Community

NOVUM MONASTERIUM

TODAY

Novum Monasterium has started as an internet community. Eventually we intend to found a real congregation in a more traditional sense. For achieving that we first form a group of men and wonen that are willing to follow the path of a consecrated life.

But other forms of participation and support are encouraged too. The idea is that we all want to live a life in the service of Christ. Community life has to reflect the greatest commandment of all: to love each other as you love God. And also to be a spiritual fortress that can withstand the tides of these days and their motivators.

OUR JOURNEY IN CHRIST

Called by Christ to make an offering of our lives, all vocations require the total gift of self for another. The “community life” within the human family has many expressions. Together with the people that God has placed in our lives, we work out our holiness, for the honor and glory of God, as we build up the Body of Christ. As religious, we look for Christ in our brothers and sisters and, through prayer, strive to reflect Him in our own persons as well. By becoming one with our Divine Spouse, we constantly seek to please Him, and by dying to ourselves, we hope to resemble Him. When the religious life is lived in a way that is balanced, fully engaging a person’s capacity to love and to be loved, the result is joy and a family spirit.

The Church takes to heart the fraternal life of religious communities: the more intense their fraternal love, the greater the credibility of the message she proclaims, and the more visible the heart of the mystery of the Church, sacrament of the union of humankind with God, and of its members among themselves. Fraternal life is not the “entirety” of the mission of a religious community, but it is an essential element. Fraternal life is just as important as apostolic life.

GUIDANCE

Novum Monasterium intends to be a monastic community according to the traditions of the Catholic Church. We e only want to realign the mission to better serve the needs of these days. It will not be an easy task. But with God's help, it will happen. Of course we need some guidance during the early years of our existance. After all, we are joining the ranks of the many brothers and sisters of other congregations that proceeded us during the many ages before us.

We have adopted the Rule of St. Augustine. That is already the first step in defining who we are and where we go. The next logical step would be to ask the Augustinians to help us developing spiritual and practical life in our community. From them, we seek encouragement and admire the wisdom they have gained from years of prayer and experience. From our part that requires humility, submission and obedience. It will take some years before the spiritual formation of the first group of brothers and sisters is complete. But it is a start. A good start we think.

Before we can get to that we first must obtain the Vatican's approval for founding our congregation. This isn't so unique in the Church's history. Long before us, many men and women felt being called to a different way of life in Christ. That has always been a life that reflects the challenges and struggles of their days, and a desire to resemble Christ in their work and actions. We intend to do the same. There will be obstacles on our way for sure, but there always are. With God's help we will overcome them. All that is needed now is a group of enthousiast men and women that are willing to make the choice.

CONSECRATED LIFE & FORMATION

All Christians are called to holiness in virtue of their Baptism. Flowing from the Baptismal call, the religious brother and sister is called by God in a unique way to witness to the priority of that life for which we have been made, eternal union with God. Wishing to follow Christ more freely, we tend toward holiness by a narrower path. The consecrated life is the fruition of the baptismal grace. The voluntary gift of self by which we devote ourselves to God and strengthen our brethren becomes the source of tranquil peace. By our consecrated life we teach the way to holiness and joy.

In order to mature in your vocation and live more deeply the life to which God has called you as a broher or sister, you go through years of religious formation. The first seven years of religious life are a preparation for the profession of perpetual vows. The formation process is that of becoming more and more like Christ, growing in union with Him, taking on his mind, and sharing in his sacrificial gift. It is a process of conversion, one leading to the perfection of charity. The formation in the religious life is a lifelong journey. Thus, we participate in a formal program of formation before and after profession of perpetual vows, seeking to cultivate perseverance and fidelity.

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