The Monastic Community of Cappadocian Hermits

The Orthodox monastic community consists of monks and nuns who live a communal life together or live a solitary life within a hermitage. The community is made up of those members who have taken monastic vows and consists of the many orthodox ministries within the Orthodox Catholic Church: Priests/deacons/deaconesses/brothers and sisters who are dispersed around the world providing parish ministry or pastoral ministry to the sick, poor and needy in their local townships. The role of the monastic community is to a communion of prayer, to be a living witness to the Gospel and to share God's love with all people. The Community shall be governed by the Monastic Typicon set down within the statutes and canons of the Orthodox Catholic Church and guided by the Rule of St Basil and the early Cappadocian fathers. The Orthodox Monastic Community is also an integral part of the Fellowship of the Holy Theotokos and shares its ministry with all the members.

Longer Rule No 1 of Saint Basil the Great.

Concerning the Fellowship and discipline of the monastic foundation and sequence of the Lord's commandments.

One of the main concerns of St Basil is the discernment of whether those who feel they are being called to the monastic life fully understand the commitment of giving all to God and living a life of discipline and stability and are able to work without supervision and are willing to live and learn under the guidance of those in authority. The decline of the monastic life in the world today is not due to modern trends in society but to those called who wish to continue with a lifestyle of greed and sloth. This refusal of giving all to Christ has led to many thousands leaving the monastic life for what is seen as rejecting the mud and the blood, for greener fields beyond. St Basil throughout all his rule is saying that the call to the monastic life is about giving of oneself and always living in the mud and blood among our neighbours and sharing in the hardships of others.

The Rule of St Basil always presents a picture of dialogue between himself and others and in his longer rule no 1 he is inviting his disciples to ask questions. One of his disciples asks the question: Since God's word has given us permission to ask questions, we ask first of all to be taught, "Is there any Fellowship (takis) or sequence in the commandments of God, so that one comes first, another second and so on; or whether all are interdependent and all may be regarded as equally important as far as making a start goes, so that one who so desires may be safe in beginning at any point he likes in the circle?"

We can see that this is a tricky question and we can imagine St Basil's disciples sitting at his feet and probably having to wait a little time while as he thought this through. He answers, "Your question is an old one and was put forward long ago in the gospels, when the lawyer came to the Lord and said, "Teacher, which is the first commandment in the Law? And the Lord answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment, and a second is like this, you shall love your neighbour as yourself, (Matt 22: 37-39). The Lord himself gave this Fellowship to the commandments. He defined the commandment of love towards God to be the first and the greatest; and second in Fellowship and like it, or rather completing the first and depending on it, the commandment of loving one's neighbour. Thus what has been said, and from other similar passages contained in the inspired Scriptures it is possible to learn the Fellowship and sequence of all the Lord's commandments."

The question of the disciple is really quite simple and practical: where do you start? Saint Basil is concerned with Fellowship and begins firstly with the commandments. We are admitted into the circle of his disciples and are able to listen to their dialogue with their teacher. This is not a dialogue of equals: St Basil teaches with authority and is concerned with Fellowship, organisation and the manner of our life together. The important element of living the monastic life is being able to learn the saints concern of Fellowship in our personal spirituality and Fellowship in our communities spirituality.

The Emblem of St Basil the Great

The emblem of Saint Basil the Great shows a pillar of flame, rising from the earth and reaching to heaven. Encircling and framing the flame are two branches, one laurel and the other oak. They are joined at the top by a stylized sun, which partially frames a cross. Below the cross are Greek letters IXC, which stand for Jesus Christ, Son of God

IXC stands for Jesus Christ,

The light of the world.

The Sun illuminates the road we follow

The pillar of fire signifies St Basil's firm faith and intense love of God and all for all mankind. It embodies the sacrifices and labours of Christ's Disciples as they herald the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

The oak branch stands for courage, Fortitude and perseverance.

The Laurel branch represents the peace of Christ; love of knowledge and wisdom; Victory and eternal glory as the rewards of a life spent in service to God and humanity.

Prayer Corner

Let us withdraw to the desert place,

To find that peaceful rest for our souls,

To pray, meditate on the mysteries of God

In our prayer corner take your time to read these lines,

To think about the words,

The message they bring,

Take your time to recollect and reflect

About the meaning; they are worth centuries of wisdom, and even more...

These words hold a message for you:

Old and contemporary,

Forgotten and discovered anew;

They bring your peace.

People naturally desire

That which is beautiful and good.

After all,

nothing is more beautiful,

more pleasant, than good.

God is good,

and when someone desires

that which is good,

desires God.

What can bring greater happiness,

than to imitate the angelic choirs on

earth; arise for prayer at dawn,

praise the Creator

in songs and chanting,

and afterwards

before the sun shines brightly

commence work

Our companion during every type of work is prayer, and we season the labour with songs of praise, as though with salt. The harmoniousness of spiritual hymns confers upon the soul A joyous and happy disposition.

Let the entire life be a time of prayer