Gilbertine Renewal

[Gemma]

The Gilbertines were the only native English pre-Reformation religious order. They were rendered extinct by the suppression of the monasteries.

Here is the link to the Gilbertine Renewal website: http://cloisters.tripod.com/gilbertinerenewal/

Membership on this group required for those who are attracted to the Gilbertines as religious life. The Lay Gilbertine aspirants began formation in January.

Http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gilbertines/

Aspirants to the Gilbertine Renewal religious will be required to be Lay Gilbertines first. Once the group becomes more cohesive, a separate yahoo group will be established. The women seem to be of the Augustinian spirituality, and then men, Benedictine, which is opposite of the original Gilbertines.

Blessings,
Gemma

[beatitude]

Who is undertaking the formation of these people? Where is it happening?

[Gemma]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1334147322' post='2415703']
Who is undertaking the formation of these people? Where is it happening?
[/quote]

The renewal effort is being spearheaded by Cloister Outreach, a private lay association of the faithful (LAF) based in the Diocese of Charlotte, NC. Our local ordinary receives a yearly report on our projects, so yes, he knows about this renewal.

Our way of founding new charisms, and renewing extinct ones, is to recognize the association formed by those interested. From that group will come the preparatory association that will become the new religious community. I have several LAF at the present moment. Experience with our own charisms, and those of the emerging charisms we support, show that there are a great number of laity interested before the actual vocations come along. Hence the LAFs.

As of right now, the Lay Society of St. Gilbert of Sempringham--the Lay Gilbertines--have been receiving formation since January. The formation program is based on the history of the Gilbertines. The membership will go through this process, and will put forth ideas as to how the statutes and formation could be improved. This is a lengthy process, which is why I have not mentioned it before. We have been discussing this online for over a year now.

As mentioned before, this group is a private lay association, which means they will have statutes, are permitted distinctive garb, may take religious names, and may live together. Those who wish to be Gilbertine Renewal religious will be in their own group, and will receive further instruction. I have two right now who are working to form a Gilbertine community, with others in discernment.

Blessings,
Gemma

[marigold]

I'm in England and I swear I have never even [i]heard[/i] of the Gilbertines. beaver dam you, Deformation!

[Gemma]

Well … I've never heard that expression before! Beaver Dam, where I come from, is a city in KY.

Both phases of the Dissolution got them. They had one house in Scotland, and I just learned that there had been an attempted foundation in Rome, but Gilbert apparently didn't support it.

The renewal site has links to the foundations. Old Malton still stands. St Katherine's in Lincoln was just renovated. Chicksands is still there. Aside from our Lay Gilbertines, the Oblates of St Gilbert are in existence and don't have any intention of forming a religious community.

Blessings,
Gemma

[Clareni]

[quote name='marigold' timestamp='1334178868' post='2415973'] I'm in England and I swear I have never even [i]heard[/i] of the Gilbertines. [/quote]

There is not a lot in print about this very interesting order of both men and women living in the same location (but strictly separated physically and coming together only for mass.) The most recent work I could find was this study of the early history of the order published in 1995.

Gilbert of Sempringham and the Gilbertine Order c. 1130-1300.
Brian Golding Clarendon Press


[size=4]>One of the most striking features of the twelfth-century Church was the growing desire of women for a greater role in the monastic life. >Contemporary monastic reformers responded to his demand in various ways: some focused their appeal on women, others actively >discouraged all contact; but all were agreed on the need to regularise religious life for women. In England this phenomenon is most >clearly seen in the emergence of the Gilbertine order, founded by the Lincolnshire priest, Gilbert of Sempringham. The Gilbertines >were the only native monastic order in medieval England, and were highly unusual in their provision for both nuns and canons. In the >first full-scale study since 1902, Brian Golding provides a comprehensive account of the history of the order from its mid-twelfth >century origins up to the early fourteenth century[/size].

[BarbTherese]

I hope I am not hijacking this thread!
Was a movement to regularize religious life for women not initialised (and what does "regularized" mean) until the early 12th century? In what form did religious life for women exist previously?

[marigold]

I'm by no means an expert but there certainly were regularised forms of women's religious life before then, if by regularised you mean with proper episcopal approval and oversight; having leadership and structure (abbesses, treasurers etc.); having permanent dwellings; having a standard formation process; having a presence in the surrounding community such as almsgiving or providing work for locals. All these things were in full swing certainly by the 6th century in the UK (e.g. St. Hilda of Whitby) and even earlier in mainland Europe and the East Roman Empire. What didn't exist until ~12th century was Orders as the normal means of organising religious houses. This is a western development that really took off after the Great Schism between what is now the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.



Edit: though it's not that there were no orders, there was just the one, the monastic order. This remains the case in the OC.

Edited April 12, 2012 by marigold

[BarbTherese]

Thank you

[Gemma]

At the time the Gilbertines were founded, the anchoritic movement was in full swing, and the saint walled up his six penitents in anchorholds along the church wall. He put up a fence, and asked the local girls to help take care of the anchoresses. These laywomen turned into lay sisters, and they eventually had to be given a job description and training. One thing led to another, and the larger the project grew, the more overwhelming it got. St Gilbert asked the great St Bernard himself for assistance, but the only help St Gilbert received was the great Cistercian assisting with writing the constitutions.

Blessings,
Gemma

[Gemma]

Bump.