i am working on an essay that helps me seriously to think about monasticism and it's place in our world. to do that, i think i should review my own back ground of 'monastic experience,' both for me and for reference for any readers the essay might have. so, i'm starting with my first effort, the order of st. chad. this is the rule of the order of st. chad presented to the most rev. richard gundrey, bishop of new mexico, arizona, and nevada, catholic and apostolic church of antioch, by father dale caldwell in santa fe, new mexico, on the feast of st. chad, 2 march 1991. i didn't know much at all about any antecedents of what i was trying, but soon there were six others who joined the order, and we were, and some of us still are, important supports for one another in our pilgrimages.
purpose
the purpose of the order of st.chad is to encourage people living in the world who seek to recover an awareness of the holy in the world and in their lives and who recognize the hollowness of the industrial growth culture, by providing access to the traditional vows of religious life and the offices of daily prayer, emphasizing the world as the holy work of a loving creator, and themselves as beloved and holy creatures within that creation.
patronage
chad, bishop of litchfield (+672) was trained in the celtic tradition. his life is described in book iv, chapter 3 of bede's history of the english church and people. although appointed by king oswy as bishop of york, chad's ordination was not accepted by theodore, the new archbishop of canterbury. chad humbly stepped down. impressed by such humility, theodore re-ordained chad and appointed him bishopof mercia and lindisfarne (chad established the see at litchfield).
true to the celtic tradition, chad traveled throughout his diocese on foot. his awe of nature and his intimate understanding of natural events and the activities of the holy one were remarkable even for his time.
more modern guides for the order of st. chad include wendell berry, thich nhat hanh, and delores lachapelle.
method
postulants and walkers of the order of st. chad follow the example of chad by living humbly, recognizing their proper place in creation and by observing a simple office of daily prayer, observing the work of the creator through the cycles of time. they are encouraged to walk whenever possible, coming to know more intimately the creation of which we are a part. in doing these things we strive to follow the traditional religious vows of poverty, stability, and obedience:
poverty: no one can serve two masters; yet despite the example and admonitions of her lord and the nearly unanimous agreement of masters of all traditions, the church has seldom encouraged true poverty. poverty--living simply so that others (and oneself) may simply live, is the first vow of the order of st. chad. it is a recognition that abundance of life is given to all creatures and does not follow from grasping for eve more posessions.
there is no imposed standard of poverty within the order. rather, poverty is a goal towards which one is constantly encouraged. a postulant is not expected to give belongings or anything else to the order. the order, in fact, has no property. rather one is encouraged to share with the poor, and to seek less and less the things which do not lead to live as one comes to experience more and more the fulness of creation.
stability: in many monastic orders, stability implies that one will remain at a particular monastery for life. for postulants and walkers in the order of st. chad, stability implies a growing recognition that we are all dependent upon the gifts of the one creator, co-inhabitants of one earth. justice demands that we rely upon the gifts of our particular location and not covet the gifts of our neighbors. but grace allows an ever deepenig understanding of the extent to which the holy one does fill our needs wherever we find ourselves.
obedience: obedience can mean doing what one is told, as by a 'superior,' but it can also mean attending to what is being told. it is this second meaning to which postulants and walkers of the order of st. chad vox. in the daily office, prayer which not only connects us with the transcendent, but which even more importantly grounds us each day, we seek to hear what the creator and our brothers and sisters throughout creation are saying to us.
most importantly and simply, the order of st. chad is instituted toencourage us to 'walk in love, as christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to god.'
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