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Becoming a monk
if someone wants to become a monk, what is needed??
God bless & pray for my sins
God bless & pray for my sins
Comments
How does one live the monastic life in the world, a midst all of the daily duties and responsibilities one must carry on whether it be school, work..etc etc. Aswell as what is the check list one should have to get a general idea if they are ready for the monastic life or if the monastic life is for them?
Sorry for my many questions.
please keep me in your prayers
- the chief of sinners
I talked with a few monks before and they told me one of the most vital requirements is that you are 200% sure that you do not want to/ever want to get married. If it's 198%, that's not enough because you will be tempted by loneliness and lust severely while you're there.
In addition, if you're trying to get into an Egyptian monastery, the process is very hard; hundreds of people try to become a monk each year, but they only accept a few (less than 1% I believe).
As said, you need a college degree and a job. You basically need all the requirements a person would if they were going to get married in that you must have completed your education, have a secure job, mature mentally, emotionally, etc.
When that all applies to you, then it is time to sit down and have a good talk with your FOC and he will direct you at that point (actually, God through him).
I feel that if God wants to you to be a monk, He has His ways of letting you.
PS. For those interested, here is some online books that have to do with monastic life:
http://www.coepa.org/downDetails.php?nav=downloads&PHPSESSID=1cf9ca764323c95335d497270260c583&cat_id=1&subcat_id=23&thrdcat_id=52
I am interested to see what others have to say about this topic
I talked with a few monks before and they told me one of the most vital requirements is that you are 200% sure that you do not want to/ever want to get married. If it's 198%, that's not enough because you will be tempted by loneliness and lust severely while you're there.
its these kind of things I would be interested the yielding answers to be in to the questions I have stated earlier.
Please keep me in your prayers
-chief of sinners
http://popekirillos.net/EN/books/Monastic.pdf
From the website I posted earlier, this was the book I've found most helpful:
http://www.coepa.org/tNG/cnt_download.php?id=329&dname=Download2tNG/cnt_download.php?id=329&dname=Download2
I wish I had more to give on this issue; I myself am thirsty for as much information I can get--this isn't exactly a topic people talk a lot about.
I can tell you that if God means this lifestyle for you, make no mistake, He will let you know. But pray-- tell God what's in your heart and He'll tell you what's best for you. I know a person whose literal goal in life used to be to get married. Ever since they were in like Kindergarten, they were planning their wedding and everything. And sure enough-- God has monastic life in mind for this person who would have never chosen it for himself. At first, he was kind of mad at God, but then realized that he couldn't see himself any other way. And when times got hard and he was tempted and doubts came into his mind as to whether he should pursue the monastic life or not, he would think back to how God made it so clear that he couldn't doubt even if he wanted to!
What I want to know is the things that never get told.. the very practical things. If you are ready to go to the monastery, how much in advance do you tell your family? What do you bring with you to the monastery? What kind of manuel lbor/ work of the hands do modern monks and nuns do? How long does the trial period last (on average) before a person is actually consecrated?
This video was posted on another thread by QT, and it is an excellent video and documentary about monasticism that you might enjoy and learn something from.
http://orthodoxfathers.org/?p=261
This video was posted on another thread by QT, and it is an excellent video and documentary about monasticism that you might enjoy and learn something from.
GREAT video!! It puts things in more perspective.
From the website I posted earlier, this was the book I've found most helpful:
http://www.coepa.org/tNG/cnt_download.php?id=329&dname=Download2tNG/cnt_download.php?id=329&dname=Download2
that link says error
[quote author=user00 link=topic=7971.msg102979#msg102979 date=1242098440]
What I want to know is the things that never get told.. the very practical things. If you are ready to go to the monastery, how much in advance do you tell your family? What do you bring with you to the monastery? What kind of manuel lbor/ work of the hands do modern monks and nuns do? How long does the trial period last (on average) before a person is actually consecrated?
me toooo!!
Really? When I clicked on the link, it gave me a pdf open up thing. Try clicking a couple of times in a row and see if it works--it's a great book! It's also on the first website I posted-- it's called the sublimity of monasticism. It has some of these questions like is it a calling, daily life of the monk, etc. It also quotes a lot from the bible about monastic life.
That is my favorite book of all time!!!!!! It has EVERYTHING!!
If anybody didnt read it, I HIGHLY recommend it! its the bestt!!!
(it still tells me the same thing..but its fine I already have that book saved on my computer. Thank you!)
by the way, it's very easy to read.
I look forward to more posts from anyone with more information on the questions above. Any new information is exceedingly appreciated.
Exactly. I have it saved on my computer as well. It is saved as "monasticism--GREATEST BOOK EVER". Literally.
haha Awsome! mine is saved as simply the title since it was "a monk to be" that emailed it to me, I didnt know it was online but I was basically addicted to it until I finished it. NEVER did that with a book before.
please keep me in your prayers
-chief of sinners
1) there are no minimum age requirement but there is an age limit; as long as you finish your degree. For guys, the age limit is around 32-35 depending on the monastery, for the girls its age 28-30.
2) Job requirement is usually not an issue as long as you can demonstrate that you were financially stable and that you are mature enough and not just escaping the failure/pressure in the outside world
3) If you live in the United States and are looking to be a monk, then the bad news that it will be very hard, but not impossible, to go to be a monk in a monastery in Egypt because they have a huge wait list and their requirements that you would have work experience in egypt and would visit the monastery a few times before seeking to be a monk. Plus they want to increase the number of monks in the US monasteries thats why they encourage anyone in the US to go to either St Antony monastery in California or St Mary & St Moses abbey in Texas.
4) Regarding education, they have been very strict that all want to be monks should have at least a bachelor degree and some outside world experience
5) As mentioned earlier, be very sure about living a celibate life i.e. the thought of getting married very rarely crosses your mind. From what I heard from many monks that before they became monks, the thought of getting married crossed their minds but not very often and they said thats normal because its usually trials by the devil. But nevertheless, the thought should not cross your mind very often
6) I am not sure what to bring with you to the monastery, but if you are looking for true monasticism then all you need are your cloth/personal needs, all your legal documents especially if you live in the US and your books. However, I have seen people come in the monastery seeking monasticism and they brought their laptops/desktops, GPS and many electronics. I dont know if that would be a wise decision to go to a monastery, intending to be disconnected from the world, but you bring all these devises to stay in touch with the world.
7) In regards to spirituality I know very little but all I can say is that God wants a simple heart to work with, if you truly want to become a monk, ask yourself are you going in because you want to be a priest and then go out of the monastery and start serving? or are you going in because you want to hold a high position in the monastery? or you are going because you arent successful in the world? there are so many questions that one has to examine himself to know why they want to be a monk. As anba Youssef told me very recently, that lets say you are 25 years old and you became a monk, imagine if you live for another 60 or 70 years in the same monastery and you never get to leave to serve in the world and all you do is pray with the community of monks and then do some manual work in the monastery and go back to your cell. He told me ask yourself, can you see yourself doing that for the rest of your life?
In addition, your father of confession should know what you are thinking about that way he can direct your efforts toward testing whether you are fit to live a monastic life and whether if this is truly your calling from god and not just thoughts that come and go.
9) Anba Youssef was also saying that to be a monk there are three steps: 1) whether you are really ready to make that decision 2) if you already made the decision, then you have to decide when is the appropriate time to go to the monastery and as he said with the guidance of god, when its the right time everything will go very smooth i.e. your parents all of a sudden agree and bless your choice, your father of confession agrees, your service and the rest of your life agree as well. 3) after you decide when you are going, you need to decide where you are going, which monastery fits you the most
10) Regarding telling your parents, from experience I can tell you that it isnt wise to discuss it a lot with your parents because they will never agree with you and they will do all their efforts to convince you that this is just a thought from the devil and they will put pressure on you which will make you unable to make that decision peacefully. I believe the best thing is to mention it once and thats it, if they want to talk about it then you can tell them that the best thing they can do for you is to pray that god will guide you.
I am sorry for the huge reply, but I have talked to many monks, priests, and bishops about this topic so I might know a little more, if anyone has any questions I would be happy to help
pray for me
pray for me
amaaazing reply!! It was great if you know more or anything else please continue to post!
[quote author=I am all yours Lord link=topic=7971.msg102999#msg102999 date=1242108944]
10) Regarding telling your parents, from experience I can tell you that it isnt wise to discuss it a lot with your parents because they will never agree with you and they will do all their efforts to convince you that this is just a thought from the devil and they will put pressure on you which will make you unable to make that decision peacefully. I believe the best thing is to mention it once and thats it, if they want to talk about it then you can tell them that the best thing they can do for you is to pray that god will guide you.
I wish i would have known this earlier...
Thanks you soo much for this, I the same as you have spoken to some monks and priests about this, (not bishops lol I dont have the to do that yet) and I got alot of the same and similar answers as you posted. Thanks again
please keep me in your prayers
-chief of sinners
In regards to coptic, I dont know of any monastery that requires you to know coptic before you join the monastery, but I can say with confidence that all monasteries will require that you would be willing to learn it once you join the monastery especially to be able to praise with them during the tasbeha since some monasteries do the tasbeha all in coptic.
Also, a very beneficial step before deciding to join a monastery is to start serving more in the church and dedicating extra time to the service, that way you can test many things. First you will be able to decide whether you are more fit to serve god directly or to serve god through his people (as a priest for a example or a consecrated servant) Second you will be able to examine yourself and see how you handle serving others and whether you are truly humble and can accept humiliation from others or not
Joyfull to him: yea it would be to your benefit to not discuss it with family or even friends, as much as you can try to keep it limited between you, your father of confession and spiritual guide
I know little about this, but I will be glad to help if I can
3) If you live in the United States and are looking to be a monk, then the bad news that it will be very hard, but not impossible, to go to be a monk in a monastery in Egypt because they have a huge wait list and their requirements that you would have work experience in egypt and would visit the monastery a few times before seeking to be a monk. Plus they want to increase the number of monks in the US monasteries thats why they encourage anyone in the US to go to either St Antony monastery in California or St Mary & St Moses abbey in Texas.
Please elaborate on this point. If I live in the US and want to go to a monastery in Egypt, how would I have work experience in Egypt? I don't think this requirement would hold for outsiders. But nevertheless, please elaborate on that and on what you said about very hard and waiting lists. I still believe that regardless of all of that, if it's God's Will, it will happen.
Thanks so much!
5) As mentioned earlier, be very sure about living a celibate life i.e. the thought of getting married very rarely crosses your mind. From what I heard from many monks that before they became monks, the thought of getting married crossed their minds but not very often and they said thats normal because its usually trials by the devil. But nevertheless, the thought should not cross your mind very often
7) In regards to spirituality I know very little but all I can say is that God wants a simple heart to work with, if you truly want to become a monk, ask yourself are you going in because you want to be a priest and then go out of the monastery and start serving?
Hey I have some questions concerning the above two points. If one is resolute about remaining celibate but the thought of marriage arouse when he meet a very Christian girl is this a sign that monasticism is not for him or is it a test? Shall he try to avoid her and so pass the test or would he be avoiding God’s sign by doing so?
My other question is related to serving in the world while being a monk. Are their monasteries which allow monks to serve the surrounding inhabitants of the monastery, especially in America? Having the wish to serve in the world is it counter to the idea monasticism? Should one give up everything, even his dream of serving in the world, and wait for God to show him if that is really what He want him to do?
Thank you for your advice and pray for me
In Christ
Theophilus
You can be a consecrated servant or a deacon if service is what you want. Perhaps God will grant you to be a priest. There are different types of monasticism-- the one in NY (St. Shenouda) that is being built will be the type that serves in the world. I forget what it's called, I think it's like cenobytism (that's probably not a word)-- but the word looks something like that.
I think the word you are looking for is concubine
Unless it has another meaning, does'nt concubine mean having multiple wives :) or? I think, he is looking for the term 'coenobitic monasticism' ;)
[quote author=jydeacon link=topic=7971.msg103035#msg103035 date=1242157614]
I think the word you are looking for is concubine
Unless it has another meaning, does'nt concubine mean having multiple wives :) or? I think, he is looking for the term 'coenobitic monasticism' ;)
That's it. A concubine is something entirely different ::) ;) .
[quote author=I am all yours Lord link=topic=7971.msg102999#msg102999 date=1242108944]
3) If you live in the United States and are looking to be a monk, then the bad news that it will be very hard, but not impossible, to go to be a monk in a monastery in Egypt because they have a huge wait list and their requirements that you would have work experience in egypt and would visit the monastery a few times before seeking to be a monk. Plus they want to increase the number of monks in the US monasteries thats why they encourage anyone in the US to go to either St Antony monastery in California or St Mary & St Moses abbey in Texas.
Please elaborate on this point. If I live in the US and want to go to a monastery in Egypt, how would I have work experience in Egypt? I don't think this requirement would hold for outsiders. But nevertheless, please elaborate on that and on what you said about very hard and waiting lists. I still believe that regardless of all of that, if it's God's Will, it will happen.
Thanks so much!
Can "all I all yours Lord" or someone else please answer my previous question/request? Thanks.
Joyfull to him: yea it would be to your benefit to not discuss it with family or even friends, as much as you can try to keep it limited between you, your father of confession and spiritual guide
I know little about this, but I will be glad to help if I can
That is basically what I have done, except I told some close friends, and dropped hints for my parents through comments, so if it happens they are not in complete shock. They started out as being completely against it, now they are accepting of the idea..and threaten me with it haha(i think to see my reaction).[quote author=user00 link=topic=7971.msg103015#msg103015 date=1242126878]
[quote author=I am all yours Lord link=topic=7971.msg102999#msg102999 date=1242108944]
3) If you live in the United States and are looking to be a monk, then the bad news that it will be very hard, but not impossible, to go to be a monk in a monastery in Egypt because they have a huge wait list and their requirements that you would have work experience in egypt and would visit the monastery a few times before seeking to be a monk. Plus they want to increase the number of monks in the US monasteries thats why they encourage anyone in the US to go to either St Antony monastery in California or St Mary & St Moses abbey in Texas.
Please elaborate on this point. If I live in the US and want to go to a monastery in Egypt, how would I have work experience in Egypt? I don't think this requirement would hold for outsiders. But nevertheless, please elaborate on that and on what you said about very hard and waiting lists. I still believe that regardless of all of that, if it's God's Will, it will happen.
Thanks so much!
I also live in the US, I would like the answer for this too please :)
please pray for me
-chief of sinners