The New Monastery - Who Are We

The New Monastery is a committed group of Christians, married and single, clerical and lay, who have responded to a call from God to live out together a distinctive way of Christian life incorporating, among other things, a monastic spirituality.

To help them do this, they follow a written set of Guidelines and Customs that guide their way of life.

Over time, certain key aspects of the spirituality -- or way of living out the Christian life -- have been identified for the New Monastery. These key aspects of our distinctive spirituality are as follows:

While other aspects of our spirituality and life together in the New Monastery could be mentioned, it appears that, at this point in the life of our community, the above ones are the major influences that God has given to us.

1. Monastic

Monastic spirituality, stemming from the Christian monastic movement that began in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries in Egypt and the Middle East, is usually characterized by a radical commitment to follow Jesus Christ in daily life and a certain amount of "separation from the world" in order to devote a significant amount of time to prayer and living for "God alone."

The particular monastic influences on our form of monastic spirituality seem to be those coming from the Cistercians (Trappists) and the Carthusians, two monastic orders founded in France in the late 11th century during a time of great monastic renewal in the Western Church.

In fact, two of the Patron Saints of our New Monastery are Carthusians: St. Bruno (c. 1030-1101), the founder of the Carthusians in 1084, and St. Hugh of Lincoln (1140-1200). Another of our Patron Saints is a Cistercian: St. Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167). We also look to another contemporary Cistercian, Thomas Merton (1915-1968), as a very great help in our way of life and our formation in monastic spirituality.

2. Catholic and Anglican

The New Monastery is an ecumenical order and community and open to Christians from all denominations/traditions. We are delighted that our current members come from Anglican, Roman Catholic, Melkite Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist traditions! The way we express our Christian heritage within the New Monastery, however, comes primarily through two related streams of the historic western form of Christianity: Roman Catholic and Anglican.

Our Roman Catholic stream contains much of the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith, especially our monastic influences and its vast teaching resources such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Our Anglican stream is related to those traditions -- especially the liturgical traditions -- coming through the historic Church of England and found today in many nations as part of the worldwide Anglican Communion and other Anglican-based Churches.

These two streams of historic western Christianity are wonderfully united in the Denomination in which we have been officially established as a Religious Order and Community: The Catholic Anglican Church.

There will also be found in the New Monastery many orientations, influences, and practices from Eastern Orthodox Christianity. For example, we have a great love for Icons as is characteristic of the Orthodox churches, and we also use some of the rich teaching and liturgical resources of the Orthodox Faith.

We certainly view ourselves as members of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and desire to be situated within the stream of historic Christianity. Our strong desire is for the reunion of Christianity, and we seek to foster unity among Christians whenever possible.

3. Marian

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, has a profound influence on our lives in the New Monastery. In fact, Mary is the primary Patron Saint of our New Monastery (along with St. Bruno, St. Hugh of Lincoln and St. Aelred of Rivelaux) and has been designated as "Patroness" of the New Monastery.

There is a great devotion to Mary among our members, to the extent that all of us eventually make a "Covenant of Love" with Mary. This is a further extension of our Baptismal consecration in Jesus Christ and is also a particular form of Marian Consecration developed through the Schoenstatt Movement that began in Germany in 1914 through the Roman Catholic Church and which we find particularly helpful from an educational and formational standpoint.

4. Jewish

There is a great appreciation for our Jewish roots as Christians in the New Monastery and a desire to incorporate aspects of Jewish life and practices within the life of the New Monastery while remaining firmly committed as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ.

For example, on Saturday evening and Sunday each week, we celebrate the Lord's Day at the evening meals by using forms of prayers and blessings taken from the Jewish Shabbat celebrations. In addition, we also celebrate and commemorate many of the Jewish festivals as a way of deepening the Jewish roots of our Christian faith and coming closer to Jesus in his own Jewishness.

5. Charismatic

The charismatic renewal, "third wave," and revival movements of the late 20th century have also had a profound impact on the founders of the New Monastery. Basically, this "charismatic" influence has brought about a desire for the manifest Presence of God in the New Monastery, for a profound community life, and a definite appreciation for the importance of the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

This influence is fostered by a weekly charismatic prayer meeting where the praise and worship are characterized by joy and expressive "freedom" in the Spirit, coupled with a desire for sound teaching and guidance by the Holy Spirit. While the influence of charismatic renewal in the life of the New Monastery may not be as visible on a daily basis, its underlying influence and importance to the founding and development of the New Monastery are acknowledged and encouraged.

Who We Are

1. Monastic

2. Catholic and Anglican

3. Marian

4. Jewish

5. Charismatic