O brother, what art thou? Monks, Episcopalian ones
For Lent, St. Thomas' on Snell Isle invites two robed guests for two important reasons.
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published February 25, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Two monks, cloaked in flowing black cassocks cinched at the waist with triple-wound rope, arrive to conduct a Lenten retreat at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Snell Isle this week.
For many, the notion of monks and the Episcopal Church might appear strange. Monks are Roman Catholic or even saffron-robed Buddhists, but Episcopalian?
It's one of the reasons the Rev. Chris Thompson, rector of St. Thomas, is eager to welcome the two men to his congregation this week.
"One is the very practical reason most Episcopalians or Anglicans don't even know that we have monks or nuns. It's exposing them to a part of the church that most people don't even realize exists," Thompson said.
"The second aspect is introducing them to individuals whose life is a life of prayer and spiritual direction and to connect us to a different sense of spirituality. The final reason is all about St. Thomas' journey in assisting people in their own spiritual lives. ... We're bringing in some outside experts. It's a phenomenal way to prepare oneself for Lent."
Monasticism, though not well known in the Episcopal Church, has a long history in the world's religions. The tradition of communities of men and women - monks and nuns - dedicating their lives full time to God continues today in Christian denominations that include the Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox churches. Away from Christianity, Buddhists, Hindus and Janists have been known to embrace the ascetic calling.
The two Episcopal monks who will visit St. Thomas this week, Brothers Curtis Almquist and Geoffrey Tristram, belong to the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, founded in Oxford, England, in 1866. The order says it was the first stable religious community of men to be established in the Anglican Communion - to which the Episcopal Church belongs - since the Reformation.
The order arrived in Boston in 1870 and now is based at a monastery near Harvard Square in Cambridge and Emery House, a rural retreat center in West Newbury, Mass. The society, which has its own publishing company, Cowley Publications, and works with students, prisoners and people with HIV/AIDS, conducts retreats at its monasteries and across North America.
The penitential season of Lent is a particularly popular time for retreats, said Almquist, the elected superior of the North American community.
"The season triggers a certain type of attentiveness. I'd say we see more people who are being intentional about the cultivation of their life," he said.
"There's an incredible craving for spirituality," Almquist said, adding that such yearning has grown in recent years.
"Changes in the world order, changes in the economy, changes in the sense of job security, changes in respect for people in authority are significant and I think that ... a lot of people have a sense of having lost the scent on the trail, the familiar landmark, the beacon," he said.
"What were the simple givens in life, the list has gotten much smaller. ... I think that many people in our society are experiencing some significant disorientation right now."
But, he added, "Amidst the seismic changes ... God is coming to us ever new."
While in St. Petersburg, Almquist and Tristram also will participate in Sunday services at St. Thomas and its adult and youth education programs. Visits also are being planned to the St. Petersburg Free Clinic and Happy Workers Children's Center. On Thursday Almquist and Tristram will lead the Lenten Day of Reflection for clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida.
This weekend's retreat at St. Thomas will offer spiritual insights based on the community's monastic practices or "rule of life."
The phrase, Almquist said, comes from the Latin regula, which means pattern or guide.
"The point about a rule of life is not about the imposition of rules, but it is about ordering and orchestrating one's life and keeping one grounded. Living a rule of life is to find a way to practice the presence of God amidst all the changes and chances of life."
That means learning "to walk in God's presence all day long," he added. "It's like a 24/7 experience, and that's a learning and a practice that comes out of the monastery."
The order is small, with only about 25 members in North America. In the past couple of years, though, the community has had "many, many inquiries," said Almquist, who added that last weekend it hosted one of two yearly "come-and-see" weekends for interested men.
Those who join the Society of Saint John the Evangelist generally range in age from 24 to 45.
"Many of us are priests," said Almquist, who served in the Diocese of Chicago and has been a monk for 17 years.
Tristram, who is from England, was an educator and parish priest. Another monk, Brother Thomas Shaw, is bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Almquist said, but here, under the roof of the monastery, he's our brother."
Members take traditional monastic vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience and follow a discipline of regular prayer that includes morning, noon, evening and night devotions. The process of joining the society can last at least five years, Almquist said. During the first six months, a postulant wears street clothes.
He then becomes a novice and is given the habit of the order, a black cassock with a rope cincture that is triple-wound around the waist and a scapular.
"You enter a very intentional time of formation, reading, course work taught by brothers in the community and some introduction into the ministry that we do and joining intentionally into the work that is needed to run a large household with many, many guests," Almquist said.
This period, which lasts about two years, is followed by three years of initial vows, after which a man is eligible to make a lifetime commitment. At final vows, the new monk is given a ring, a simple band similar to that exchanged between husbands and wives.
"It is a symbol to outsiders and it is reminder to the brothers of a decision that has been made ... over many years of testing," Almquist said.
"It says for better and worse, we're not available, we're not shopping."
If you go
"Cultivating Order in Your Soul When the World Is Falling Apart," a retreat by the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 1200 Snell Isle Blvd. NE, St. Petersburg. Cost is $45 for both days and includes the book The Rule of Life, continental breakfast and boxed lunch on Saturday. Call (727) 896-9641.
