Volume 30, Nr. 2, June 2000 Richardton, ND 58652
There is a little monastery that stands on a hill. The monastery has carried on the monastic tradition on this hill for over fifty years, but now it is becoming more and more difficult to do so. The ten monastics who live at the monastery are elderly and there seems to be increasingly less hope that there will be new vocations. The little monastery is fictitious, but its story is the story of a growing number of monasteries. In some monasteries today members are elderly and no new vocations are coming forth. The monastery may be autonomous or dependent but the story is the same. The pastoral approach to closing the monastery probably should be similar.
A number of years ago, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her book, On Death and Dying, wrote that there are five stages in the dying process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. While she was applying these stages to the dying process of a human person, they may also be applicable to a dying monastery. The monastics of the monastery pass through these same stages or become stuck at one of the stages when dealing with the closing of their monastery.
Those entrusted with the task of closing the monastery need to keep in mind these five stages as they work with the monastics of the dying monastery. The leadership of the monastic congregation/federation working with an autonomous monastery, or the leadership of a monastery working with a dependent monastery can help ease the pain of closure by respecting these stages and helping the monastics to move through them to acceptance. However, the leadership needs to keep in mind that closure is what will happen. This is important because, as with a dying person, some of the monastics may never get to acceptance but death will eventually come. Unnecessarily dragging out the process through denial or artificial life supports is not good for a human person and it is not good for a dying monastery.
Nevertheless, leadership should be sensitive to the monastics of the dying monastery. Even if most will accept the fact of closure, they retain a hope, a hope that the monastery does not close until "after I am dead." This hope springs from a fear, a fear similar to the fear many elderly persons have when they are confronted with moving out of their homes. They do not know what it will be like living somewhere else. They do not want to be uprooted and give up their independence and control of their lives. They fear not being happy, comfortable, and safe. After all, this home has been their home for years and years. Monastics do not want to leave their monastery for a new monastery where the lifestyle and people will be different. They fear what will happen to them outside of their environment and away from their friends.
Perhaps leadership can help ease this fear. A possible way is to offer the monastics the opportunity to remain in the locale in a house or similar residence. Provision would have to be made to care for these elderly monastics but it does not necessarily mean that an "outside" monastic must come to live with these elderly monastics, nor does it mean that a local superior must be appointed.
Sons and daughters do not have to move into the home to care for elderly parents. Rather they can arrange for someone to live there or someone to check on the parents. As these children may have to take over the management of the affairs of their parents, similar arrangements could be made for the elderly monastics. This way they can remain in a living situation in the same area as their closed monastery. This can be so even if there are only one or two members remaining. Sensitivity and flexibility are a mark of the Rule when it comes to dealing with the elderly (see RB 37).
Of course, economic reality has to play a part in the decision to do this. It just may not be possible to afford the arrangement to remain in the locale. If it is impossible, leadership should help the elderly monastics understand that finances are the reason for moving rather than some hard and fast concept of monastic life.
As more and more monasteries, both autonomous and independent, become non-viable, it would be good if all monastics become aware and sensitive to the feelings and needs of those monastics belonging to a dying monastery. Perhaps, if enough of us become aware, across the membership lines of monasteries and congregations/ federations, then monastics can support and assist those of a dying monastery with the mutual support that is a hallmark of the monastic way of life.
Daniel J. Ward
Monk of Saint John's Abbey
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