How Exploring New Monasticism Can Benefit You
Our faith journey is about more that what we do on Sunday morning. It’s about how we live our faith; and how we carry out the mission given to us at our Baptism:
- to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
- to persevere in resisting evil,
- to proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ,
- to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and
- to strive for justice and peace among all people.
If we were baptized as infants, our sponsors entered into the covenant on our behalf. We took it upon ourselves at our Confirmation. At that time, we were also to formulate and live by a rule-of-life so that there would be space in our lives for God and family and neighbour; as well as for ourselves, and our jobs or careers.
The problem is that these things are far easier to say than to do. In a pluralistic world where Sunday is just another day, and there is no commonly held set of values and morals, it is well-nigh impossible to do alone.
Unfortunately, the church has not been much help. In the mainline traditions, small group membership and bible study are more the exception than the norm. Most of us are not clamouring to meet in feeling-finding groups or study the scriptures. We need active encouragement and good reasons to do so. Frankly, it is best if such encouragement comes from a group of peers who can point us in the right direction, support us in our walk, and pick us up when we fall down.
Exploring new monasticism is like that also. It is easier to do as part of a group than on your own … and why would you want to do that? There is the very real possibility that becoming involved in such an exploration could lead to finding a community of like-minded people; and provide the means to fulfill your deeply-held desire to seek and serve Christ in all persons and strive for justice and peace among all people. In doing so, it may provide the means to make church relevant for you again, and bring you to wholeness and bliss – that place were the world’s greatest need and your greatest desire coincides.
How this blog can help you
This blog will provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, as well as resources – readings, links, conversations – to become informed about the issues. In the exchange, it is my hope that people will find common cause and personal comfort with others that will facilitate the establishment of groups to study the prospect of intentionally forming new monastic communities.
How this blog can help the church
If you read through the opening essay on the Welcome! page, you will have read about the new phenomenon of the “Dones” and “Almost Dones”. It is my belief that new monastic communities can be instrumental in providing the authentic community, and the opportunity to make a difference that they are seeking. New monastic communities need not place themselves under the authority of a parish priest and advisory board; however, it would be beneficial to both the new monastics and the church if they can agree to work together. New monastics need access to the resources – not necessarily financial – and stability that established congregations can provide. By becoming part of the worshipping community of a parish church they in turn can provide new energy and enthusiasm; and model what it is to live a Christian life. By the combination of both, the Kingdom can indeed be (re)built in contexts with the vision to embrace such a cooperative arrangement.
About Me
Fr Brian Bartley
I am a Torontonian, having been born here; and having lived here most of my life. Before I became a Priest, I was a practising Financial Planner. Those interested in my previous career can refer to my CV on my website at https://www.frbrianbartley.com .
Prior to entering Divinity studies at Trinity College in Toronto, I had some experience of workplace ministry as a member of the Board of the King-Bay Chaplaincy, and led the reintroduction of Operation Bootstrap for a period in the 1990’s. I have also served abroad (Sri Lanka) as Managing Director of a Children’s Home, and Chair of a Mission.
I am a late vocation, deaconed in the Diocese of Caledonia in December 2007. On my deaconing, I was appointed as Deacon-in-Charge of The Parish of the North Peace in Fort St John BC – a three point parish centered on a small city in Northern BC’s oil and gas play. I was ordained priest there in April 2008 and appointed as incumbent. I returned to the Diocese of Toronto in 2012 as Priest-in-Charge of St Thomas’ Church, Millbrook, and the Parish of Cavan and Manvers. My wife, Kay, and I moved back to Toronto in 2014 to seek community and new opportunities in a more urban setting.
My experience of monasticism has been gained as a member of The School of Philosophy in Toronto, where my wife and I were, in effect, oblates for a period of 10 years. There we followed a rule-of-life that I came to later discover was directly rooted in the Benedictine Rule. I am now a member of the Toronto Christian Meditation Community – (WCCM-Toronto) – another group of Benedictines – and lead the meditation group at St. Thomas’s Huron Street. I am currently a member of the WCCM-Toronto Committee, Regional-Director for Southwestern Ontario, and a member of the WCCM-Canada National Committee.
My interest in Intentional Community is very practical. I, and others, need to find affordable ways to live in major urban areas; particularly as we age and need the services they provide. In this I was influenced by a group of senior women who decided they did not wish to end their days in institutional care, and together bought a large home at Bedford Rd and Prince Arthur, and covenanted to look after each other. Throughout my time in Sri Lanka – 1997 to 2013, three or four months here, three or four months there – Kay and I lived in community at the Children’s home; and so have some experience of community life, albeit in an institutional setting.
My experience of workplace ministry began in 1993 with helping to found and lead a support group for men and women living in the Beaches area of Toronto who had lost their jobs in the down-sizing taking place at that time. The group – Looking for Work – was begun with members of the Beaches Separate Support Group which met at St John the Baptist Norway. It was our experience that job loss and the ensuing economic difficulties and stress that caused was a major factor in marriage and relationship breakdown. As a result of that experience I was invited to join the Board of the King-Bay Chaplaincy in 1994, and lead the re-introduction of Operation Bootstrap – a re-employment program for knowledge workers and others losing their jobs in that era’s round of downsizing and corporate rationalization.
My experience of University Chaplaincy has been limited – one academic term assisting the Chaplain at Trinity College and several years as leader of the Taize Group that met there.
For more about me, please visit my website by following the link below. Please note that the site you will see is a placeholder. It is a site I developed for employment purposes in ministry. However, it still provides insights into who I am and what I am about. The new site is currently being developed in a sub-doman beneath the existing site, and will be revealed in the not too-far distant future. Stay tuned.
