Becoming a Monk
Becoming a monk is a life-long journey, marked by several stages and involving the taking of certain vows.
We welcome those who would like to inquire about the monastic way to visit us for a day and find out first hand what is involved.
If you sense a call like this, we invite you to connect with us by emailing vocations@worth.org.uk.
The novitiate
The novitiate lasts one year. During this time the novice will discern, under the direction of the novice master and Abbot, whether he is being called by God to live the monastic way of life in this particular monastery. Manual work, and reflective reading and discussion of the Rule, scripture, liturgy and monastic history will take up much of his time. If the community and the novice decide at the end of the year that he should continue in the monastic way of life, he will take temporary vows for three years, and enter the ‘juniorate’.
The juniorate
During this time the junior monk will deepen his monastic studies, paying particular attention to the Bible, the writings of the Church Fathers and monastic literature. He may also begin studying for a degree in philosophy and/or theology. As Michael Casey reminds us, monastic studies aims “to contribute to a more complete living of the Gospel”. (The Art of Winning Souls, p. 154). This lifelong formation seeks to enable the monk to deepen his understanding and love of the monastic way of life and to live it with both mind and heart under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
When the juniorate is complete, the Abbot with the consent of the Chapter (all of the monks in solemn or final vows) may admit the junior to solemn or final profession, including taking the vows.
Our Vows
All Benedictine monks take three main vows.
Stability – the monk joins and stays for life in one particular community;
Obedience – the monk places himself under a superior and listens to the call of God and the needs of others;
Conversion to Monastic Life (Conversatio Morum) – the monk engages in a lifelong search for God through a communal life of prayer, work, sharing of possessions and celibacy.
We can glimpse these vows in the Rule of Benedict where he says the Rule is for “cenobites, that is to say, those who belong to a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot.” (RB 2:2)
In the final chapter of his Rule, St Benedict asks us: “Are you hastening towards your heavenly home?” (73:8) Benedict promises us that if we persevere faithfully in our monastic vocation, eventually “we shall run on the path of God’s commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love” (v. 49).
This is the goal and purpose of all monastic formation, a formation of the heart in the way of love.
