Togetherness: Community of Saint Ita and Saint Fillan

TOGETHERNESS

The Community of Saint Ita and Saint Fillan exists in order to train souls to live mindfully, to live an eremetical life while remaining responsively in relationship with the world. It exists to give a sense of companionship and for the mutual help, support and comfort that all human beings (and especially Christians) need in their daily life and work.

The training of a hermit or solitary has, in times past, in the west, begun in a physical community. Formation is much easier when one is introduced to the various practices of prayer, recitation of the psalms, and meditative exercises when one has companions who are also beginners, and the company of those who know the path and can teach it. The East, however, and the Old Communities in what is now the British Isles, knew full well that some are called directly out of society into the forest, and though people may stare, the vocation of the Staretz (for example) is well known and honoured by a large proportion of the Church. Not only that, but they are understood to be a crucial part of the Church's service to God and to the world. Having said that, training is still very important, and so is the gift of a good spiritual advisor, and a companionable soul friend.

Living in a world wide ecumenical community of dedicated and consecrated Christians has its perils, as well as its strong points. What we look like and what we wear is of little consequence on the world wide web, but our souls, our minds, and our moral habits a readily evident to those with whom we speak. As opposed to the more material world, we learn to know each other soul first, without becoming distracted by the frame. Or the irritating habits. On the other hand, it is difficult to guage a tone of voice, or shade of meaning, even when one is very literate, since not all of those in an internet conversation are aware of, or care much for such shades of meaning. Then too, relationships on the internet are intense and often shortlived. Communication is immediate, and one may achieve deep knowledge of another person over a few hours, which in ordinary life spans would take weeks or months, and still not be shown. One marvellous gift is to find that whereas one may live in a community which is too small to - say - have common interests in the Contemplative lifestyle - with the Internet that small proportion of the population may find company, advice and continuity with people on the other side of the world. One can now receive training, online, in many different fields, and become qualified, having studied under very talented people. On the other hand, if we are not already well informed, how are we to tell the genuine and openhearted expert from a wolvish empire builder or trouble maker from of old?

The pity of our world is that, though we've known for decades about the Secular City, and the Death of God, we have failed to understand our vocation in terms of the crying need of which these are the signs. We have become sadly 'more professional' and 'less involved' - have become indeed as secular and unspiritual as the world in which we live. Far from being hidden as yeast is hidden, or as salt in food is hidden, we have become so like that environment that our own need for true communion and true spiritual communion is turning us into hungry ghosts who prey on the very people who come to us looking for Jesus, we gobble up their gifts of love, and their requests for prayer and think that we are fine Spiritual Moguls, but our souls are as empty as the souls of those we call poor, and our hearts are as hungry as the bellies of the poor.

Our Lord was so professional and detached that he hung from nails on a cross and bled and died. So professional that when his friend died he lifted up his head and wept. We must first come to Him, to be fed. To be given drink, and to become fountains of living water, as it is written. We must learn to feed of each other. We, who live in the horror of a society that produces food that has no nutritional value at all, and who sell it at a huge profit, in a world where children die of hunger every minute of every day. We have, as a society, tried desperately to turn stones into bread, as if we never heard of 'every word that proceedeth from the Father' or of the man who, having quoted that saying gave his own self to feed us.

Since the Second World War Ecumenical Communities have flourished and done remarkable work, one has only to think of Darmstadt or Taize to understand this. Since the advent of the Internet one has seen numbers of exciting and not so exciting communities. Some exist solely on the Internet, but many provide us with virtual Communities, Cells and Libraries. As we begin to build the online aspect of our real life community we're conscious of leaning heavily on resources from these communities, and on people we have met through them. When the Biblioteque is furbished sufficiently introductions to some of these online friends will surely appear, along with our thanksgiving for them.

While our Membership includes members of the CAC, Anglicans, and a Baptist, our Associates and Companions, and our Advisors include Orthodox Priests, Columbans and Franciscans. While our heart is here at the Community, with its outdoor Chapel and its indoor oratory, its gardens and its dilapidated fabric, we look towards Bishop George and the Community of the Holy Theotokos as a Mother House, and as a wellspring of comfort and caring. Through them we are introduced to the treasures of the Rule of Saint Basil, and with them we share the Rule of St Romauld and of Saint Benedict. With them we pray the offices, and with them we share the life of service to which we are all called, in the love of the suffering, the poor and the needy. We are enriched immeasurably by the Company of the Fellowship Charitos in the USA. By a vowed Franciscan, and a Salvation Army Officer, by the Church Army and the company of Celtic Saints, not all of whom lived in Ancient Times.

So. While it is indeed important to be constant to our own path, to grow spiritually and to learn all we can of our own traditions and wisdom, it is still more important to be truly and lovingly Christian. To listen to each other and to help each other to grow - each in our own unique and God-fashioned way. There are six thousand five hundred Christian sects - or more - and one can only partly imagine what this fact means to our Lord who prayed 'That (we) might all be one'. So, if we cannot yet be one legally, or share the Good gift of Communion with each other, let us do what we can to learn of each other and to love each other, to counsel form, and inform each other.

Probably most of us have had more than one go at building real families, real communities and that in more than one way. "Things fall apart" as the poet said, "the centre cannot hold" - but what has held is the hope that every little bit helps. That every shared moment of compassion, or laughter, or play or shared work has had its own beauty and strength, what ever happened next. My generation lived through the promise and discipline of communes, of many styles of being together and of many different strivings toward healthy and sustainable community living. For all that, despite the knowledge, insight and striving, every single one of us has had to pick ourselves up, and start again. Each has had the Faith to believe in God, and the promise that we will be one, and that He himself will shepherd us. As each one of us has been turned away - or let down - or left to struggle hopelessly, so each on of us has learned how to invite, how to share, how to work with others. And each has been given enough love to start again.

That's what this is. The Community of Saint Ita and Saint Fillan. The healer of spirit and heart, the Saint who cared for the hurt, the down hearted and the emotionally hungry. And the teacher. The woman who dreamt she held the Christ Child in her arms, and who fostered little children, among them a wee boy named Brendan and seven others who became great Saints. May our community be like hers, may we, with Saint Brendan, discover God peeping out through the trees, speaking quietly on the mountain, walking beside us on the stony path, may we learn to explore faith and life as God given - every failure a learning, every fall an invitation to another leap.

For we no longer walk and learn alone. We have with us lovers and friends of like mind, teachers and kindred of different journeys, who share with us beggars on the road. We give them fancy names and titles. These names and titles are themselves a sign of hope, and of our own yearning and vision. Do we long to be brothers? To find a real family? Do we long to have teachers? To learn real wisdom?

Psalm 44 speaks of 'the light of Your presence'. Psalm 51 pleads, 'teach me wisdom in my secret heart'.

When the pupil is ready the teacher appears. Each with a different longing, each with a different gift. And some are called Associates , Friends, Companions, Postulants, Oblates, Members: then there are Priest-Friends, Priest-Companions, Anamchara, Advisors, Counsellors. All this depends on who you are and where you come from.

(to be added) |Special Occasions | Online Bible Study | Internet Companions |

"It is not we who do Christ the favour of worshiping him; it is Christ who empowers us by strengthening us, and enabling us to fight for the things that are worth fighting for, the things that endure; and that is a promise worth fighting for, worth dying for, and worth living for".-Peter Gomes