An Experiment in Monastic Life

[Swami Mommy]

Applications are now being accepted.  Both sexes are in the same program.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35544527

[Nunsuch]

Sounds a little like Taize....

[Gabriela]

Yeah, but they're living in the Archbishop's palace, it seems, almost like Canons. Interesting...

I've been struck recently at what seems to be a resurgence of interest in Christianity in the UK. Can anyone in the UK speak to that?

[enitharmon]

More here http://stanselm.org.uk/

Edited February 14, 2016 by enitharmon

[Sister Leticia]

10 hours ago, Gabriela said:

I've been struck recently at what seems to be a resurgence of interest in Christianity in the UK. Can anyone in the UK speak to that?

There's a sort resurgence, but please don't imagine that until now the UK has been some kind of godless wasteland! (I sometimes see comments made by people in the US which imply that's how they view us) 

We are officially a Christian country, and there's always been a strong tradition of church-going in this country. Church attendance figures have remained pretty consistent across the denominations, with small dips and increases here and there. Some of the increases can be attributed to things like immigrants from countries in eastern Europe (especially in the 1990s) and the Caribbean adding to numbers in their new parishes. But as with much of the western world there's been an increase in scepticism and humanism, which at times can feel aggressive.

But, I think what has happened in recent years is that religion is no longer as "private" as it used to be, in that people - especially young adults - are more willing to be up front about their faith. They're more willing to evangelise openly, or to express their beliefs in a conversation - or simply let people know they're a Christian, went to church on Sunday morning and so on. Before, the convention used to be that it was fine for someone to believe something, but to keep this to themselves - if they tried to discuss their beliefs or asked someone about theirs, it could be seen as an intrusion. (That doesn't mean everyone wants to engage in a conversation around religious matters, just that it's not seen as such an intrusion or weird thing to do). Alongside this there has been a perceptible increase in interest in spirituality, why and how people believe, pray etc.

I think social media has played a big part in this. Not only are people living more publicly than they used to, but they also have forums where they can connect with like-minded others, blogs and all sorts of resources and networks at their fingertips.

I think too that the media (which both reflects opinion and trends, and drives them) has shown a lot more interest in religious matters - and especially in spirituality. Some reporting is still very sceptical or unsympathetic (and sadly, we always have scandals to contend with - and the fact that they get reported a lot), but other stories, documentaries etc have been more positive - for example, the interest in the increase in religious vocations. This has been helped by some charismatic or very popular church people - and Number One has to be Pope Francis!  I think his popularity with all sorts of people, whether they are believers or not, has helped many Catholics to feel surer about declaring their faith, which enables them to be part of this gradual move from "private" to "public".

It's cyclical, really, lots of causes and effects.

[Gabriela]

38 minutes ago, Sister Leticia said:

There's a sort resurgence, but please don't imagine that until now the UK has been some kind of godless wasteland! (I sometimes see comments made by people in the US which imply that's how they view us) 

We are officially a Christian country, and there's always been a strong tradition of church-going in this country. Church attendance figures have remained pretty consistent across the denominations, with small dips and increases here and there. Some of the increases can be attributed to things like immigrants from countries in eastern Europe (especially in the 1990s) and the Caribbean adding to numbers in their new parishes. But as with much of the western world there's been an increase in scepticism and humanism, which at times can feel aggressive.

But, I think what has happened in recent years is that religion is no longer as "private" as it used to be, in that people - especially young adults - are more willing to be up front about their faith. They're more willing to evangelise openly, or to express their beliefs in a conversation - or simply let people know they're a Christian, went to church on Sunday morning and so on. Before, the convention used to be that it was fine for someone to believe something, but to keep this to themselves - if they tried to discuss their beliefs or asked someone about theirs, it could be seen as an intrusion. (That doesn't mean everyone wants to engage in a conversation around religious matters, just that it's not seen as such an intrusion or weird thing to do). Alongside this there has been a perceptible increase in interest in spirituality, why and how people believe, pray etc.

I think social media has played a big part in this. Not only are people living more publicly than they used to, but they also have forums where they can connect with like-minded others, blogs and all sorts of resources and networks at their fingertips.

I think too that the media (which both reflects opinion and trends, and drives them) has shown a lot more interest in religious matters - and especially in spirituality. Some reporting is still very sceptical or unsympathetic (and sadly, we always have scandals to contend with - and the fact that they get reported a lot), but other stories, documentaries etc have been more positive - for example, the interest in the increase in religious vocations. This has been helped by some charismatic or very popular church people - and Number One has to be Pope Francis!  I think his popularity with all sorts of people, whether they are believers or not, has helped many Catholics to feel surer about declaring their faith, which enables them to be part of this gradual move from "private" to "public".

It's cyclical, really, lots of causes and effects.

Huh. I had viewed the UK as a godless wasteland, so I'm glad you corrected me there! Thank you so much for this very thorough explanation. I am very glad to know better now! 

[NadaTeTurbe]

The godless wasteland is France, Gabriela  

Thank you Sister Leticia for this answer ! You're a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, founded by Madeleine-Sophie Barat, right ? I'm doing a little work on it (exact title will be something like "En eaux troubles : new religious congregations navigating political troubles in the XIXth century")  

[Sister Leticia]

Mais oui, je suis Religieuse du Sacre-Coeur de Jesus (RSCJ), et la Societe etait fondee par Ste Madeleine Sophie Barat a Paris en 1800  (sorry, I know there should be accents in there but this is a British keyboard!)

And yes, the Society had to navigate its way through quite a few political troubles throughout that century!

[Nunsuch]

Nada, if you are doing research on the RSCJs, you MUST read the work of Sr. Phil Kilroy. 

"The Society of the Sacred Heart in Nineteenth-Century France, 1800-1865" The first essay of this is the single best thing I have read ever on Lay Sisters.

and "Madeleine Sophie Barat: A Life" 

Both are published by Cork University Press.  Fabulous! 

[truthfinder]

21 minutes ago, Nunsuch said:

Nada, if you are doing research on the RSCJs, you MUST read the work of Sr. Phil Kilroy. 

 

and "Madeleine Sophie Barat: A Life" 

Both are published by Cork University Press.  Fabulous! 

I'm reading this right now coincidentally!

[Nunsuch]

Excellent! I see you told which one you are reading. I really enjoyed it (only wish the print were a bit bigger). 

Edited February 15, 2016 by Nunsuch
revised content of response