The Community is on staycation 9-19 September. You are welcome to join us for Lauds, Mass and Vespers at the usual times; the other Offices will be prayed in solitude. The bookshop and parlours are closed. Please note that Crief Lodges are closed from 16-30 September 2025. York Lodge is unavailable from 16 September ufn. Please see the Holiday Lodges page for more details.

There are evidently four kinds of monks

There are evidently four kinds of monks. The first are the Cenobites, that is, those who live in monasteries, serving under a rule and an abbot. The second are the Anchorites or Hermits, that is those who not in the first fervour of their religious life, but after long probation in a monastery, having learnt in association with many brethren how to fight against the devil, go out well-armed from the ranks of the community to the solitary combat of the desert. They are able now to live without the help of others, and by their own strength and God’s assistance to fight against the temptations of mind and body.