Beyond the Benedictines: Exploring Catholic monasticism
The monks at St. Bede Abbey join together for midday prayer.
Those asking the question “how do I become a monk” may also wonder what it actually means to be a Catholic monk. Benedictine monks, like those at our monastery in Illinois, make up the largest monastic order in the Catholic Church. The order spans about 400 monasteries and includes roughly 7,500 monks. In fact, most monastic orders—past and present—can trace their history back to the Benedictines and The Rule.
To better understand how to become a monk, let’s take a look at what monasticism looks like across Catholicism.
You can learn more about the Benedictines here.
Understanding Catholic orders
First, it’s essential to know how monks fit into the larger landscape of Catholic clergy.
Monastic orders are rooted in stability and community, remaining in a fixed place over the long term, usually for life. It's the oldest form of religious life in the west. Contrast this with the mendicant orders who are not tied to one monastery. Mendicant orders are intentionally mobile, preaching and serving across towns and cities. Franciscans, Dominicans and Carmelites are all notable examples of mendicants.
There are also canon regulars who live together under a rule. They are halfway between monks and parish priests, living in communities that have monastic characteristics, but with outward-facing efforts that resemble clergy. Augustinian Canons and Norbertines are two examples.
Additionally, there are clerics regular like the Jesuits. These are priests who combine religious vows with active ministries in education, missionary work or social work.
Benedictines and the beginnings of Catholic monasticism
Catholic monasticism has its roots in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Early monks were inspired by figures like St. Anthony of Egypt and St. Pachomius, often embracing radical lives of hardship, removed from society.
In the 4th and 5th centuries, monastic ideas made their way to Europe, but with little consistency. Some were very austere in their approach. Others were lax in the rules that guided them.
When St. Benedict wrote The Rule in the 6th century, he didn’t set out to form a religious order as we know it today. Monasteries were still evolving, influenced by writings known as rules. The Rule of St. Benedict—originally called The Rule of Monasteries—was simply the latest entry into this canon. It was noted for its simplicity, emphasis on balance, and concept of communal living under the authority of an abbot.
Learn more about the role of an abbot in Benedictine life—including at our monastery in Illinois.
The first monasteries to adopt The Rule would not have called themselves Benedictines. They remained a loose, decentralized collection of communities, following a text that was becoming the blueprint for Catholic monasticism.
In the late 8th century, King Charlemagne recognized that there was still a great deal of inconsistency across the monasteries and their guiding rules. He also understood that monasteries were crucial as centers of learning, administration and spiritual life. Charlemagne favored The Rule of St. Benedict for its moderate, practical take compared to some of the harsher ascetic writing of the time. St. Benedict’s emphasis on stability encouraged staying power among the monasteries. The balanced routines of monks’ prayer and work gave a certain flexibility that made it easy to adapt across regions and cultures. Despite Charlemagne’s influence, The Rule was not strictly enforced during his lifetime.
It was a member of Charlemagne's court, St. Benedict of Aniane, who took the lead in standardizing the Rule as a unifying monastic practice. Often called "The Second Benedict," he became the chief architect of monastic reform under Charlemagne's son, Louis the Pious. Eventually, The Rule was made the standard for all monasteries in the Carolingian Empire during the Council of Aachen from 816 to 817.
You can learn more about St. Bede’s influence among the early Benedictines here.
Branching out from the Benedictines
Over the centuries, monastic orders began to adapt Benedictine practices to varying degrees. Often, monasteries were established as a reaction to each other, choosing to emphasize different aspects of St. Benedict’s original writings.
In the 10th century, the early Cluniac monks used The Rule as their basis to form an order with a stronger emphasis on worship. The Divine Office was made more elaborate, becoming the centerpiece of a monk's day.
It was a monk from Cluny Abbey, St. Robert of Molesme, who sought to restore the simplicity of The Rule with a more literal and austere interpretation. He established the Cistercian Order in the 11th century. Today, Cistercians are sometimes known as White Monks, contrasting their white cowls with the black ones worn by the Benedictines.
From the Cistercians came the Trappists in the 17th century. This reformed order emphasizes silence, strictness and manual labor like agriculture.
Other Benedictine branches—including the Camaldolese, Vallombrosians, and Sylvestrines—continue this day, numbering just a few dozen monks per order.
Beyond The Rule
Despite the influence of the Benedictines, there are still many orders that do not trace their lineage back to The Rule.
The Carthusians were formed in the 11th century, following their own rule called the Statutes. Their monasteries are generally small communities of hermits, centrally focused on shared solitude, silence and contemplation. The order's Motherhouse, Grande Chartreuse in France, is notable for its production of Chartreuse liqueur.
Others began as monastic orders before adopting mendicant practices. In the 12th century the Carmelites were a small group of hermits on Mount Carmel. By the 13th century, they had become mendicant friars with a focus on prayer and mysticism.
Similarly, the Augustinians began with some monastic elements, including communal life, shared prayer and guiding Rule of St. Augustine. But they never existed as strictly cloistered monks, instead focusing on an active and pastoral approach. Today's formal Augustinian Order is classified as a mendicant order.
The Benedictines hold an important place within the history of the Church. The teachings of St. Benedict span beyond just the order and established monastic life.
If you are curious about what that life may look like for you at our monastery in Illinois, consider reaching out to discuss your next steps by submitting a form at this link.
