Solitaries in the world
A life of prayer, silence and solitude, lived right where you are.
The Community of Solitude is an ecumenical Benedictine community of men and women who live in their own homes, in the midst of work, family and ordinary responsibilities, while sharing a Rule, a tradition and the companionship of one another.
Solitude within companionship
Rooted in Benedictine tradition
A contemplative life, without leaving the life you have
Some people are drawn to a life shaped by prayer, silence and solitude, yet are not called to a monastery, or have work, family and commitments that keep them in the world. We offer a shared Rule and real spiritual companionship for living that calling right where you are. We carry the cloister in our hearts; our monastic cell is wherever we happen to be.
The Divine Office
Each morning and evening we pray the Office, using whatever book serves us best: the Book of Common Prayer, a Roman breviary or one of our own making. Faithfulness matters more than quantity.
Lectio Divina
After the Office, slow and prayerful reading of Scripture is the solitary's most important practice: a daily seeking of the heart of Christ in the Gospels, and a school in how to become fully human.
Silence
Even with our mouths closed, our minds drift to the future or the past. Silence draws us back to the present moment, to be where Christ is, here and now.
Separate hermitages, one community
At New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California, Camaldolese Benedictine monks each live in a small hermitage of their own, yet share a chapel, a table and a common life of prayer. We carry something of that pattern into the wider world.
Sit in your cell as in paradise… and sit there like a little chick, content with the grace of God.
— St. Romuald, from his Brief Rule
Explore at your own pace
You may feel called to a life of prayer, silence and solitude without leaving the world in which you live. We would be glad to explore that calling with you, with no pressure and no expectations.
Our promise to you
We will give you an honest, clear account of who we are and what our life involves, and an open door to ask questions and explore without pressure. Baptized Christians of any tradition who can honestly affirm the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are welcome, whatever their age, gender, or clerical or marital status.
“Always have God before your eyes.”
— St. Anthony of the Desert