A Brief Introduction

 "The Fellowship of the Holy Theotokos" is a collective name for a number of semi-eremitical communities and solitaries who have found themselves bonded together by a common cause; the love of and dedication to the Mother of God - the Holy Theotokos - the Birth Giver of Jesus the Good Shepherd. We are an ecumenical organisation where all the members belong to their own denominations and fulfil their ministry within their own faith group. As a Fellowship, we share that spiritual life of a hermit and share the spiritual blessing of all that is good within each denomination. For instance, the members come from such faith groups as the Celtic, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Old Catholic and Orthodox churches, etc. We have no axe to grind and carry no baggage such as years of distrust and in some cases hatred, for we all share in that mysterious ministry of withdrawing from the world in the same manner as the ancients of the past.

 The Fellowship holds a wide range of ministries within the communities including, but certainly not limited to, Ministry to the Romany and traveling people, Ministry to the Indian tribes in Alaska, Healing and Teaching Ministries.

  In the words of Abbot/Bishop George Singleton:

 "I feel that people who try to lead a monastic life in this day and age are probably the last of a breed in Christianity.  Very few people are coming forward for the monastic life and monastic houses are closing down every day. It was because of this decaying life in a monastic community that I felt people from all walks of life feel a need for solitude; that time of silence; that time of quietness with God. The main monastic houses here had strict rules about age, gender, education, status and all the ego baggage which goes with a middle class Christian heritage. Because of these restrictions many were excluded or the Third Fellowships (Oblates) visit an Abbey once a year and that was that. I always felt there was more that ordinary people could give to the Lord as a monk and nun in the wilder community of our townships.

  After eight hours at work in the local engineering factory or in a high street shop, people look forward to putting up their feet and taking things easy. This is very normal but even this can be mundane and the soul is crying out for something more. For many Christians there can be an attempt at prayer and meditation or some out of church time activity (most churches only open for one hour on a Sunday these days) but they feel they are only playing at it and suddenly it becomes boring, so it is back to watching the television and putting up our feet again.   An attempt by myself and others was to formulate a distance monastic lifestyle, much like distance learning by colleges. The idea was that each member would give as much of themselves to living a monastic life, or as little, as they could. The amount of time and effort would depend of people's circumstances, i.e. family or work commitments etc.

 The Community here is geared up to making the monastic life easy and fun. The daily cycle of monastic prayer will be for some a simple prayer and for others the full offices will be used. The monastic vows taken may often be the simple vow of stability or the vows of poverty, chastity etc, because the life of the monk and nun should not be burdensome but to take time out in the desert place seeking that Union with God. I have also believed that those in monastic life should be Evangelists who are hungry to show the world the Gospel Message. And through that hunger for the Gospel, people will see through the monk or nun the loving, compassionate face of Christ. That face of Christ is often found at the sharp edge of the Market place, where the monastic is often dressed in scruff Fellowship, helping the sick and dying, the poor and distressed and those outcasts of society. The Acts of the Apostles in the 21st century must be a mirror of the Acts of the Apostles in the 1st  century. But this is not easy for everybody and quite often like Saint Paul in his letters to the churches, there is a need to remind people of their vocation and to prompt them to keep going for the sake of our Lord and the Salvation promise. The community is open to all people and reaches out to other ethnic groups because we live in a multi-faith country and we all have much to learn from each others inner spirituality.

 The most important rule we use and keep above our door  is The Little Rule of Master Romuald:

Sit in  your cells as in paradise, Put the whole world behind you and forget it.

Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish.

The path you must follow is in the psalms - never leave it.

If you have just come to the monastery, and in spite of your good will you cannot

accomplish what you want, then take every opportunity you can to sing the psalms in

your hearts and to understand them with your mind. And if your mind wanders as you

read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more.

Realise above all that you are in God's presence, and stand there with the

attitude of one who stands before the Emperor.

Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the

chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him."

 

 Reverend Mother Alys, Abbess of the Community of St. Ita & St. Fillan, considers that the signs of the times mentioned by Bishop George are a sign of our vocation in today's world. Over the past forty years she has seen more and more folk who are called both to the contemplative and eremitical life style and at the same time to life and ministry 'in the world'. The cloister is changing - or is it returning to its ancient forms?