Monks -- The Scaffolding -- To Be Fleshed Out Later -- July 29, 2025

Catholic monastic orders are diverse, with each having its own unique charisma or focus. Key orders include 

• the Benedictines, known for their stability and balance of prayer and work; 
• the Cistercians, who emphasize a stricter observance of the Benedictine Rule; and, 
• the Trappists, who are a reformed branch of the Cistercians known for their silence and contemplative life. 
• other important orders include:
• the Franciscans, focused on poverty and service; 
• the Dominicans, known for preaching and scholarship; and,  
• the Carmelites, who emphasize contemplation and the spiritual life. 

Here's a more detailed look at some of the prominent monastic orders: 

Benedictines: founded by St. Benedict in the 6th century, they are the oldest of the major Western monastic orders. Their motto is "ora et labora" (pray and work), emphasizing a balance between spiritual life and manual labor. 

Cistercians: a reform movement within the Benedictine order, seeking a stricter adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict. They are known for their simple lifestyle and focus on liturgical prayer. 

Trappists: astricter reform of the Cistercians, emphasizing silence, solitude, and intense liturgical prayer. 

Franciscans: founded by St. Francis of Assisi, they embrace poverty, simplicity, and service to others. 

Dominicans: founded by St. Dominic, they are known for their intellectual tradition, preaching, and teaching. 

Carmelites: an order that emphasizes contemplation and the spiritual life, with both contemplative and active branches. 

Augustinians: an order that traces its origins to St. Augustine, known for their intellectual and pastoral work. 

Carthusians: an eremitic (life of solitude, hermits) order, emphasizing solitude and a life of prayer and penance.

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Benedictines: founded in 529. Black monks.

• Order of Saint Benedict
• monastery at Subiaco in Italy, the first of the dozen monasteries he founded
• later founded the Abbey of Monte Cassino
• no evidence he intended to found an order and the Rule of Saint Benedict presupposes the autonomy of each community
• oldest of al the religious orders in the Latin Church
• the Oivetans: wear white
• founded by the Benedict of Nursia, a 6th-century Italian monk who laid the foundations through the formulation of his Rule
• by the ninth century, the Benedictine had become the standard form of monastic life throughout thew whole of Western Europe, excepting Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, where the Celtic observance still prevailed for another century or two

Cistercians: broke off in 1100. White monks.

• Order of Cistercians
• the term Cistercian derives from Cisgterciu, the Latin name for the locale of Cîteaux, near Dijon in eastern France
• the Benedictin monks from the monastery of Molesme founded Cîteaux Abbey in 1098
• the three abbots: Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Cîteaux and Stephen Harding.
• by the end of the 12th century, the order had spread throughout most of Europe

Trappists:

• follow the Rule of Saint Benedict
• communities of both monks and nuns
• movement began with the reforms that Abbot Armand Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé introcued in 1664, later leading to the creation of Trppist congregations and eventually the formal constituion as a separate religious order in 1892
• a well-known Trappist theologian: Thomas Merton, The Seven Storey Mountain