Guest writer, Mark Rose - Founder & Executive Director of Heed, a nonprofit that supports eremitic vocations
In an age defined by ceaseless activity, digital distraction, and a near-compulsory social engagement, the eremitical vocation stands as a profound and jarring contradiction. To the modern mind, the hermit’s life of withdrawal, silence, and hidden prayer seems not only anachronistic but useless—a flight from the pressing needs of the world. Yet, from the perspective of the Faith, this radical retreat is not an abandonment of humanity but a deeper plunge into the heart of the Mystical Body. The hermit, hidden with Christ in God, stands in the breach, offering a spiritual warfare of prayer and penance that is mysteriously fruitful for the salvation of souls.
After centuries of existing in a
canonical gray area, this ancient vocation was given new life and a formal
structure in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. This revival, however, has brought
with it a unique set of modern challenges—subtle persecutions that threaten the
integrity of this precious charism. For this desert flower to flourish in the
diocesan garden, it requires a renewed understanding and deliberate, practical
support from the Church’s shepherds.
From
the Desert Sands to the Diocesan See
The instinct to seek God in solitude is
woven into the fabric of salvation history, from the prophet Elias to St. John
the Baptist, and supremely in the life of Our Lord Himself, who frequently
withdrew to lonely places to pray. The formal eremitical movement, however,
exploded in the 4th-century Egyptian desert. As the age of red martyrdom ended
and a comfortable, worldly Christianity began to take hold, fervent souls like
St. Anthony the Great fled to the desert not to escape the persecutor’s sword,
but the poison of spiritual mediocrity. Their life of extreme asceticism became
a form of "white martyrdom," a heroic witness to the radical demands
of the Gospel.¹
For centuries, this solitary charism
existed in tension with the institutional Church. While venerating the ideal,
the hierarchy consistently harbored a pastoral concern about the dangers of an
unsupervised solitary life—pride, delusion, and heresy. This led to a
persistent effort to gather hermits into organized communities under a rule and
a superior, a pattern seen in the founding of great orders like the Carthusians
and the Hermits of St. Augustine.² While pastorally prudent, this impulse could
also serve to absorb and dilute the purely solitary vocation.
This historical tension found its mature
resolution in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. For the first time in the Church’s
universal law, Canon 603 formally recognizes the solitary eremitical life as a
distinct form of consecrated life:
§1.
In addition to institutes of consecrated life, the Church recognizes the
eremitic or anchoritic life by which the Christian faithful devote their life
to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through a stricter
withdrawal from the world, the silence of solitude, and assiduous prayer and
penance.
§2.
A hermit is recognized in law as one dedicated to God in a consecrated life if
he or she publicly professes the three evangelical counsels, confirmed by a vow
or other sacred bond, in the hands of the diocesan bishop and observes his or
her own plan of life under his direction.³
This canon brilliantly establishes a
"third way" for the hermit, who is neither a member of a religious
institute nor a purely lay solitary. The diocesan hermit is a consecrated
person who lives their vocation in the name of the Church, directly under the
authority of their local bishop.⁴ This has opened the door for a quiet but
authentic revival of the eremitical life within the heart of the diocesan
Church.
The
Hidden Heart of the Church: The Apostolate of Prayer
From a purely secular or utilitarian viewpoint, the hermit's life appears useless. This is perhaps the most profound misunderstanding of the vocation, and one that constitutes a subtle but persistent persecution. The hermit's primary "work" is not tangible, but it is essential to the life of the Church and the salvation of the world. Withdrawn from active ministry, they stand in the breach before God, offering a continual sacrifice of praise, adoration, and intercession on behalf of all humanity.
Immaculate
Mary, Model of Hermits
If the hermit’s life is one of hidden
prayer, its perfect interior model is the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her life is the
supreme example of a soul living in profound, prayerful communion with God
amidst the circumstances of the world. Her true "cell" was not a
physical structure but her own immaculate heart, where she "kept all these
words, pondering them" (Luke 2:19).
As one hermit reflects, Mary's primary
blessedness was not the physical act of bearing Christ, but her spiritual act
of "bearing of Him within her soul."⁶ By virtue of her Immaculate
Conception, Mary's soul was preserved from the disordered pull of
concupiscence, existing in a state of perfect spiritual integrity and dispassion, her will perfectly aligned
with the will of God. This interior "spotlessness" is precisely the
goal the hermit strives to attain through the long and difficult work of
asceticism and prayer. The hermit is called to imitate Mary's profound
interiority, her constant meditation on the Word of God, and her perfect
docility to the movements of the Holy Spirit. In doing so, the hermit seeks to
have their own heart transformed, like hers, into a worthy dwelling place for
her Son.7
The
Modern Hermit’s Cross: A New Persecution
While the canonical framework is now in
place, the modern diocesan hermit faces a set of challenges that constitute a
new and subtle form of persecution, threatening their ability to live out their
vocation with integrity.
First and foremost is the pressing
challenge of material survival. Unlike their counterparts in religious orders,
the solitary hermit under Canon 603 has no institutional safety net. They are
typically responsible for securing their own housing, food, utilities, and,
most critically, healthcare. This financial precarity can be a source of
immense anxiety and a significant distraction from their primary vocation of
prayer. Many are dependent on donations, a small pension, or the charity of
others. This material vulnerability is a major obstacle for many who feel
called to this life, and it has inspired lay-led initiatives like the nonprofit
Heed, which was founded specifically to
provide financial assistance to hermits for daily necessities like groceries,
rent, and medical costs.8
Second is the pervasive persecution of
cultural misunderstanding. Our extrovert-dominated world, obsessed with
productivity and social engagement, is culturally hostile to the eremitical
ideal. The hermit's life is often perceived by secular society as bizarre,
antisocial, or even a form of mental illness.9 This misunderstanding
can also exist within the Church. In a laudable effort to be missionary and
engaged, there can be an implicit devaluing of the contemplative life. Parish
communities and even clergy may view the hermit as "not doing anything for
anybody," failing to grasp the profound efficacy of the hidden apostolate
of intercession.10 This can be compounded by resistance from family
members who struggle to accept a loved one’s decision to renounce a career and
grandchildren for a life of hidden prayer.11
A
Guide for Bishops and Priests
For the eremitical vocation to flourish,
it requires the active and intelligent support of the clergy.
For
Bishops and Vocation Directors:
- Develop Prudent Discernment Criteria. An authentic call to the solitary life is more than a mere desire
for quiet. It requires a history of psychological stability, emotional
maturity, a robust prayer life, and a genuine love for the Church. The
discernment process must carefully distinguish a true vocation from a
flight from social difficulties or an inability to live in community.
- Scrutinize the Plan of Life. The hermit’s personal "Plan of Life" is the cornerstone
of their vocation under Canon 603. It must be evaluated not only for its
spiritual depth but for its practical realism. It should clearly
articulate how the hermit will live out "stricter separation"
and must include a viable and dignified plan for financial self-support
that does not compromise the primacy of prayer.14
- Provide Ongoing,
Non-Intrusive Support. The bishop's
responsibility does not end at profession. The hermit, while solitary,
must not be abandoned. Regular contact through a designated delegate (such
as the Vicar for Consecrated Life) is essential to provide a link to the
diocesan Church and ensure the hermit is not succumbing to unhealthy
isolation. Given their financial precarity, dioceses should also consider
establishing a small discretionary fund to assist their consecrated
hermits in times of medical emergency.
For
Parish Priests:
- Protect Their Solitude.
This is the most fundamental way a priest can support a hermit. A hermit
living within the parish is a spiritual powerhouse, not an untapped
volunteer. The priest must resist the temptation to press them into active
parish ministry—joining committees, teaching, or lectoring. The hermit's
ministry is their life of prayer
and penance in the hermitage.15
- Provide Sacramental Support. The priest should work with the hermit to ensure they have access
to the Sacraments in a way that respects their life of withdrawal. This
might mean encouraging attendance at a quiet weekday Mass rather than a
crowded Sunday liturgy. For hermits who are remote or infirm, granting
permission to reserve the Holy Eucharist in their hermitage is a customary
and vital form of pastoral care.16
- Catechize the Faithful. The priest has a unique opportunity to teach his parishioners
about the beauty and importance of the contemplative life. By explaining
the value of this hidden apostolate from the pulpit, he can foster a
culture of appreciation and prayerful support for the hermit in their
midst, reminding the faithful of St. Paul’s teaching that "those that
seem to be the more feeble members of the body, are more necessary"
(1 Cor. 12:22).17
The hermit is an eschatological sign.
Their entire existence points beyond the fleeting horizons of this world to the
eternal reality of the Kingdom of God. In our noisy, frantic, and increasingly
secular age, their silent witness to the "one thing necessary" is
more vital than ever. It is incumbent upon the Church’s shepherds to recognize,
cherish, and protect this ancient and powerful vocation, allowing the desert
flower to bloom once more in the heart of the Church, for the glory of God and
the salvation of the world.
Heed, a nonprofit, was formed to
support contemplative and eremitical vocations. Hermits are not the same as
established religious and can lack the security found in other forms of
consecrated life. For this reason, they need your support more than ever. Their
needs range from financial support to spiritual support. How can you help? Your
prayers first and foremost. Secondly, these hermits need assistance in covering
the costs of daily necessities, such as rent, food, and supplies. Please
prayerfully discern if you are able to contribute. For more information or to
donate, please visit www.heedhiscall.org, or reach out to Mark Rose, founder and executive director,
at mark@heedhiscall.org.
References
1 https://www.sanctorum.us/18-hermits/
2 https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07280a.htm
3 https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib2-cann573-606_en.html
4 https://citydesert.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/the-hermit-in-roman-catholic-canon-law/
5 https://www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism/comments/17c1zml/is_there_no_longer_room_for_hermits_in_the_church/
6 https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2024/11/immaculate-mary-model-of-hermits.html
7 Ibid.
8 https://www.heedhiscall.org
9 https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2013/10/28/modern-day-hermits-answering-the-call-to-solitude-prayer/
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid.
12 Ibid.
13 https://thepocketscroll.wordpress.com/2020/03/26/desert-wisdom-about-staying-home/; https://wordandsilence.com/2014/01/20/the-desert-fathers-favorite-passages/
14 https://sfcatholic.org/vocations/diocesan-hermits/
15 Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17 https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-reflection-for-octave-of-all-saints.html
