MARABOU

OCTOBER 1994 VOL: 1 NO: 1

Thoughts in Solitude

God calls people in a variety of ways. Ever since the beginning of the 4th century, individuals have sought the Lord through the solitude of the eremitical life. Beyond the intrinsic value of a total commitment and total availability to God, the solitaries provide a clear witness value to our culture. They are "signals of transcendence," they are witness of supreme obedience to God's call. Hermits are as necessary to the Church as are the most dedicated social ministers.

Marabou (ma-ra-bu) also marabout, marabu, (a. French marabou), app. repr. an Arabic use of murabit, hermit. The stork is said to be mrabt i.e. holy (Pagni in Daoy, Suppl. aux Dictt. arabes, s.v. murabit.).

Marabou, a large stork or heron, leptoptilius marabou, or crumnifer, a native of West Africa.

Marabou is a quarterly newsletter for hermits and those interested in the eremitical life. This newsletter seeks to affirm this life style since it is ecclesially recognized and endorsed by the Church. Marabou is to be a collaborative effort and thus depends not only on an editorial staff, but encourages comments, reflections, poetry, and relevant information from hermits themselves. Hermits, as contributors, will be the real value of this newsletter. A yearly donation of $5.00 is suggested for secretarial costs and postage.

Biographical Sketch

Saint Charbel Makhlouf
(1828-1898)

Hermit, saint of Lebanon, Charbel becarne a monk at the age of 23 in the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya. (St. Maron was a hermit of the 5th century; thus the Maronite Rite.).

After fifteen years in the monastery, Charbel became a hermit, and remained a hermit for 23 years. To this day many miracles are attributed to his intercession. He was beatified in 1965 and was canonized on October 9, 1977. We offer our prayers to him as we seek the restoration of peace to the Middle East.

Library

The Fire of Your Life - A Solitude Shared by Maggie Ross, revised 1992 and reprinted by Harper Collins, ISBN 0-06-06723-1, paper, $10.00.

"Hermits In the 1990's." by Karen Karper. America. September 12, 1994.

The Law of Consecrated Life: Commentary on Canons 573-606. by Jean Beyer, S.J. (Senior Professor of the Canon Law Faculty of @e Pontiflcal Gregorian University, Rome, 1988) Translated from the French by W. Becker, Jan. 1992) 10 pages.

Hermits: The Juridical Implications of Canon 603. by Ms. Helen L. MacDonald (Researcher, Novalis, St. Paul University, Ottawa, QN Canada) 25 pages.

Xeroxed copies of the two articles are available upon request from Sr. Mary Vogel. Please include $3.00 for postage and handling

"...Sounding Solitude..."

Hermits - Helping - Hermits

This is an open forum of exchange between hermits and those interested in the hermit vocation in the Church today.

You are invited to share reflections or to propose questions from personal experience regarding the @oys and difficulties of the eremitical life.

You are encouraged to solicit and/or to contribute information available regarding titles, authors of books and art,icles pertaining to the hermit vocation and supportive of its authentic expression in the Church and world today. Or, you might write down your questions, comments, reflections, etc., regarding those areas of the hermit response with which you may be struggling or are in process of discerning at this present time.

Each one's personal participation in the development of this column will be invaluable. Heart-felt prayer for one another as well as written responses are needed. May the Spirit unite and guide us as humble and loving brother and sister Hermits-Helping-Hermits.

You are welcome to suggest specific hermit themes or topics you would like to see treated in this column in future issues of the newsletter. Our format is flexible and may vary according to the communications received. Personal letters, original poems and essays regarding timely eremitical issues are welcome. (300 - 350 words or less)

"...Sounding Solitude..." could be a way of manifesting God's presence-in-love through Hermits-Helping-Hermits, if the Spirit moves you to participate in this way.

Please address communications for this column to:
"Sounding Solitude"
Hermits-Helping-Hermits
Rural Route III Box 3 574
Palestine, TX 75801-9543

Canonical and Legal Reflections

Marabou makes its appearance on the eve of a world Synod of Bishops w@ich has chosen as its theme: THE CONSECRATED LIFE AND ITS ROLE IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD. The "working paper" or lineamenta for the synod was published by the Synod Secretariat on JanuaIy 20, 1994. And eremitical life is mentioned in at least two places (## 5 and 35). In #35, the document states: "In regard to hermits, there is an urgent need to clarify the conditions for accepting them, the process of disceming this vocation, and the necessary folmation and spiritual guidance, as well as the way in which they become an active part of the particular churches." This statement comes on the heels of a recognition that this vocation is alive and well in the Church and that it has a long history and tradition. The second working paper, instrumentum laboris,. is also extant in- preparatoly study for the synod. The structural elements that apply to most forms of religious life seem to find a special challenge in the eremitical vocation. On the world-wide level, however, eremitical life is officially recognized in the Codes of Canon Law of both the Eastern and Western Catholic traditions (Cf E. Canons 481 - 485 and CIC 603). And the new Catechism of the Catholic Church also mentions the eremitical vocation as part of Catholic tradition and religious life (## 920-921).

Nevertheless, the bottom line for the hermit is life lived in solitude on the local level within a particular Church (diocese). To provide reflection on the canonical and legal aspects of the relationship between a hermit and the local Church is the purpose of-this column. My hope is that these reflections will be helpful to hermit and bishop/pastor/person-in-the-pew. It will be my presumption that"hermit" in this context means someone who seeks to live the eremitical life as a "public" vocation, with or without vows, but definitely in relationship to the local Catholic community or diocese. Anyone can live reclusively, even as an act of fai@. But this column will preswne that the hermit is someone who responds in faith as a member of the Church to a particular grace and seeks to express it in the eremitical vocation accepted by the Church.

Poet Tree

Everything whispers to me of God
but the more I strain to hear
the less I hear.

Everywhere I look I see a glimpse of God
but when I look again
the tree is just a tree.

- Matthias Walsh, O.P.

Listen!
The wind is rising,
and
the air is
Wild with leaves,
We have had our
summer evenings
Now for October Eves.

-Emily Dickenson
sonnet #131

Gold dawn disk edges purple cliffs.
Old woman bends to sweep temple steps.
She bathes each stone with loving care.
How many worshipers think of her work?

-Deng Ming-Dao

Editorial Comment

Marabou is being resurrected after a hiatus of some years. It will take on a "developing format" since it will attempt to be flexible to the needs and contributions of hermit-correspondents.

For subscription, publishing, and mailings refer to Marabou % Bede Jagoe, O.P. 7200 W. Division Street, River Forest, IL 60305.

For Hermits-Helping-Hermits and for the availability of hermitage sites write to Sr. Mary Vogel, H.S.S.R. at Prayer Mountain Hermitage Route 3, Box 3574 in Palestine, TX 57801.

For canonical and legal concerns confer R.B. Williams, O.P. at Casas Juan Macias, 210 St. Ann St. in San Antonio, TX 78201.

For change of address write to Karen Karper at Colt Ridge Route I, Box 187 - B in Spencer, WV 25276. By sending Sr. Karen your zip-plus-four code, we will save a few cents on postage.

Bob Staes, O.P. is interested in rules for hermits and can be reached at St. Dominic Priory, 3005 W. 29th Ave. in Denver, CO 80211.