anchoresses living linked to churches and village or town communities, or the example of Richard of Hampole and others from the Middle Ages, is a recurring pattern of authentic eremitical life.

Assorted Questions on Eremitical Life and Vocation more Generally

Hello Sr. Laurel, I hope this finds you doing well. My questions are: 1) How would you understand the difference between a person stubbornly refusing to accept a vocation the Lord is calling them to vs. long-term perseverance in a vocation viewed by one’s family as too counter-cultural to be viable?

To truly answer this question, I would need to know more about the persons involved in each situation, particularly the one resisting, but to understand what is going on it would be important to understand the motives involved in the persons, their choices and actions. So, let's suppose that the one "stubbornly refusing to accept a vocation" is doing so while knowing it is a call from God. And let's also suppose that the second person loves her family and respects their perspective on things and also loves God and his Church; in answering this call she is being faithful to herself and her love of God.

When set up this way, the difference between the two situations looks to me like that between someone who accepts a call to authentic humanity in obedience to God and someone who does not.  They do this despite the pain linked to the insecurity of the calling it apparently causes their family because, while loving their family, they trust God's wisdom in calling them to this vocation. Moreover, they might be said to believe the judgment that this vocation is "not viable" is the word of a world that values things differently than a Christian does. What is important in Christianity, you already understand, is the countercultural, but it must be chosen for the sake of the Kingdom of God, even if that means a lack of viability in the way this world might deem such matters. (Jesus' choice of integrity in the face of Roman power was countercultural, and it was countercultural for the sake of his Abba's sovereignty in this world. The picture could change completely if the motives of the individuals given, were different from the ones I have supposed. For instance, if the person insisting on responding to a call to a non-viable situation was motivated by rebellion or by a need to  stick it to her family, and wanted to do that come what may, the situation would be radically different, wouldn't it?) I hope this is at least close to what you were asking for.

2) In your experience do the most recent Church directives for contemplative nuns (9 - 12 years of formation and becoming part of federations and associations) have any implications for hermits - especially as regards writing their rule of life?]]

While these directives don't have direct application, yes, I believe they do have implications for hermits, particularly in the writing of a Rule, just as you suggest. Part of formation is becoming capable or being made capable of engaging in formation for the rest of one's life. Discernment is a huge part of this so one has to learn how to discern the will of God in a mature way as a solitary consecrated hermit so that one may continue doing so and thus, being formed in this life, over the rest of one's life. That requires significant swaths of time. Cor Orans has good sections on various stages of formation and the section on initial formation is where the 9-12 years comes from. I would say that all of the general comments on the nature of formation here (that it is integral, that growth is organic, that there is a need for consistency and coherence, and that it involves significant initiative from the individual nun) all apply to eremitical life, yes.

As regards the writing of a Rule, one must have acquired the experience and correlative expertise that allows one to write such a document. This is one of the reasons it is necessary to live religious life and/or as a non-canonical hermit for some time before petitioning to be admitted to profession under c 603. Further, ongoing spiritual direction contributes to the kind of habits of self-reflection necessary if one is to write a Rule that combines, 1) the way God has worked in one's life, 2) the central elements of canon 603 itself, and 3) the redemptive experience that is at the heart of any authentic call to solitary eremitical life. While a chancery might not want to commit a small team to work with an individual re discernment and formation as a c 603 hermit for upwards of 9-12 years, such a period associated with pre-profession formation and the formation associated with temporary profession is not inappropriate. That is especially true given the emphasis texts like Cor Orans and Vultum Dei Quarrere place on the importance of the contemplative nun taking responsibility for her own growth/formation, as well as the possibility of mentoring by other c 603 hermits assisting the diocesan team and the individual hermit.

3) What are your thoughts about some more recent spiritual families such as the Monastic Family of Jerusalem, the spiritual communities inspired by the life of Charles de Foucauld, and the Carmelite Secular Institute of Notre Dame de Vie (Our Lady of Life)? Are there viable eremitic or semi-eremitic elements in their lifestyle?

I am sorry, but I am not especially familiar with these groups. I know there are almost two dozen individual groups now associated with the Charles de Foucauld "Family", but apart from several of the names I just don't know enough about them to answer your questions regarding viable eremitic or semi-eremitic elements. Regarding the Carmelite Secular Institute of Notre Dame de Vie, what I do know of it is that its members work full-time and devote 2 hours a day to private prayer. While that is certainly commendable it doesn't rise to the level of eremitical life, not only in terms of prayer, but also given the degree of work built into a day and week. For that reason, my answer to this portion of your question would need to be no, I don't see viable eremitic elements. By the way, when I use the term semi-eremitic, I do not mean half-hermit, but rather eremitical life lived within a communal context that is meant to foster the life of the hermit. The Carthusians are semi-eremitical in this sense.

4) What happens when a laura or association of hermits dies out, or at least the founder/foundresses die and/or the laura/association disbands? Is continuity a valid concern for hermits?

If the laura is formed of hermits who were professed and consecrated under c 603, the dissolution or suppression of the laura would not affect the canonical standing of the remaining hermits. With regard to c 603 hermits, lauras are allowed for the sake of the solitary hermits' spiritual and physical (or perhaps material) support. They are not to rise to the level of a juridical community (common purse, common superior, common Rule, etc.), however, and are not houses of formation. The individual hermits who come together in this way are already professed as solitary hermits with their own Rule and all of the obligations and rights associated with c 603 standing in law; for this reason, the dissolution of the laura does not constitute a material change in the context or content of the vows themselves. (Vows are made as solitary hermits, not as members of a laura.) Yes, continuity is very important for a hermit. I would argue that c 603 itself, especially in its requirement that one write a liveable Rule of Life and the vocation's diocesan focus as well as the basic fact of its public nature**,  provides the continuity necessary for a solitary hermit whether they live this life in a laura or outside of it; it provides an ecclesial identity and a stable state of life within which one may seek and achieve genuine sanctity and/or fullness of humanity.

5) Is there still a place in the Church for extremely small groups of 3-5 people living eremitic or semi-eremitic life? 

I should think so! Most of the time c 603 hermits live alone and come together via ZOOM, for instance, in what might come to constitute virtual lauras. However, I know of one 3-member group of hermits in the mid-west and another (unfortunately now down to just one Sister) in Idaho which seems to indicate they are still open to receiving new members. I recently worked with a priest who was temporary professed under c 603 and who was from another laura of perhaps 5 or six members (though he eventually moved on to the Monte Corona Camaldolese to try his vocation there). So yes, it is possible and still happening. One mistake I have seen bishops make with such arrangements, however, is to require one join the laura if one wants to be professed under c 603. This, it seems to me, has the cart before the horse -- as I described briefly above. But yes, there is no reason 3-5 individuals could not come together to live eremitical life so long as the property and living arrangements allowed for and supported significant silence and solitude for all involved.

** Remember that "public nature" here means "a vocation with a commitment involving public rights and obligations." It does not mean public in the sense of notoriety or being seen by or accessible to everyone. Even complete recluses may have public vocations and provide public witness simply by being known as a recluse.

Inviting Others to Join me in my Eremitical Journey? Establishing a Lavra?

Dear Sister, Greetings in Christ! I was wondering if you plan on inviting women to join you in your eremitical journey? Developing a Laura perhaps. God bless]]

Interesting question. Thanks! I have given thought to (participating in) the establishment of a virtual lavra for already-professed diocesan hermits who are open and excited about supporting one another via ZOOM meetings and email contacts. We are actually in the (very casual!) process of doing that (or at least discussing doing that!) with hermits from several dioceses and countries. Personally, I would also be open to considering a lavra for other perpetually professed hermits in the Diocese of Oakland, once we have three perpetually professed hermits who might also be interested in that, and some commitment by the local church to provide adequate facilities; unfortunately, these requirements are nowhere on the horizon, so no, I have no plans at all to establish a lavra for other women to join. The most important point to remember about c 603 is that it was established to protect and nurture vocations to solitary eremitical life. 

Remember too that Diocesan hermits are professed in the hands of their local ordinaries; to move to another location (diocese) requires the bishop of that place to agree to accept responsibility for the hermits' professions if they are to move and remain diocesan hermits. Also, as I understand lavras, they are not meant as houses of formation. Under c 603 they would work well for diocesan hermits who have lived as solitary hermits for some time and who could always go back to living that way should circumstances call for them to do so.

However, because lavras are not to rise to the level of a canonical community (there are other (and legitimate) ways to establish communities canonically), as well as because most hermits are neither called nor competent to do formation work or even spiritual direction, and because solitary hermits require the support of other professed solitary hermits, it really does not make sense to open lavras to either non-professed (aspiring), or to non-hermit members. That is especially true since lavras fail or are suppressed far more often than they succeed. Further, even when they succeed, for several of the reasons mentioned above, they are established as temporary and are not meant to be self-perpetuating.

My own preference is to work with candidates for c 603 profession along with representative diocesan personnel (when available) to assist with discernment and formation leading to eventual consecration as a solitary c 603 hermit. The hermits who are considering/talking about establishing a virtual lavra include hermits one or two of us (c 603 hermits) have worked with or are now working with in their journey toward consecration. Once the individual hermit is professed and/or consecrated, we (hermits) may all support one another in eremitical life. This arrangement (working in a mentoring-type relationship similar to the elder-to-junior relationship common among the Desert Fathers and Mothers) assists the dioceses involved to actually discern such vocations, allows for one-on-one formation, and makes sure the c 603 hermit (if this is the direction discernment takes them) can live as a solitary hermit while leading to or providing options for a kind of lavra support and community. 

I do think most hermits need such support and the challenge and vision other hermits can provide, but at the same time with a vocation to solitary eremitical life it is important to protect that primary dimension of the c 603 vocation. Even where physical lavras are established, it is important that the hermit be able to support herself, maintain her own limited ministry and ways of relating to parish and other faith communities, preserve her own bank accounts, insurance coverage, and so forth. She should be able to leave the lavra whenever serious discernment affirms this is God's will. Some dioceses establish lavras and refuse to allow c 603 hermits to be admitted to profession unless they are part of the lavra. This is contrary to the letter and spirit of the canon, however. Physical lavras are supportive of but not essential to the vocation. Virtual lavras may be more essential.

What is your own interest in such a project? Are you a c 603 hermit? Are you interested in joining a lavra? Becoming a hermit? Meanwhile, Happy Easter!!

The Diocesan Hermit: Some Considerations by Therese Ivers, JCL

 I said I would speak to a canonist or two and see if they would be willing to weigh in on the issue of c 603, lauras vs communities, etc. Well, I was able to have a long conversation with a canonist this last weekend and she wrote a piece for her own blog which (as she and I talked about) I am also posting here. The author is Therese Ivers, JCL and her blog is: Do I Have a Vocation? As readers can see, I think the author and I are in general agreement on the basic characteristics of a laura as opposed to a community. 

The one dimension Ivers brings out which I had not spelled out explicitly myself is the temporary nature of a laura. (I realize much of what I have written necessarily implies this but Therese is definitely a step (or three!) ahead of me here. Regarding the diocese's responsibility in formation, both initial and ongoing, Ivers and I are also in essential agreement; I believe, however, we may differ on the way this responsibility is exercised. Meanwhile, I very much appreciate the various comments she has made on candidates for profession, discernment, formation, the desert fathers and Mothers, and so forth. Please note, I do add one element to the lists of distinguishing qualities Ivers supplied below, namely, spirituality; the approach to diverse spiritualities differs significantly from laura to community. The one thread that runs throughout Iver's analysis is the significance and uniqueness of the c 603 vocation. Emphasis on formation, discernment, the continuing role of the bishop, and the individual nature of the vocation are dimensions of this extraordinary significance. My sincerest thanks to Therese for sharing her work and time in this!

“Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything!”

In the early centuries of the Church, men and women fled to the desert as the Church’s first hermits. Christianity had become the official religion of the empire, and as a result of external prosperity and growth, Christian praxis became lax in the cities. Virgins, hermits, and ascetics grew in numbers to fill the vacuum of those intent on a life devoted to the sole focus on the service of Christ in a life of perfect chastity lived in the manner of their respective calling.

It should be noted that these were hard-core practicing Catholics who were familiar with their faith and extremely familiar with those things “in the world” that could distract them from their focus. In today’s language, we would say that these men and women were “well catechized” or “well formed”.

Hermits were no exception to the general quality of being “well catechized”. Nevertheless, not all were prepared for life in the desert or to the specific challenges of their calling. As a result, “mentors” naturally arose when hermits of great fame for holiness began to accept followers in their lifestyle. Likewise, hermits began to gather together at times for communal exercises albeit infrequently. How else would we know the doings of various hermits through the sayings of the Hermit fathers and mothers?

Some clusters of hermits (many lived at great geographical distance from each other but could be considered a “cluster” or “group”) eventually self organized and consolidated into proper monasteries. Others retained their proper eremitical character which consisted of individual hermits who lived their own very distinctive lifestyles who occasionally met up with one or more hermits. Clusters of such individuals came to be known as “lauras”. [The word lauras or lavras, in case I have not said this recently, comes from the Latin word for pathways; it was the pathways that linked these hermits and their individual hermitages to one another that defined such "clusters". SrL.]

Today, we have two forms of individual consecrated life in the Latin Church. One is that of hermits (canon 603) and the other, the portion of the order of virgins (canon 604) who are not also members of a religious institute. There are many myths about both forms of life, which have arisen for many reasons, particularly because of a profound misunderstanding of the nature of the vocation to be a hermit or to be a spouse of Christ respectively. The purpose of this article is to discuss some aspects of the eremitic vocation that is not always clear to those who are not cognizant of this vocation.

Individual Life Lived “In the Silence of Solitude” is the Primary Reality or Framework Designated by Canon. 603

As some people are aware, my original proposal for my doctoral dissertation in canon law was centered on the “Silence of Solitude” aspect of canon 603. It encapsulates the solitary lifestyle which is permeated with the mental and physical silence required for the “desert” substitution which provides the backdrop of the intense grappling of the soul with itself and heavenly -and not so heavenly- things.

Solitude, or a “stricter withdrawal from the world” is not a mere metaphor. It requires a similitude to the desert in which an individual is not rubbing shoulders with people on a daily basis [with the exception, perhaps of attendance at daily Mass if this is called for in the hermit’s rule]. Encounters with people should be infrequent, even in the running of a guest house, which should have periods of unoccupancy to facilitate the solitude of the hermit manager.

This is not a “religious of one” paradigm in which a hermit is free to do apostolic activity willy-nilly. On the contrary, the lay hermit (or diocesan hermit) is expected to be extremely withdrawn from the everyday hustle and bustle of the world. This includes apostolic works.

Some individuals imagine that they can live as a “caretaker” for someone else and live authentically as a hermit. Again, this is simply not the case. Caring for another person on a daily or frequent basis goes against the solitary nature of this vocation. But it is compatible for reasons of age or illness for the lay or diocesan hermit to be cared for, as there is a profound difference between caring for another in their daily necessities and being cared for in daily necessities when one is unable to do so.

The implication for a “laura” is also clear. That it is not the responsibility of individual hermits living in a laura (inside their individual hermitages) to administrate long-term care for an elderly or chronically ill fellow-hermit, and that provisions must have already been made and executed for the long term care of such hermits in appropriate facilities or with relatives [ideally Catholic].

A Word on Lauras:

Although it is possible for diocesan hermits to gather together in a geographic place, a laura is intended to be strictly distinct from a religious eremitic or semi-eremitic institute. Here are some of the key differences: (Apologies to Therese Ivers, because here she has a great chart laid out side by side; I couldn't use that here (space limitations) so I have set these two sets of characteristics out sequentially.)

Religious Institute:

• Common Superior to whom obedience is vowed who is not the bishop
• Common purse; the institute is jointly responsible for the wellbeing of the religious from the day of entrance until their deaths.
• Common rule of life
• Meals in common. Meals are eaten together in a refectory or at the same time in the hermitage.
• Communal Office or synchronized hours designated at common times [e.g. the horarium is the same for every individual even if the office is said alone in the hermitage such as in a Carthusian charterhouse]
• [In addition I would add here the single spirituality which characterizes an Institute and in which members are formed. An Institute of Consecrated Life will serve as a paradigm of a particular spirituality and its founder/foundress; it stands within the living tradition of this particular current of spirituality and consciously reflects and extends it. Thus a community will be Franciscan or Carmelite, or Camaldolese, and so forth. (SLO'N)]

Lauras:

• Obedience directly to the bishop as superior is professed
• Each individual hermit has their own bank account, retirement funds, health care and other insurances, and is expected to manage their finances individually. The individual hermit is expected to be independent regardless of whether they stay in a laura all their life, leave of their own accord, or are asked to leave.
• Individual rule of life that has been lived outside of the laura and which will be observed before, during [and even after] life in a laura.
• Generally meals should be taken alone and within the cell even if cooked for the whole laura. What is eaten, how it is eaten, and when it is eaten will be autonomously decided by the individual hermit.
• The individual hermit recites the liturgical hours or other prayers [non-cleric hermits are not obligated to say the liturgy of the hours and may in fact choose other forms of prayer to occupy their time] within the hermitage. This prayer-cycle is individualized for the growth of the hermit and therefore is highly unlikely to be synchronized with other hermits.
• [In addition to Therese Iver's list I would add here that there is no single spirituality beyond the general desert spirituality of the solitary hermit. A laura does not inculcate, much less form persons in a single spirituality like Franciscan, Camaldolese, Carmelite, etc. Instead it welcomes a diversity of spiritualities which will exist in harmony within a desert framework marked by the charity (in both rigor and flexibility) of the Desert Ammas and Abbas. Since a laura as such does not engage in the initial formation of hermits, and since it is a second half of life vocation, there is no concern with forming novices in a particular spirituality. (SLO'N)]

A laura, is in short, a temporary living arrangement of independent diocesan [or] lay hermits who maintain their own rule of life, finances, hermitage, etc. on a piece of property. It is not the “ideal” way of living to which a canon 603 hermit “aspires” but is merely an arrangement that can be permitted for the good of hermits on an ad hoc and temporary basis [even if such an arrangement de facto lasts decades]. Practically speaking, the numbers of hermits on the property in a laura should be limited as it would become too unwieldy to have over a handful unless the property is vast and perhaps owned in trust by some entity that rents out hermitages.

Canon 603 is not intended to encourage the formation of lauras, but is primarily focused on the actual solitary vocation for which membership in a laura may be a help or a hindrance. In any and all events, membership in a laura cannot be a condition for profession as a hermit and it must always be the result of a voluntary and seriously discerned path on the part of the experienced and [ideally] already professed hermit who believes it may be of benefit.

Unfortunately, due to greater familiarity with religious institutes, dioceses may have an incorrect understanding of the difference between a laura and a budding religious institute. This may cause abuses of canon 603 when a “hermit” is really an aspiring founder/ess of an eremitical or semi-eremitical religious institute. If the “hermit” really intends to be a religious founder, then the steps for the founding of a religious institute are to be utilized and the “vocation” tested.

As a canonist, I have heard all too often the opinion that the “ideal” hermit is one who has membership in a laura. To the contrary, I would say that membership in a laura by its very nature would merely be a temporary living situation for a diocesan hermit. The diocesan hermit cannot escape the hard work of crafting a personal rule of life over the course of several years – I consider the minimum for this to be at least 7-9 years as a prudential measure not unlike the requirement for final profession of contemplatives to have had no less than 9 years of formation reasonable. [Emphasis added to original]

This rule of life cannot be a mere appropriation or light tinkering of existing rule(s) of religious institutes or even that of other hermits. It must result from experimentation and the self-knowledge of what is helpful for this particular person in his/her struggles in “the desert”. This hermit must know what a balanced lifestyle for himself looks like and that will not be identical to that of anyone else.

The relationship between the hermit and his/her bishop is a direct one, as the bishop is the lawful superior of the diocesan hermit. This remains true even in a laura, as the position of hermits in a laura is that of equals among equals. Any “leadership” position would be only to assist with certain communal exigencies of living on the same property; real authority is not canonically granted. The diocese continues to have the obligation of furnishing continuing formation and supervision to the individual hermits, whether they belong to lauras or not.

If a diocese thinks it can “escape” its responsibilities to hermits by abdicating its duties to a fictitious “superior” of a laura, then it is gravely mistaken. The hermit has the right to direct access to his/her lawful superior who is the bishop, any “delegate” notwithstanding and the bishop has the obligation of knowing the individual hermits in his diocese.

Initial and Continuing Formation of Hermits

The problem faced by hermits today, whether they be in the pre-formation/candidacy stage, initial formation stage, or post-profession stage, is that of formation. This is a complex reality as “living in the cell” is a large part of the formation process. But it is not the only part of the process. For diocesan candidates or hermits, the diocese has an intrinsic and serious responsibility to provide initial and ongoing formation to its hermits. This must be tailored and adapted to the reality that there will be no “companions” or live-in superiors to ensure continued growth of virtue and of wholeness in humanity of the hermit.

The individual hermits themselves have a grave obligation of growing in the practice of virtue, growing in prayer, widening their understanding of sacred scripture, theology, etc. They also need to be well aware of their own holy patrimony in the Church, and steeped in the mindset of the desert fathers/mothers.

Given the complexity of all that has been said above, the bishop, whose duty it is to carefully discern with those who believe that they may have a vocation to the eremitical life, should consult with true experts on the eremitic vocation. It is not enough for the people tasked with assisting the bishop in the discernment of eremitic vocations and/or formation to be ordained or possess a diploma in theology [unless their role is to give formation in say liturgy or theology]. Bishops should collaborate with those who actually know the canonical and practical framework of the vocation for viable candidates and those in need of continuing formation.

Likewise, the eremitical vocation is not a mere matter of the internal forum. It is a public vocation even if it is lived in solitude and therefore it has a visible framework. Thus, it is highly inappropriate and a grave abuse to relegate all work with the individual aspiring hermit to the “spiritual director”. The division between the internal forum and external must be maintained and those entrusted with roles in either must be suitably competent in their area.

While this may sound intimidating, it is the Church’s intent that both parties do their due diligence and not shirk their individual responsibilities. The bishop has the obligation of authenticating and promoting true vocations to the hermit life and the hermit aspirant has the obligation of discerning and following their vocation even if the diocese refuses to profess hermits for valid or invalid reasons. Someone called to the silence of solitude will do it regardless of whether the diocese is willing to profess hermits.

Isn't it hard being a Solitary Hermit under C 603?

[[Dear Sister, I appreciate what you have written about lauras vs communities, but surely it must be hard to be a solitary hermit. Don't you miss community, or the security of being part of a group with hermits that are as or more experienced than you? I would think that because you deal with chronic illness it would be prudent and consoling to have others who could look in on you occasionally or help with a meal here or there! Wouldn't it be important to have others with whom you can pray -- especially liturgical prayer like the LOH, but also contemplative prayer. 

Also, don't communities have more resources, financial, material, and so forth and the security which would allow you to pray in silence and solitude without concern? I would think there would be more c 603 hermits if these things were provided by the diocese, for example, or if the diocese supplied the land and hermitages for a laura. I guess I don't have a single question here. I can understand why some hermits have chosen lauras that really are communities. It just seems to me that a solitary hermit's vocation is less secure and harder to sustain than a hermit living in a community.]]

Wow! Have you been reading my journals or talking to my director? In fact, I miss many of the things you have mentioned and would like some of the others! I also struggle with some of the insecurities of this vocation, of course, and am open to finding better and better ways to deal with these on an ongoing basis. But, if you had really been reading my journal or talking to my director, what you would also know is that deeper than these things I miss or desire is the sense that canon 603 eremitical life is an incredible gift to the Church and even further, that is is almost miraculous that it exists today. In a Church which, on some levels anyway, distrusts individuality (again, not the same thing as individualism!!), seeks to structure and legislate institutions, and tends to be uncomfortable with the prophetic nature of vocations to the consecrated state of life generally and with hermits more particularly, we have a canon which not only nurtures and governs the solitary consecrated eremitical vocation, but which specifically requires the hermit write and live her own Rule of life and then approves this Rule with a bishop's decree affirming his hope that it will be fruitful for the hermit and the church.

I completely understand why there are so few canon 603 hermits --- and so few bishops who are open to solitary consecrated hermits. We are not supported by the church, we live Rules we must write ourselves after significant (and often long) experiences of lives of prayer and commitment in solitude, and we do not have other hermits around us to support us in our commitment to God under c 603. We provide for ourselves in whatever ways we can do that, take steps to secure our own medical care and futures when old age and illness make living alone dangerous or impossible, and at the same time, represent a profoundly ecclesial vocation committed to ongoing formation (personal growth in holiness), countercultural witness, and the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We live our contemplative lives for the sake of others and recognize that there are many today who live alone in much the same way we do --- but without the overarching commitment or the sense of meaningfulness, focus, and foundation the c 603 hermit's' lives have. And we do all of this with the relatively casual supervision of our bishops (usually exercised through the oversight and support of delegates who serve as "quasi-superiors"), and the blessing of the Church,  but also without her material support. The potential for missteps and distortion (often in the name of structure, order, and security, but also in the name of individualism) is really huge.

And yet, I continue to believe that c 603 is a great gift, both to solitary hermits and to the Church as a whole. In fact, as I reflect on the tendency to  make c 603 over into something it was never meant to be (namely, a short cut to profess members of eremitical communities), I become more and more convinced that the way it assures a costly but fragile and vital freedom is a grace of God that looks ever more miraculous to me as the years go by. To be able to live it as I do is a privilege. Yes, there are things I miss and am working to accommodate in some way within this vocation. For instance, my own need for community is real, and that is especially true with regard to other religious who live the same values I do, though they do so as cenobites. My life in a parish does speak to this need for community in significant ways, but not sufficiently, and that means I am working to find ways to associate with other Sisters and Brothers but in a way which enhances or at least certainly does not infringe on my vocation to solitary eremitical life.

Needs associated with chronic illness shift over time and I am finding ways to deal with these so that I am supported in my solitude. But, generally speaking, dealing with seizures and chronic pain alone for the most part, is and will likely remain a part of my own unique solitary vocation. These sharpen the loneliness I sometimes feel, and they absolutely call me to greater rootedness in prayer but also represent an intrinsically penitential dimension of my life. Fortunately, again, I have friends in my parish community and two Sisters who act as both spiritual director and co-delegates for me; in the latter case, even during the COVID lockdown, we have never been out of touch for long and have been able either to correspond or meet regularly via ZOOM. It is a major help and has allowed for an intense focus on ongoing personal formation. Meanwhile, my material needs are taken care of pretty well because I am disabled. In fact, as I said to one of the Sisters I mentioned above just a week and a half ago or so, I have a better library than most Sisters I know (unless they have access to a convent or university library), and other physical needs are also met pretty well. Still, I grant you, my life is not as secure as it might be were I part of a community. 

Even so, and most importantly, I have plenty of time for prayer and I live in and towards the silence of solitude. This is truly not a problem for me. While I found the initial months of the lockdown due to COVID a bit disorienting, as a whole the last year has been a very rich one in terms of prayer, lectio, writing, scripture study, personal formation, and limited contacts with others. I would personally like to be able to live alone in the woods, for instance, with its deeper silence and natural sounds, but I couldn't do that anyway due to disability  --- not least because I cannot drive myself places. But even so, no, my life does not suffer from a lack of silence, solitude or adequate time and place for prayer and productive work. I do understand and appreciate your concern however. Thanks for that.

Additional Questions on Canon 603 and Lauras vs Communities

[[Dear Sister, is it necessary to limit a laura to just three or four people under c 603? Are there benefits to this besides not tending to morph into a community? We had a community of hermits in our region but I think they have mostly left or died. I always wonder what happens to them when there is only one or two left. Do they look for more vocations? And what if the remaining hermits don't want to be involved in the formation of new members? Do they move to a different (smaller) place? I hadn't thought much about this but if the vocation is as rare as you say it is, having three solitary hermits might be the most any diocese could do.]]

Thanks for your questions. This topic has actually sparked a lot of interest and I am hoping that perhaps I can get a canonist or two (since I am not one) to weigh in here on the idea of lauras of canon 603 hermits especially as regards the origin of the canon and commentaries written on it. Your own first question is about the benefits of not having more than three hermits. When I wrote about that number I was thinking of a limit placed on groups of hermits by the Bishops in Spain (if my memory is correct in this). At that point I wrote about not allowing a colony of canon 603 hermits to morph into a community because that is a different vocation and contrary to the notion built into canon 603 by its authors. 

But you can think about the problems that can occur with groups that get larger than three. With three people arrangements for chores or charges, hours of activity and silence, finances, the way visitors are handled, assuring silence and solitude for others and maintaining a prayerful atmosphere, times for communal liturgy (if there are any), shared lectio divina (if chosen), and meals, all of this and more can be handled with a simple meeting of the hermits. It is an optimal number for dealing with differences and coming together in a way which does not infringe on authentic freedom. Not so with larger groups.

Remember that all canon 603 hermits write her/his own Rule and this is approved with a bishop's decree of approval on the day of profession. While I don't recommend a hermit itemizing every do and don't when she writes a Rule, I do recommend a hermit writes her Rule in light of the vision she has of canon 603 life in the Church. Each hermit knows how God works in her life and what she needs for this; she will know the central elements of canon 603 and what they require of her in her daily living, and she will know all of this on the basis of lived experience before she writes her Rule and is professed.  In each Rule written by each hermit there will be a wisdom the others won't necessarily accent. All of this experience and wisdom glorifies God and a laura has to be flexible enough to accommodate differences in emphasis and praxis which stem from the unique ways God works with each soul. This just naturally becomes harder as a group gets larger and the differences in one embodiment of c 603 begin to look like departures from what some others call "eremitical life." 

For instance, I define stricter separation from the world in a particular (and theologically sound) way which embraces silence and solitude and continual personal formation in Christ (growth in holiness towards what canon 603 calls "the silence of solitude"), but also allows me to use a computer, access the internet, and be active in a parish community (though in a limited way). Others without my specific experience and sensibilities (not to mention a wise and experienced director) could be unduly tempted by these things, fail to use them prudently, or, because they don't have the experience of handling these wisely, actually harm their vocations (and those of others in a laura) with them. As the laura grows in numbers it becomes harder to allow the very freedom eremitical life is meant to nurture and protect --- the very freedom which is a hallmark of both eremitical life and the Holy Spirit. (Please note, again, freedom is not the power to do anything we want whenever we want; it is the power to be the persons God calls us to be. To force solitary hermits to submit to a common Rule instead of, or as a replacement for a personally discerned and authored Rule is contrary to true freedom in regard to c 603 vocations.)

In such circumstances, prohibitions applicable to everyone become necessary (these are no longer the mutually agreed upon house rules which serve both freedom and charity) and in such cases people will also begin to look for a single person to act as the authority and "lay down the law." (While all the hermits I know personally would certainly be able to take on a leadership role if necessary, none of them/us feels we are actually called to this. It would require significant discernment within a proven environment to make such a choice.) The group will also require larger facilities and grounds --- which most hermits cannot afford and most dioceses, quite rightly, are neither able nor willing to provide for c 603 hermits. 

This is merely the tip of a very large and difficult iceberg; it is simply much easier to accommodate one or two other hermits and the vision they each have of canon 603 life. As alluded to above, one signal piece of wisdom of canon 603 is its legislating that a hermit write her own Rule rooted in her own long-experience of God at work in her life. This individual Rule and the ability to write one is key not only to the vocation itself, but also to dioceses discerning the reality of the vocation and assessing the formation of canon 603 hermits. In a laura, solitary hermits' individual Rules not only do not need to be superseded by a single Rule and superior,  they should not be superseded in this way since it can destroy the very calling they have lived for years in discernment and personal formation to embrace and embody. Again, it is a different eremitical vocation.

I'm not taking your questions in order, and in some ways my responses make a direct response impossible. The area of formation is one of these so let me turn to that. As envisioned in light of canon 603 --- which regards the solitary eremitical vocation as preeminent and is entirely geared to it -- a laura of c 603 hermits would not be responsible for the formation of other hermits. A laura is composed of already-professed hermits who have been formed on their own (and often in other forms of consecrated life first) and who have demonstrated the capacity to live as solitary hermits in the same way. It seems to me that a c 603 laura would not accept candidates -- though members with genuine expertise might certainly be able to serve as resources, spiritual directors, or delegates for hermits approaching (and subsequent to) profession. Candidates (the term is used in an informal sense only since c 603 does not provide for "candidature" per se) might occasionally make a desert day with the c 603 hermits, join them for communal prayer once in a while, or meet for regular direction, but they would live elsewhere and would be responsible for securing their own formation, both initial and ongoing. This is important because it is an ongoing need for the whole of the hermit's life, and because it is intrinsic to canon 603 life in particular.

It should but, (because of the way the notion of a laura has been misused from time to time) cannot go without saying that should a diocese have more than three c 603 hermits or those who would like to pursue such a vocation, there must be absolutely no requirement whatsoever that such persons join an already-existing laura or constitute themselves in such a way in order to be professed. Such a requirement is entirely foreign to the spirit and letter of canon 603. A laura is established for the benefit of the solitary eremitical life, not to co-opt it or transform it into something else. And yes, as you say, three diocesan hermits might well be all a diocese ever sees given the relative rarity of the vocation. (In fact, given the requirements I have stated here regarding freedom and formation, for instance, it is far more than most dioceses will ever see.)

On the Need for Caregivers and Assisting other Hermits: C. 603 Lauras vs Communities

[[Dear Sister, I read what you wrote about hermits not caring for other hermits in an ongoing way and yes, it does sound selfish. Wouldn't hermits assist one another as needed in cases of illness? Isn't this the Christian thing to do? How could it interfere with one's vocation if one was called to live in a laura of hermits? Clearly I am not hearing what you are saying here.]]

Thanks for your questions. I wondered when someone would write about this. You are the first! Remember that I described two distinct and sometimes-confused (with one another by dioceses) ways of living eremitical life: 1) as a solitary hermit who may, but need not join with other already-professed solitary hermits in a laura or colony, and 2) in a semi-eremitical community of such hermits under a single Rule where one is professed as part of the community. In the first situation, under c 603, each hermit must take care of her own finances, insurance, medical care, securing of spiritual direction, housing, formation, ministry, etc. Such hermits can come together (c 603 does not prohibit this) in a laura (colony) for mutual support in the solitary eremitical life. What must remain true, however, at all times, is that the individual hermit be able to live her own vocation according to her own Rule of Life, her own horarium, and so forth. S/he is not part of a juridical community per se and is not (and cannot be) required to be a caregiver in an ongoing way to another hermit in the laura.

This does not mean such a hermit will not assist other hermits in the laura at all!! But her vocation is a fulltime reality and she was professed to live that with fidelity. If she has a relationship with a parish community, has a ministry (spiritual direction, writing, retreat work, and so forth) she must be able to carry this out as she discerns she is called to do. If she can accommodate the needs of another hermit (especially if a more fulltime or ongoing caregiver is also secured by the one in need), then she should certainly do that and to whatever extent is reasonable, but she simply cannot be required to be a fulltime caregiver to a c 603 hermit who must provide or have provided for this as part of her own profession under canon 603. In a laura, there should not be a problem with a caregiver coming in to provide what is needed for a single member. If this is not possible then it may be necessary for the hermit in need to spend some time in a care facility until she can return to the laura and care for herself or receive in-hermitage care from someone coming in to do this.

Let me be clear. I am not speaking of someone who has the flu, needs assistance once or twice a week for something, or who breaks her arm and needs someone to come in to prepare or help her prepare a meal each day, get a shower, or do her laundry for her, for instance. Neither am I speaking of a hermit needing a ride to the doctor's occasionally, as we all do, which another hermit can easily provide with enough planning time, etc. Nor am I speaking of an emergency when all kinds of plans go out the window. I am not even speaking of a situation in which a  c 603 hermit discerns she can give a month or two to the ongoing care of another without a significant threat to either person's vocation. I can easily envision all of these being possible and necessary. I am speaking of ongoing long term significant caregiving which would disrupt not only the ill person's own horarium and perhaps her ministry, but that of others in the laura as well. For everyday illnesses and accidents, and also some temporary rehab situations, for instance, I definitely would expect c 603 hermits to be flexible and generous enough to assist one another with these! But this needs to be discerned by each member of the laura. For the rest, if a hermit needs a caregiver, she should secure one or several who can trade off (this could work well in terms of the local parish if members know the hermit's needs, for instance).

The situation in a semi-eremitical community of hermits under a single Rule, etc. differs significantly because the community itself is a central, not an incidental part of the hermits' vocation (in fact, it is significant here that I write hermits' vocation, not hermits' vocations). A hermit in such a community will have vows which include and are made in terms of the communal dimensions of her commitment. Religious poverty is geared to living poverty in community, as, in such a situation, is religious obedience. Meanwhile, chastity is a form of loving defined not merely in terms of loving others chastely generally, but of loving one's brothers or sisters who are similarly committed in this institute. There will be a common mission statement, a common charism, and a common spirituality in which each member will have been formed. The community is family -- it is a single juridical reality -- and is canonically constituted as such; it is not merely formed for mutual support by those already and otherwise committed to a c 603 vocation who are thus canonically obligated to continue living it should the laura fail, dissolve, or be suppressed.

In all of these cases discernment and true generosity is needed, but the two situations are vastly different from one another because the hermits' canonical (public and legal) commitments are different. This may point not only to the reasons true lauras fail so often, but also another reason some dioceses allow or even encourage lauras to morph into true juridical communities. It is sometimes seen as onerous for a bishop to be responsible for several hermits in his diocese (I know of one diocese, for instance, whose relatively new bishop refuses to meet with individual c 603 hermits  but instead requires they come together as a group if they require his input; this is not what canon 603 envisioned or requires). Others may refuse to profess c 603 hermits unless they belong to the laura and are formed in this context. But canon 603 was designed for solitary hermits and was meant to preserve, nurture, and govern a rare and meaningful vocation which a given diocese might, in fact, only see a single instance of over a period of decades. While each c 603 hermit might well enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to live with others similarly constituted -- or to come together in such a way for some time each year or month -- and while each c 603 hermit lives a strong ecclesial dimension in our vocations, we remain solitary hermits who must live as such every day of our lives unless and until we discern a different vocation.

More questions on Lauras or Colonies of Hermits and Canon 603

[[Hi Sister Laurel, I had never thought about the idea that colonies of diocesan hermits are not the same as canonical communities of hermits. Why is it you don't want colonies of c 603 hermits growing into communities in the canonical sense? Why would anyone limit a laura to three hermits at most? You indicated you had a couple of questions about what happens to solitary c 603 hermits in a particular diocese where a laura had become a community. Why did you wonder about this --- you didn't spell that out so your wondering made me wonder!]]

Thanks for your questions. Canon 603 was meant for solitary hermits, that is hermits who are professed in the hands of the local ordinary and live on their own according to a Rule they write themselves and which is approved by the local ordinary. There are provisions in canon law for semi-eremitical communities but what was missing was a way for solitary hermits to be recognized in universal law and consecrated as a unique form of religious life. Canon 603 filled that bill. Because it was meant for individuals and not as a short cut to creating a semi-eremitical community, care has been taken by some Bishops' conferences and commentators on the canon, as well as by individual dioceses like my own to make sure the canon is used appropriately and wisely to protect a really rare and significant vocation.

The reason the situation I outlined in the earlier posts made me wonder was because a particular diocese had established what began as a laura of hermits as a canonical community. This makes it appear that if one wants to become a hermit in this diocese one needs to do so through this community, via its formation program, according to its Rule, under the supervision of its superior, with all of the limitations and specifications required for life in this community. I wonder, therefore, what happens to someone who wishes to be professed and consecrated according to canon 603 without doing so under the aegis of this community. Canon 603 allows for this, in fact, once again, it is the very reason the canon was created. I don't know if the diocese in question has solitary c 603 hermits, however.

Similarly, I wonder what happens to a hermit professed as part of this community who desires to go apart and live as a solitary hermit as so many of us are doing now; if the community is still using canon 603 to profess members then it should be possible, but in that case a lot of particulars need to be established. The hermit will need to find housing, establish herself as part of a parish, make sure she is  capable of supporting herself, take care of insurance needs, establish a relationship with a spiritual director, and anything else a solitary hermit needs for living this life on her own. If such a hermit was not part of the original laura, they might not have discerned a solitary eremitical vocation at all and may be entirely unprepared to live such a vocation.

Like questions arise when a diocesan hermit wishes to relocate to the diocese in question and does not wish to become a member of this community. Would she be allowed to live her vocation in this diocese? Would the bishop accept her vows without forcing her to become part of this community? And then too, there are the questions raised should the community fail. These are the same questions raised above but instead of there being just one hermit needing to find housing, etc, you might have several. Finally, what happens when a perpetually professed hermit (or several of them) begin to understand this is not a laura (as it began or was billed as) but a community. Can they demand changes? Can they leave and form their own laura with the diocese's assistance and support or will the diocese insist on dispensing their vows? The answers depend on several factors but especially whether the diocese is still using c 603 to profess members.

Limiting a laura to three hermits does away with the group's tendency to grow (or morph) into a community with greater centralization and more structured governance, finances, single Rule, uniform dress, more need for building projects and maintenance (chapel, refectory, library etc). Three or fewer hermits are more apt to remain financially independent (some expenses will need to be shared but this will be far more limited without a common purse), be able to live according to their own Rule and horarium, and undertake the work they need to do to support themselves with a minimum of bother to the others in the colony. (And while this may sound selfish, in a laura each hermit is responsible for providing for her own medical needs and caregivers; the others in the laura are not responsible in any ongoing way for providing such. To be required to do this in a laura could well mean being required to live contrary to one's own Rule of life.) Finally, the temptation to seek out new members or shore up numbers to allow for the community's continuation over time does not occur when the laura can only consist of a very small  number of solitary hermits who know they may need to live their vocations without the support of other solitary hermits at any time.

Let me just add that while I live as a solitary hermit I definitely appreciate the need for mutual support in this vocation; a laura could serve those needs and still leave one free to respond to the Holy Spirit in the ways one's own call requires. When a laura becomes a canonical community of diocesan right, then members are no longer solitary hermits and should not use canon 603 for professions. Instead, they should be using the same canons every other religious institute uses for governance,  formation, admission to profession, the content of the vows (especially of religious poverty), etc. Once a laura is transformed from a colony of c 603 hermits into a canonical semi-eremitical community we are talking about a shift to a different vocation. Both vocations are eremitical of course, and the central elements of eremitical life will be found in both, but their differences are also significant. Dioceses must be cognizant of this and honor the solitary eremitical vocation canon 603 sought and was promulgated to provide for. 

Questions on C.603 and Lauras vs Communities of Hermits

[[Dear Sister, I have read a few articles [here] and they have such good content and are very informative. I was reading the article "are canon 603 hermits religious" and the last paragraph prompted this question. I attached a screenshot for reference. My questions are: 1) If a group/laura of Hermits exceeded (three) or if they decided to live a more communal structure and sought to become an Association of the Faithful or even higher forms, what would happen to their vows? Would they have to take vows under the new juridical entity or would they continue to be members of this new entity while retaining their vows as 603's? 2) If so would this be indefinitely? Separate but related 3) are public vows necessarily tied to the canonical structure they were made in? e.g. institute, 603? Separate question: 4) I read of "final vows" for a member of an association of the faithful. Is there such a thing as "final vows" if they are private?]]

Thanks for reading and for your comments and questions! They are excellent!! If a laura of canon 603 hermits sought to become an association of the faithful and in every way necessary remained a laura and NOT a community of hermits (i.e., not an institute of consecrated life), each and all would retain their vows under c 603. Because lauras often fail, and because an individual professed under canon 603 might also simply choose to leave such a laura while remaining a diocesan hermit, the vows remain binding. The situation changes if the laura ceases to truly be a "mere" colony of hermits each with her own Rule, ministry, delegate, horarium, and bank account, integral relationship with a parish, etc., and becomes structured as a single community with single Rule, horarium, superior, bank account, ministry, formation program, and so forth. 

While lauras are helpful for mutual support of hermits, and while they require some degree of common finances, and even someone who takes a leadership role to some extent on a temporary basis (which could be rotated each month or so, for instance), the individual hermits need to maintain their own independence both because of the nature of the c 603 vocation itself, and in case they desire to leave or the laura fails. As I recall, the limit of 3 hermits in such a laura was decided by the Spanish Bishops conference in order to minimize the needs and dangers of greater numbers of hermits which naturally calls for more centralized governance and institutional structure. Greater numbers than 3 hermits militate against the solitary eremitical vocation envisioned and provided for canonically by canon 603.

That said, I know of one group that began as a laura and then became not only an association of the faithful, but beyond that, a community of hermits (of diocesan right) with a single Rule and all of the other elements I noted above. I don't believe they ceased to call themselves c 603 hermits or made vows as members of a community, but that is what they should have done. Ordinarily in such a case, the group's c 603 vows would be dispensed (or rendered invalid) the same day (or at the same moment) they became a community and made vows as part of the community under a given Rule, superior, etc. Because c 603 was written for solitary hermits, not members of a religious community it may well be that when a colony becomes a religious institute the vows are automatically invalidated because of a significant material change in the context of the life being lived and so too, in one's vows. New members could not and should not make vows under c 603, but under the usual canons which are binding on coenobitical religious. They have discerned a different vocation.

If they did not do this (dispense or understand c 603 vows as rendered invalid), one wonders what the diocese does with individuals who wish to be professed under canon 603 and may want to be part of a laura without joining this community or agreeing to all of its own laws and statutes. An individual may also desire to be professed under c 603 without a laura in said diocese; certainly c 603 itself does not require membership in a laura or community, so again, I wonder what the diocese does with such people. I also wonder what happens to c 603 hermits who need to provide for themselves but are unprepared to do so when other members of the community die and the community cannot be sustained. In such cases, c 603 vows (if never superseded by coenobitical vows and not rendered invalid due to a material change) remain valid until and unless they are dispensed.

Yes, public vows are canonically tied to the entity in which the vows are made. In some instances, after a three year trial, religious can canonically (legally) transfer their vows from one community to another community, but c 603 hermits are a different matter and cannot transfer their vows. Similarly, a religious wishing to become a c 603 hermit must leave her institute and vows in order to do so (this can be, and sometimes is, arranged so one's dispensation is signed the same day profession under c 603 is made). A diocesan hermit makes public vows within a given diocese and becomes a diocesan hermit in and of the Diocese of N_______. If the hermit desires or needs to move to another diocese and wishes to remain a diocesan hermit, she must obtain the agreement of the bishop of the new diocese as well as an affirmation from her professing diocese that she is a hermit in good standing. If hermits have been specifically professed as members of a community of hermits (not as solitary hermits who come together in a c 603 laura!!) and wish instead to become solitary diocesan hermits under c 603, their existing vows (if perpetual) will need to be dispensed and new vows made under c 603. This would also require a separate discernment process because the context is so very different. Again, though still eremitical it is a different vocation than solitary eremitical life, even when that is lived in a colony or laura. If a perpetually professed c 603 hermit participates in a laura of c 603 hermits and decides to leave the laura, her vows under c 603 remain binding until and unless she seeks a dispensation or decides to relocate to another diocese.

The indication "final vows" could, in my opinion, be used for private avowal (not profession!), because they indicate the intention of the person making the vows. However, such vows do not involve the same rights and obligations that public vows do; they are easily dispensed, and have no real sense of mutual discernment or ecclesial nature. Every vow made by a person, whether public or private (canonical or non-canonical) intends finality. This is true of canonically temporary vows as well. Calling a canonical vow temporary or perpetual therefore, mainly indicates where the person stands in terms of the church's own discernment of such vocations; has the person yet been seen by all involved, to be called by God to live this vocation in the name of the Church for the entirety of their lives?  

Temporary vows indicates a provisional confirmation of a vocation here. Admission to perpetual or definitive profession and consecration indicates an unqualified confirmation by the Church (including the Institute of consecrated life if there is one) that, insofar as this can be determined, the person is thusly called by God. It is important to remember though that one's own discernment does not cease with perpetual or definitive vows --- though the community or church ceases to be engaged in such a process of discernment in any focused way. Through the various canonical professions made, the process of discernment shifts, however, from an accent on "am I called", to an emphasis on "how am I called to live this vocation of mine** more deeply and truly" in this or that situation and context. 

Only in very significant situations does the publicly professed and consecrated person freshly and seriously raise the question as to whether or not she is called; in these situations, the presumption on everyone's part (e.g., authorities, diocese, spiritual director, etc.) is that she is called and what is needed is to help her find a way to negotiate the difficulties being experienced. All of this (mutual discernment, presumption of vocation by others) differs (that is, it is missing) in the case of private vows because these remain at every point a matter of an individual's entirely private discernment and commitment. Even so, because this intention to finality is part of every vow made, and because the term can point to the person's intention, I don't think there is any problem with the term perpetual vows for private avowals --- so long as one understands the entirely private nature of the commitment and that one's own discernment does not cease once such vows are made.

** a vocation may be said to be "mine" only through the grace of God and the mediation and confirmation of the Church. The sense of "mineness" grows in time, not in the sense that the vocation is a person's possession precisely, but in the sense that one becomes more and more clear that one's own selfhood is perfected at the same time one lives one's vocation with fidelity; I know this is the path through which God has called me to perfection and will allow me to touch others with the Gospel of his Christ. In other words, there is a deepening and more extensive sense that God's faithfulness and our own interlock with one another in this vocation, while this mutual faithfulness results in the revelation of God and our own holiness and wholeness.

Canon 603: Lauras vs Communities of Hermits

[[Sister, could individuals who wish to be religious be professed under Canon 603 and then come together in a laura? What is the difference between a community or religious institute and a laura? I ask because of a post I read recently here on using Canon 603 as a stopgap means to profession. (I don't mean it was a recent post, just that I read it recently.)]]

That's a good question. Canon 603 allows for lauras but of it does not do so explicitly; instead it does so implicitly within the context of support for the solitary eremitical vocation and CICLSAL has approved the idea of lauras. Commentators too have opined on the appropriateness of lauras so long as they do not rise to the level of a community. This means that a laura exists to support solitary hermits in their solitude, and that it does not change the thrust or the requirements of the Canon in other specifications. (The name, laura, is instructive here because as I noted before, it comes from the Latin word for paths which link individual hermitages with one another, and with the chapel and common areas. The emphasis remains on the solitary hermitages and the life within them.) So, how does this differ from a religious institute?

First, community is secondary rather than primary; it is meant to support solitary eremitical life not create communities of cenobites with significant solitude. While Mass may be celebrated daily, and while some of the Divine offices may be chanted or prayed in common, and while during a week a few meals may be taken in common, recreation shared, etc, the emphasis and primary reason for the laura is the solitary vocation. This means too that a hermit continues to be responsible for writing her own Rule (more about this below) --- even though some adaptations may be made so the Laura functions well and responsibility to one another is honored. (This is important not only for the formation of the individual hermit, but also should the laura cease to be sustainable at some point. More about this in a moment.)

Secondly, formation and profession would need in large part to be done apart from the laura itself. That is, one is formed as a hermit in a process which is largely independent and individual. Ongoing formation is provided for in the hermit's Rule. The laura would not responsible for determining what is necessary or for providing for this. Of course, members of the laura might serve other hermits as mentors or elders in the mode of the desert Fathers and Mothers, but such service will not rise to the level of formation director, etc as one would find in a community. Individual hermits might require some degree of socialization to the Laura life specifically, but generally their formation has a different purpose. They are to be formed as solitary diocesan hermits, that is as diocesan hermits whose vocations may take them outside the Laura for any number of reasons and at any time. Formation of new hermits or candidates is not the responsibility of laura members. Instead the laura is open to already professed diocesan hermits. Meanwhile, profession is made in the hands of the diocesan Bishop, not in the hands of community superiors.

Thus, if the laura should be disbanded at some point in the future or a hermit decide to leave (for instance because hermits leave, die, require full time care, decide to live a more completely solitary life with their parish as main community, etc) a remaining hermit (who is not a cenobite) cannot transfer to an eremitical community (like the Camaldolese or Carthusians); instead she remains professed as a diocesan hermit and responsible for her own vocation within the diocese. She must therefore be prepared to live as a solitary hermit like most others --- without the advantages afforded by a Laura and with a sensitivity to her place within the parish community and larger (diocesan and universal) church community.

Thirdly, a solitary hermit must be or have been able to write her own rule of life based on her lived experience and wisdom. I have read an argument that allows for a diocese to write guidelines and the Laura (meaning one person who serves as superior here) to write the Rule. While this might be canonically acceptable (I believe the canon indicates writing the Rule is the hermit's responsibility) it lacks real wisdom and prudence, I think, and it confuses the laura with a religious community. This arrangement cuts away one of the most significant elements assisting the hermit and the diocese in discerning the soundness of the eremitical vocation in front of them; more, it robs the hermit of one of the most integrative and growthful experiences she will have during her first years living this vocation in a truly conscious way. (Please see articles on writing the Rule for more on this topic).

Fourthly, just as the hermit writes her own Rule she must be able to keep her own accounts, determine her own work or limited ministry, and, for the most part (except for common prayer and meals), establish her own horarium (schedule) and choose her own delegate. Again, this is part of recognizing her vocation as a solitary hermit who remains a solitary hermit even should a laura dissolve be suppressed, or otherwise fail. Lauras can accommodate all of these requirements but life in community cannot. Poverty in community requires a common purse and a common interpretation and praxis of poverty; this is not true of solitary eremitical life. Similarly, life in a community requires common leadership --- a single superior; a delegate from outside the community is not workable. In a laura, while one person may serve as leader of the laura, each hermit's vocation is best served by their own delegate.

Fifthly, in a laura, except for worship where each hermit may wear a similar prayer garment, individual hermits wear the garb they have chosen and their bishop has approved according to their Rule of life. Something similar holds regarding access to internet, use of media and computers and other tools a hermit may need. Each of these and other individual needs will be worked out in the hermit's own Rule with the assistance of her delegate and/or spiritual director.