A Mystical Journey

The monastic communities invite people of any age or gender, married or single, of any nationality or denomination to join them in their endeavour to live the hermitical life as fully as possible in their own homes. We strive to walk daily in our Lord's footsteps in our living side by side with our Saviour in prayer, meditation and contemplation. We manifest our intentions with God's help to grow in wisdom and spiritual joy as we witness to the Kingdom of God. We strive to be responsive to the prophetic character of our vocation, which, from the very inception of the monastic life, has made those who have heard the call responsible not only for their own salvation, but for that of all God's people. We encourage the members to work out their ministry within their own denomination, thus breathing the life of Christ among their own faithful and encouraging in others a deep love of the Risen Lord. As well as working within their own churches, the members will also share the commitment of the monastic life with all the members of the Fellowship of the Theotokos.

Back to basics

The Fellowship seeks to encourage those called to the monastic life to find the right balance of their calling in living out their vocation in those quiet times around the family, work, school and retirement.

The monastic life is finding time in our busy lives and often noisy world, to seek that quietness, that silent time before our Lord, in our quest to find that Union with God for which we seek daily. In turn we trust that all who come our way will find in us a source of inspiration and encouragement to seek the will of God and respond to His Grace and therefore to stive in holiness. In our journey through life as Companions of Jesus Christ, it is our goal to achieve that level of holiness in Christ and by achieving that goal we will have made tangible and real the way of life which our Lord has chosen for us.

Our Daily lives

Saint Theodore of Studios describes the monastic life as a journey of the soul, but, this journey of each human being, if it is to be done in the spirit of Christ, must be done in union with all the peoples of all times. Many people feel the call to live the hermitical life. It is a difficult undertaking and very few last more than a day or so. To many it is a fad or something new to be discarded as boring or even untried. This is mainly because the commitment is too much of a burden or even boring, but we always encourage people to have a go. There are many who feel the call to give of their whole life to living as a monk or nun and there are others who can give a little of their time in silent witness and service to others for a few hours a week. The monastic community encourages both types of commitment. Our lives are often caught up in a tide of rushing about, pressure at school, in the workplace or family commitment etc, and our lives are full of distractions, and we find it almost impossible to get off the mad merry-go-round. It is at these times we can find comfort in seeking out that desert place with God. A desert place of silence where we can lay down to rest for a while in the company of our Lord. 'Let not your burdens trouble you', says Jesus,'Give me your yoke for a while and I will give you rest.' The community also encourages its members to be heralds of the Good News and to gossip the Gospel to everyone they meet. It also encourages all its members to live a part of their ministry in the Market Place at the sharp edge of caring for others. To be there for the sick, the poor and those despised by society in their neighbourhoods.

St Basil points out to us, "That monastic living is the struggle of a team of spiritual athletes, involving the common human efforts of individuals who are members of one great human family, members of the Mystical Body of Christ, who are united together in His Name, who walk in His Steps, like bands of pilgrims towards the Heavenly Jerusalem.

The Horarium

General Guideline to living the monastic life

Prayer and worship

The monastic breakdown of the day is called the Horarium or Daily Prayer Plan. Tradition has divided the day into prayer patterns such as Matins (morning prayer), Vespers (evening prayer) and Compline (9 p.m.). There are also daily prayers which are split up into three hours, intervals which are called The Hours and are generally known as Lauds, Sext, and None. Each individual house or hermit will be responsible for their own Horarium and should take into account the Sacred Liturgy, Lectio Divina, times of silence and contemplation. The Prayer Plan should be able to keep the community or individual members focused on our heavenly Father and should spiritually uplift us into that Union with God. All patterns of the Horarium should be sent for approval to the General Chapter, in Fellowship that we may all be one.

Lectio Divina

This is an integral element of the monastic life and entails study and contemplation of the Sacred Scriptures and other books, media etc. It also includes reading the writings of the early desert fathers to focus our minds on God as we begin the steps of drawing closer to God. Lectio Divina is an improtant part in the lives of the community, that as a whole will attain entire conformity to the Will of God and intimate Union with Him. Clement of Alexander wrote of the monastic life as 'one who is learned in supernatural knowledge' the man or woman who is wise and enlightened by God.

The call to Monasticism

It is the aim of the community to give witness to the life of prayer, devotion and a sustained commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ. It aims to make Christ known and loved everywhere, to maintain a simple life of prayer, study and contemplation which is at the heart of monastic spirituality and expressed through vows of Obedience, Stability and Conversation morum.

There will be a few who wish to embrace a coenobitic life with its possibility of deeper solitude within the hermitage, and corporal works among the sick, poor and needy. Thus all the elements of monastic life are fused together in the life of Poverty, Chastity and Silence.

The external life of the monastic pilgrim is following in the path of Christ. It is directed to that search for God: that divine union of body and soul with God. This search can be seen in the eternal and mystical practices of the monastic life  in sacred reading, prayer, worship, meditation, contemplation, work and hospitality. These practices are all building blocks in the monastic's spiritual experience. They express our spiritual values and proclaim to the world our total commitment to God. These building blocks of monastic life are the outward and inward signs that each of us are actively building those spiritual foundations on firm ground. The building of these spiritual blocks lead us to that ultimate goal of spending our whole lives, "seeking and finding God."

The internal monastic life is a sacred mystery of giving our lives to God and he in return gives Himself to us. It is being transformed here and now into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is by our giving of ourselves to God and others that the monastic finds the Kingdom of God in their midst. It is where together with God we find our living faith of love, jo and inner peace. In St Basil's writings, we find counsels for arriving at the knowledge of God. In his Homily of Faith (no 1), we find a beautiful example of that Union with God, "If you would speak worthily of God, or understand what has been written about him, free yourself of your body, of your senses, give up the earth, abandon the seas, tread the air under foot, cast behind you all that is temporal, all that follows in regular Fellowship, all the beauty here below, raise yourself above the stars, and above all, that strikes you with admiration in them, their brilliance, their grandeur, their beneficial influence on the world, their position and movements, the connection between them, and the distances that separate them. God in spirit beyond the whole universe, fly above the heavens, and soaring in those sublime heights, direct the eyes of your soul towards the most beautiful of all created things."

This General Governance is a guide only. We pray that each member of the community may be wonderfully blessed in their use of its contents. It can be used whole or in part as building blocks in our monastic calling.  

If you feel called, or simply wish more information, please do contact either Abbot George or Mother Alys by using one of the contact forms below.

Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Now and unto ages of ages. Amen!