"Living the Faith without Apology!"
"Is colainn gan cheann duine gan anam cara"
~ St. Brigid
(Translation: "A person without a Soul Friend is like a body without a head.")
The Order of The Anam Cara (Soul Friend) is an ecumenical community of Monks who practice simplicity, peace and accountability in the context of the world. The Order is a lifelong commitment to the rule of life which is written below.
As Thomas Merton has so prophetically said, the world is in need of a new kind of Monk. A Monk whose monastery does not have walls. A Monk who sees the monastery in which he belongs is in fact the world. This present day Monk must be a person who lives a life of peace and simplicity. Our world is addicted to war and violence and the materialism that it produces and sustains. A present day Monk is called to a "Holy Life." The Rule of the Order is a dynamic, living, path in which the Monk finds guidance and challenge, boundaries and limitlessness. The Rule of Life helps the Monk live into a "Holy Life." This kind of living is characterized by a different way of perceiving reality. It embraces the idea that "Holy Life" is a life lived awake.
Not everyone is called to this path. Not everyone chooses to be intentional about living in reality, awake. Not everyone is called to "Holy Life." Perhaps you are? Perhaps there is a divine urge, a Holy notion, that has brought you to this place. Perhaps you have come here "on purpose." Perhaps being a Monk in the Order of the Anam Cara is "home" for you. Below you find a copy of our Rule of Life. Read on and discover...
The Rule of Life for the
ORDER OF THE ANAM CARA
The members (hereafter referred to as Monks) of the Order of the Anam Cara follow this rule in prayerful obedience to incarnate the sacred reality, and attend to the presence of the Holy, in their calling to be a "Soul Friend" and to be an Apostolic presence to any, and all pilgrims that the Holy One brings into their lives.
The Order of the Anam Cara (hereafter referred to as: The Order) is an Ecumenical, Eucharistic Fellowship of Spiritual Directors who have completed instruction, practice and discernment in the art and science of Spiritual Direction.
The Order is informed by the Anam Cara Academy which is under the auspices of the Anam Cara Foundation which is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Michigan for the purposes of religious education and promotion of the Trinitarian, Universal, Undivided, Christian Faith.
The Order has been created, sanctioned, and chartered to exist, in perpetual, by the Primate of the United Catholic Church, The Most Reverend Archbishop Robert M. Bowman as a "Religious Order" according to the Canons of the United Catholic Church 3.2.3 and Canon 5.4.
Persons who have received training/instruction, and who have practiced spiritual direction may be invited into a time of discernment by the Abbott/Bishop to seek the leading of the Holy Spirit as to their calling to enter the mission and ministry of Spiritual Direction as a Monk in the Order. Or, a person may feel drawn to the Order, but for whatever reason cannot make the three (3) lifetime vows of a Monk. If this is the case than they may choose to consider one of two other ways of belonging to the Order that have been sanctioned via the following:
Charter Addendum for The Order of the Anam Cara Submitted on April 21, 2004
Be it resolved that on this day, April 21, in the year of our Lord 2004, The Order of the Anam Cara submits this addendum for approval to the Archbishop of the United Catholic Church, The Most Reverend Robert M. Bowman, per the United Catholic Church’s Code of Canons, Canon number eight (8).
Be it resolved that an additional two types of membership in the Order of the Anam Cara (hereafter "The Order") be designated as valid ways of belonging to the Order and sharing in its membership and vision as outlined in its Charter dated September 15, 2003. These two types of membership are in addition to the already sanctioned office of Monk with the Chrism of Spiritual Direction.
Be it resolved that the membership category of "Culdee" (translated from the Gaelic as "Client of God" or "Companion of God.") be that category of membership which involves persons who seek to be an active part of the Faith Community of the Order and participate in its mission and vision with full rights and privileges as well as responsibilities and accountability to the Order’s Bishop/Abbott, and who are not called to make the three lifelong vows at the present point in their journey, but who will continue to discern and study for the things that make for the simple life, the life of peace, and a life of Spiritual accountability. A general rule will be drawn up in a mutual manner between the Culdee and the Bishop/Abbott which will guide the Culdee on their Spiritual journey with the Order. This rule will be reviewed, updated and the progress of the Culdee, to live the rule, evaluated every calendar year with revisions being submitted to the Bishop/Abbott each year. Culdees will be granted and authorized the use of the initials; "C.O.A.C." after their names as long as the Bishop/Abbott considers them an active and responsible member of the Order.
Be it resolved that the membership category of "Active Member" shall be that category of persons who wish to be a part of the community by supporting the community with their prayers, their presence and their financial support. An Active Member will be any person who chooses to worship, serve and be a part of the Order’s Sacramental Ministry.
These membership categories, along with a set of Canons for the Order, that will be drawn up and enacted as "bylaws" for the Order, at their first General meeting, will clearly define and delineate the duties and responsibilities of every aspect of the Community life of the Order, are by me, The Most Reverend Robert M. Bowman, Archbishop and Primate of the United Catholic Church, sanctioned as a valid addendum, and I affix my signature below as a sign and seal of the acceptance of this Addendum to the Order’s Charter and Rule.
The Most Reverend Archbishop Robert M. Bowman Approved April 24, 2004
Only fully professed Monks, commissioned as such by the Abbott/Bishop or his/her authorized representative, may use the initials of the Order (O.A.C.) after their name to indicate their professed membership in the Order of the Anam Cara.
All fully professed Monks shall follow the requirements of their calling, and each will include to those requirements the following three life vows:
(1) Intentional, Informed Simplicity..
The practice of silent, contemplative prayer is necessary for the soul of the person who would reach out and help others on their prayer journeys. A Spiritual Director who would neglect their prayer life is akin to a Medical Doctor who neglects their own health. Monks must be intentional every day concerning their life of prayer.
To live is to grow and change. The Monk shall continually seek the Holy Spirit’s leading as to the direction they are to travel on this pilgrimage of life. The Monk will seek to grow in the knowledge of Scripture and of the Spiritual Life by reading, attending classes and seeking the help of others on the path.
An annual "goal of growth" will be submitted by every Monk to the Abbott/Bishop and will reflect the Monk’s intention to grow towards that submitted goal in that calendar year.
The Monk shall have as a part of their lifestyle the ongoing promotion of Holy living and seeking the Holy in all places and times. The Monk will first and foremost, as the Monk’s Primary Vocation, seek ways to help others on their journey and "give away" that which they have received concerning how to live as a "seeker" of the Divine.
The Monk shall continually seek ways of simplifying their living. For some this may be a radical departure from the consumerist lifestyles of today. It may mean creating a schedule to divest their lives of all the "clutter" of things. Each Monk will be in dialog with the Abbott/Bishop concerning this discipline and will discern the Lord’s will for their life in this matter.
(2) The Practice of Peace.
The nonviolent Lord, Jesus Christ, is our model, rule and creed. Monks are persons of peace. First and foremost Monks seek peace within their own person, and then incarnate that peace into the world. A Monk shall never possess weapons of destruction nor be a part of any intentional act of violence. Monks shall seek for the things that make peace and teach the world, as best they can, the ways of peace. To practice peace, is to live grace. Grace in all things, to all, with all, in all. Always and everywhere and to everyone: Grace.
(3) Accountability.
In this day and age of communication, it is possible to "stay in touch" through a variety of means. Community, even if it is only electronic in nature, or accomplished via U.S. mail, long-distance telephone or email contacts, is an important aspect of the rule and our Order. Every month, all professed members of the Order will be in contact in some form or fashion with the Abbott/Bishop. Prayer needs and requests will be exchanged among the members of the Order during these monthly contacts. Every Monk will attend the Order’s International Retreat which shall be held once very three years at a time and location designated by the Abbott/Bishop.
So much of our culture is transient and disposable. The life of the Monk is counter-cultural and our Rule is a life-long commitment. Once a Monk becomes a professed member of the Order they remain a member until their death. If a Monk becomes hostile to the Order and chooses to live in such a way that is displeasing to the Lord and is contrary to the Christ-centered, Torah-Observant lifestyle of the Monk, then the Abbott/Bishop and the rest of the Order shall be responsible for seeking ways to reconcile that Monk and bring them back into the fold through the grace and mercies of God. Never shall a Monk, once professed, be disposed of in any fashion. This commitment for life is a vow of both the Monk and the Order/Community.
+Father Nate Long, OAC ~ Abbott of the Order of the Anam Cara
Elevated May 31, 2008 Contact Him at nate@natelong.com
