Living like monks in quarantine

05/12/20 • 33 min

In every age there are a small number of Catholics who intentionally isolate themselves from society to serve God and the church through lives of “prayer and labor.”. They’re called monks.

Gregory Hillis, an associate professor of theology at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., knows one community of monks particularly well: the Cistercian monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani. In a recent essay for America, he shares some wisdom from the monks for living in solitude during a time of pandemic.

Greg joins Ashley, Zac and Vivian in this bonus episode to explore the rigorous yet transforming practices of monastic life, the power of silence and letting go of a false sense of control over our lives. They also discuss the most famous monk of Gethsemani Abbey, the writer and mystic Thomas Merton.

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Links from the show:

“We’re all monks now,” by Gregory Hillis

Books by Thomas Merton referenced by Greg Hillis:

"The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals"
"New Seeds of Contemplation"

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In every age there are a small number of Catholics who intentionally isolate themselves from society to serve God and the church through lives of “prayer and labor.”. They’re called monks.

Links from the show:

“We’re all monks now,” by Gregory Hillis

Books by Thomas Merton referenced by Greg Hillis:

"The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals"
"New Seeds of Contemplation"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

How will the Catholic Church change after the coronavirus pandemic? Ep. 140

A 25-minute conversation between President Trump and hundreds of bishops and other Catholic leaders sparked an intense debate about the right way for Catholic leaders to engage in politics. While the conference call got a lot of attention, it is just one story among many affecting the church in the United States, and as the national correspondent for Crux, Chris White has to try to cover them all.

We talk to Chris about how he broke the story of the conference call, what the church might look like after the coronavirus pandemic and how he understands the relationship between his identities as a “Catholic” and a “journalist.”

In our weekly survey of Catholic news, we highlight the Franciscan spiritual master Richard Rohr’s cameo on “The Simpsons” and a study examining the efficacy of prayer on patients recovering from Covid-19. We also discuss the disproportionate effect that the coronavirus pandemic is having on black Americans.

Links from the show:
Richard Rohr on The Simpsons
Clinical Study Considers The Power Of Prayer To Combat COVID-19
U.S. Bishop Chairmen Issue Statement Urging State and National Leaders to Examine African American Communities by COVID-19
Trump says he’s ‘best president in history of the Church’ in call with Catholic leaders
Chris White on Twitter

What’s on tap?
Margaritas (kind of)

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Next Episode

The first Catholic high school for teens struggling with substance abuse. Ep. 141

For teens struggling with substance abuse and addiction, the typical pressures of high school can spill over into the realm of disastrous. Recovery high schools—with smaller class sizes, counseling and sober social activities—are designed to support students in recovery. The first recovery high school opened in 1979; today there are over 40 nationwide. But before Kolbe Academy, which opened last year in Bethlehem, Pa., none of the recovery schools were Catholic.

This week we chat with the school’s (Jesuit-educated) founding principal, John Petruzzelli, about what makes Kolbe Academy unique and why he thinks it’s important for the church to be involved in supporting students in recovery.

In Signs of the Times, we talk about Ashley’s feature article on Wyoming Catholic College and look at how Covid-19 has affected men and women religious and other vulnerable elderly populations.

As always, thanks for listening and supporting our show. We’ll see you soon.

Links from the show:

Kolbe Academy
A visit to the rural Catholic college that has 171 students, 12 horses and zero textbooks
Supreme Court tackles clash of Catholic schools, ex-teachers
SOAR!

What’s on tap?
Water, carbonated (Ashley) and not (Zac).

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