Monday Housekeeping

Monday Housekeeping – Daily life at St. Augustine’s House –

It’s time for a weekly review of the various daily offices prayed at St. Augustine’s House, and at other Benedictine houses. They can be arcane to the outsider, and even those who have some awareness of monastic life may be put off by the sheer number and variation involved in the traditional offices of the Church. Those who have spent time visiting or living in a monastic community soon grow into these ancient hours and find a cycle of prayer ideally suited to carry a Christian through the day, the week, the month, the year, and ultimately, through life. It need not be limited to those who physically dwell in a religious community, a home is certainly a community too. The ancient cycle of monastic prayer can be made to fit into modern life, albeit in a somewhat edited manner. If this sounds like something you’d like to learn more about, check back on Mondays for a survey of the Daily Office at St. Augustine’s House. Perhaps a retreat here is in your future! ~djs

~Image: The old Quonset Hut Chapel of the Visitation with some clergy guests from black and white days.