Personal Hermit Plan of Life

As a hermit my first Rule is of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Holy Gospel. By total application
of the Gospel precepts and counsels to my daily life I am bound to model my hermit life
on Gospel teaching.

The Role and Purpose of My Eremitic Life

To seek God above all things is why I come to the desert and to work fervently at
prayer and daily toil for the sake of my own salvation by living the evangelical life: the
renouncing of sin and sinful passions in favor of the Kingdom of the Father revealed in
Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit poured forth in the Church. I will strive for ceaseless
prayer and for the perfection of the Gospel by constant repentance, the practice of
virtues and seeking the gift of divine contemplation.

My whole life and everything that I do as a hermit is consecrated to God and leads me
to union with Christ. My life is centered on Christ both interiorly and exteriorly. It is a
life that I wishes to be wholly supernatural, whose actions and detachments are so
many prayers and petitions. All my hours are dedicated to God, and all my actions
should be the fruit of charity.

My model of eremitical contemplative life is the Mother of God who treasured the
words of salvation in her heart. Called by God, like Mary, to sit at the feet of Jesus and
listen to His words, I am converted to the Lord, withdrawing from the empty
preoccupations and illusions of the world.Under her protection I will more and more
form my life on the Holy Gospel of her Son.
Persevering in prayer with Mary the Mother of Jesus, I will ardently long for the fullness
of the Holy Spirit, so that with unveiled face I may reflect the glory of the Lord and be
transformed into His image from splendor to splendor by the Spirit of the Lord, to
conform to the Divine Will, and accepts the call to participate in the process of my
divinization here by grace and afterwards in glory.
Life in the Church
A Christian Hermit can, by being alone, paradoxically live even closer to the heart of the
Church than the one who is in the midst of her apostolic activities. The life and unity of
the Church are and must be visible. But that does not mean that the invisible and
spiritual activities of men of prayer are not supremely important. On the contrary, the
invisible and more mysterious life of prayer is essential to the Church. Solitaries, too are
essential to her. The Church recognises the life of hermits or anchorites, in which Christ’s
faithful withdraw further from the world and devote their lives to the praise of God and
the salvation of the world through the silence of solitude and through constant prayer
and penance. Canon 603
As a hermit I wish then to live in this solitary way of life whose ministry and apostolate
is prayer, penance and reparation in the solitude of the desert. Through my prayers and
good works the Church will be edified and will contribute to the salvation of my
neighbor. For this reason, I ought to desire nothing so much as to live an intensely
spiritual life so that, while pleasing God, my prayers and power for good may be
communicated to the hearts of the faithful. By this hidden life I will proclaim

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prophetically the symbol of the praying Christ to be more clearly witnessed by the
People of God. Thus my life as a hermit is to be a life of thanksgiving, hidden in Christ
for the sake of his Church, sharing through prayer and penance in his continuing
purpose of redemption, and in him to be transformed into a fragrant offering, acceptable
to the Father: “This is my body, this is my blood”. And so, by God’s mercy, and in
imitation of Jesus who “during his life on earth offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud
and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and who
submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard.” (cf Heb 5:7)
Life in Solitude
Into solitary regions that our Lord Jesus Christ retired to fast and pray, and that He went
off alone to commune with His Father spending the whole night in prayer . It was from
the desert that John the Baptist came forward to preach repentance for sins.
Solitude means being alone and cut off from everything except the Creator. In solitude
God begins to free me from my bondage to human expectations, for there I experience
God as my ultimate reality-the One in whom I live and move and have my being. In
solitude my thoughts and my mind, my will and my desires are oriented Godward so I
become less and less attracted by external forces and can be more deeply responsive to
God’s desire and prayer in me.
In solitude, I remain in self-giving, so that God may have His way in my life. I will then
orient my whole life to that spirit of solitude which characterizes my form of life in
freedom of spirit for a total transformation of my human person in Chist by love. All my
exercises converge toward this end such that I let no other work, active ministry or
endeavor impede this goal.
Life in Silence
The spirit of silence is indispensable to the contemplative atmosphere of the hermitage in
order to converse with Christ and to follow Him throughout the day. In silence I am not
only withdraw from the demands of life in the company of others but also allow the
noise of my own thoughts, strivings and compulsions to settle down so I can hear a truer
and more reliable Voice. It is in silence that I habitually release my own agendas and my
need to control and become more willing and able to give myself to Gd’s loving iniative.
In silence I create space for God’s activity rather than filling every minute with my own.
To quiet discordant voices within myself and to forget myself is to establish myself in
interior peace which requires interior silence. Holy Scripture reminds me that: “In much
speaking, you will not escape sin”; and “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”.
Speaking and teaching belong to the master; the disciple’s part is to be silent and to
listen.
It is never permitted to listen to music. Wholly banned from the hermitage is the use of
radio and television. The computer may be used exclusively for work, study, or similar
activities. The use of the telephone is normally limited to the general necessities and
important communications of the hermitage and should not therefore be freely available
as a use for amusement and entertainment. Silence and solitude are not an end in
themselves; but they are merely a means through which I regularly make myself
available to God for the intimacy of relationship and for the work of transformation that
only God can accomplish.
Life in Hermitage

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The hermitage is built like an enclosure within the desert and is a closed room for prayer
in secret, a place for lectio divina, meditation, study and work. The hermitage is to be
solidly built, sufficient in size, bright and cheerful, simple, modest and austere. It should
be kept in good repair, clean and neat in appearance, and the little garden should never
be left uncultivated.
Within the hermitage a spirit of great simplicity and poverty prevails. In order to
provide conditions which are conducive to prayer and spiritual reading an area is set
apart within the hermitage as a place of prayer and spiritual reading where there may be
a kneeler, crucifix and images of our Blessed Mother and the saints.The hermitage is to
be supplied with the necessary furnishings, beds and other furnitures, which should
savor of religious poverty.
In the hermitage, the full observance of eremitical life is to be maintained. This includes
especially the regular recitation of the principal canonical hours of the divine praises, the
hour of adoration, the daily work and other tasks of regular observance. I will not permit
myself to wander from this hermitage enclosure. I should go out only for necessity. At
the same time, I may take walks in the fields and woods, provided these are solitary and
without distraction.
There should be no visiting at the hermitage unless necessary. Its silent seclusion and
enclosure must be carefully protected.

Daily Schedule in the Hermitage

3-12 AM Preliminary devotions and prayers
Matins and Lauds
Angelus
Meditations
Holy Eucharist
Prime
Light Breakfast
Personal Preparations/Needs
Terce
Work
12-7PM Sext
Angelus
Meal Rest period
None
Private prayers ,meditation and study, reading edifying books
Work
Vespers
Angelus
Meal
Examination of Conscience
Compline
Bedtime prayers and devotions.

Life of Prayer
Prayer is the lifting of my mind and heart to God, the standing in His presence, the
constant awareness and remembrance of His name, His existence, His power and His
love. It is a conscious, intentional and purposeful act of uniting with God my mind,

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heart, soul and body, with every thought, feeling, word and deed, in every time, place,
and circumstance. Through prayer I enter into the presence of the Godhead dwelling in
me. It is prayer which allows me to adore God, by acknowledging His almighty power;
it is prayer that allows us to bring my thanks, my petitions, and my sorrow for sin before
our Lord and God. My purpose of prayer is to have communion with God and to be
made capable of accomplishing his will and to unite my life with Him. The purpose of
prayer is expressed excellently by the verse of Psalmist “Draw near to Him and be
enlightened.”
Prayer is the spiritual food that strengthens my whole being. Prayer enables me to
maintain a personal relationship with my loving God. Through that intimate soul to
Spirit dialogue, prayer softens my will so that I can become more receptive to His will. In
prayer I can see where I have been, where I am and where I need to direct my steps in
order to walk in God’s Way.Therefore, prayer is not only a precept for me but a
necessity. A life or prayer is a life lived in the constant remembrance of God. Without a
life of prayer, I risk losing the life of grace in our souls, grace that comes to me first in
baptism and later chiefly through the other sacraments and through prayer itself
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2565).
Our Lord Jesus Christ commanded me to enter into my inner room that means my heart,
the core of my being and there pray to God the Father in secret, keeping before my eyes
by day and by night Christ the Lord who, during his life on earth, offered up prayers
and supplications to God with loud cries and tears, and now sits at the right hand of the
divine majesty, always living to make intercession for us. When I pray, I meet with God
in my heart, in the sanctuary of all my thoughts, motivations, dreams, emotions and
concerns. This is a place where I can share my inner self with no other human person as
completely as I can share myself with the Lord. To enter into this place with God, full of
faith and love, is to feel His presence in my life in the most profound and life-giving of
ways. In this place in my heart, I no longer perceive God as being "out there", looking
down on me. Rather, I sense His presence inside me, stirring my heart, guiding my
actions, enlightening my mind.
I need to follow the exhortation of the Apostle Peter and be “watchful in prayer,” that is
to be attentive with my eyes wide open, to direct myself towards the mercy of God,
humbled and purified by the awe which the sense of God’s immediate presence within
me. The atmosphere of my prayer must be one of mourning, contrition and repentance.
A “broken and contrite heart God will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17).
As a rule I shall maintained the threefold Rule of prayer which is Holy Eucharist, Divine
Office and private prayers. This threefold rule of prayer is a discipline which helps me
develop my relationship with God.
A. Holy Eucharist
The contemplative climate of my hermit life will always be centered in the Holy
Eucharist which is the most sublime homage I can give to God through Jesus Christ,
especially in the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice in which, by a profound immersion
of myself, I render a living praise to God of all that I am and all that I do. I should
worship Christ in the mystery of the Eucharist so that from this wonderful exchange I
may draw an increase of faith, hope and charity. The Holy Eucharist is my way of
expressing my desire to go with Christ to the Father.
B. Divine Office

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The Divine Office is meant to dedicate the entire day to the Lord, as the Psalmist writes,
"Seven times a day I have given praise to You, O Lord.” (Psalm 118). In the hours of the
Divine Office, I speak to God with His own words taken from the Psalms and Scripture,
and in His Word, God Himself meets me and speaks with me so that the Word of God
celebrated in the divine praises may penetrate my heart more deeply and shape my life
and activity more effectively. It should be chanted or sung with calm, dignity, beauty,
devotion, attention and heard with the deepest reverence. The Lord, through the
prophet Isaiah, warned the chosen people about the danger of ritualism, the danger of
reciting official prayers when their hearts are not in union with the words: "This people
draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are
far from me, and their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts
of men" (Is 29:13).
C. Personal Prayers
Personal prayer is a time of personal conversation with God. It helps to make my hermit
life more genuine, more personal, more deeply rooted. It favors my union with God. It
comes to my aid in the little pinpricks of daily life as well as in temptations and trials
which can never be totally excluded during my earthly pilgrimage. Frequent and fervent
private prayer is an essential part of my eremitic life for which no amount of external or
even liturgical activity can ever be a substitute. At least an hour to private prayer each
morning and evening will be devoted to personal devotions and prayers of adoration,
contrition, thanksgiving and supplication. It will consists of Meditations, Mental Prayer,
Spiritual Exercises, Devotions to Our Lady and to Saints, Adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, Rosary, Jesus Prayer, Stations of the Cross, Suffrages (prayers or pleas on
behalf of another), Examination of Conscience, Commendations and Litanies.
Therefore, my whole life will be harmoniously ordered to preserving the continual
remembrance of God. By the celebration of the Eucharist and the Divine Office, by
reading and meditating on the Sacred Scriptures, by private prayer, vigils and
intercessions I should strive to have the same mind as Christ Jesus.

Life of Study
One cleanses the mind by reading and studying the sacred writings. Study has as its
purpose to nourish and sustain me in my life of prayer and work. It helps me to grow in
my understanding of the Church and her teachings as well as of the goals and ideals of
my eremitic life.
The light and source of my study is God, who spoke in the past in many and varied
ways. This Word comes to me now in a variety of ways, from the Sacred Scriptures,
Cathechism, from the assiduous and meditative reading of the writings of the Desert
Fathers and of mystical teaching of the Fathers of the Church, from the study of Catholic
theology, as well as of other theologians and authors. Particularly helpful for me is the
study of the lives of the saints. Let me avoid especially things more alien to my
contemplative vocation, such as scandal sheets, sporting events, and shows.
Life of Work
As a hermit I am not dispensed from the law stating that man must earn his bread with
the sweat of his brow, and the rule given by Saint Paul: “Anyone who would not work
should not eat” and the prophet before him: You shall eat from the toil of your hands
and that will be good for you.

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Work is truly an extension of my prayer and my offering of my strength and talent in
labors undertaken for support of the hermitage and its participation in the life of the
Church. Being a hermit, while grateful for the generous assistance of the faithful, should
never lose the essential desire to earn my living. Work involves the proper stewardship
over the things necessary for life and provides the major portion of funds required to
pay for my shelter, food, health care, transportation, and so forth. According to the
economic situation of the region, I should choose a type of work which supplies the
necessities of life for the hermitage as far as possible and is compatible with my
eremitical vocation. Excessive activism which would disrupt my contemplative life is to
be carefully avoided.
Rules Concerning Food
I should not deliberately wishes to take as food all that is pleasing and always to be at
my ease, without any spirit of Christian temperance. I will keep to a sparse and plain
diet, not seeking a variety of tempting dishes.
I must not hanker after fine foods and deceitful pleasures. For 'she that indulges in
pleasure is dead while still alive', as the Apostle says For it is said: 'Do not be deceived
by the filling of the belly'. “The Kingdom of God does not mean eating or drinking this
or that, it means righteousness and peace and joy brought by the Holy Spirit” . On the
other hand it is also true that the Lord Jesus admonishes us to be watchful lest our hearts
be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness. As a tradition of hermits, I will observe
perpetual abstinence from meat. Outside of meals I am not allowed to take food or drink
except water.The sacrifice offered to God with the various forms of fasting and
abstinence would not be complete if I did not limit myself spontaneously and discreetly
in the quantity of food and drink.

Life of Penance
At the beginning of His mission and at the end, the Lord Jesus commanded us to do
penance. In order, therefore, to respond fully to this summons of Christ, to be true
disciples of the Master, the spirit of conversion and penance must animate my eremitic
life.
In order to foster the conversion of my entire life by means of the virtue of penance, I
should frequently approach the sacrament of reconciliation. The highest regard should
be held for the frequent use of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation by which I
am more fully joined to the Body of Christ and which greatly stimulates my growth in
holiness. Therefore, I should strive to receive this Sacrament frequently and at least twice
monthly.
Mortification
The best description of mortification was given by Our Lord. He said to His disciples, “If
anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow
Me”. Mortification of the flesh is an act by which I seek to mortify, or put to death, my
sinful nature, as a part of the process of my sanctification. "For if you live according to
the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will
live."[Romans 8:13] The same idea is seen in the following verses: "Put to death what is
earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is
idolatry";[Colossians 3:5]This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should
abstain from fornication:That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in

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sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which
know not God. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
As a hermit I urged more than the rest of the faithful to deny myself, take up my cross,
and bear the death of Jesus in body and soul, that I may merit the glory of the
resurrection for myself and for others. With the permission of bishop I may undertake
other works of mortification such as private corporal external penances (the use
discipline, iron belt, hair-shirts and cilice) to satisfy more fully the duty of penance and
to restrain the inordinate inclinations of self-love.
My interior conversion will be manifested in outward as well as inward acts of penance
and mortification which I, as a hermit and penitent, is especially called upon to perform.
Nevertheless, recalling that the best penance is found in the conscientious observance of
my private rule of life, I deny myself above all through the performance of my daily
duties. Thus, I imitate more closely of Christ’s emptying of Himself and make more
evident my love of God and neighbor. This continuous and joyful penance manifests
itself in my fervent observance of solitude and silence, fidelity to the daily schedule, in
prompt and cheerful submission to lawful authority which is the local bishop and in
maintaining an all-pervading spirit of mortification.

Fasting
Fasting is one of the pillars of eremitic life. We are taught its value by our Savior Himself
who prepared for His confrontation with the Devil in the wilderness by a fast of forty
days. As in all ascetic endeavors, fasting is not an end in itself. If it is not undertaken in
the spirit of humility and for the sake of the Gospel it is useless, even harmful. My
fasting must always be joined to prayer. This is why I must be careful to maintain the
link between the time of my fasts and the Church’s liturgical cycles.
The monastic fast is observed from the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
(September 14) inclusive until Easter. Exceptions are solemnities and Sundays.
Abstinence from eggs and dairy products is observed in addition to the monastic fast
during Advent and Lent.
The fast of the Church is prescribed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. On these days
I should be exhorted to be content with bread and water in order thus to honor, in union
with all the people of God, the beginning of Lent and the most holy day of the Passion
and Death of the Savior. On Holy Saturday, I keep the abstinence proper to Friday.
Friday is a day of abstinence and fast. On this day I abstain from eggs and dairy
products. By ancient tradition hermits abstain from any kind of meat. Abstinence from
meat is to be observed perpetually.
External Signs of the Hermit
The sacramental meaning of the religious habit which I put on revivifies the significance
of my baptismal robe: it is “to put on Jesus Christ.” The holy habit is a sign of the my
consecration made to God. Hermits traditionally wear their habits both inside and
outside the hermitage at all times.
My religious habit will consists of a white tunic and hood, a white scapular and a leather
belt, crucifix and sandals. The tunic is ultimately a sign of the new man who has
renounced the world that I might be united to God and bring God to the world through
my life of prayer and penance. The hood preserves simplicity and innocence. It is

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consonant with humility, useful in assisting meditation and contemplation by physically
blocking distractions. The belt reminds me as a soldier of Christ to walk with my loins
girded with chastity and continence. The scapular represents my commitment to
conversion—to take on the yoke of the Lord, which is sweet.
Evangelical Counsels
Living the Vows
By closer following Christ, the teacher and examplar of holiness, under the action of the
Holy Spirit, I will totally dedicate myself through public vows of obedience, chastity and
poverty, observed according to the my private eremitic rule of life under a lawful
superior that is, in the hands of my local bishop. I will renounce the world and totally
dedicate myself to the acquisition of perfect charity in service to the Kingdom of God for
the building up of the Church and the salvation of the world as a sign of the foretelling
of heavenly glory. Can 573
A. Vow of Obedience
Obedience is extolled by Sacred Scripture as preferable to all other sacrifices. Our
Blessed Savior preferred death on the cross in obedience to His Heavenly Father. He
humbled Himself becoming obedient unto death.
In my profession of obedience I offer my will to God as a self-sacrifice. In this I follow the
footsteps of the Lord Jesus and continually conform myself to the saving will of God.
This is the spirit in which I freely commit myself to the Gospel counsels. By the vow of
obedience I subordinate my own will to the authority of my local bishop, and to the
service of the entire Church.
B. Vow of Chastity
Chastity for the sake of the kingdom, voluntarily assumed under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit and modeled after our Blessed Savior is valued as a precious gift from God.
The reason for my life of chastity, in which I also give up married love, is the love of God
and the witness to eternal things among the People of God. Through chastity, I have
greater freedom of heart to cling to God with undivided love; and, through chastity, I am
able to become all things to all men.
C. Vow of Poverty
Evangelical poverty is primarily an inner renunciation of all created things, a preference
for the Creator over creatures. This must be expressed through external commitment to a
life free of material possessions and bodily vanity.
By the constant zeal for the life of Gospel poverty, I truly become pilgrim and stranger in
this world ever conscious that I must desire above all things to have the Spirit of the
Lord and His holy operation. Casting aside all care and solicitude of this world in
freedom of heart and steadfastness of hope, I daily continue that long pilgrimage which
leads to the land of the living.

-End of My Private Hermit Rule of Life-

May I have the greatest zeal for the observance of this private hermit rule of life tolerate
no lessening of my observance of solitude and contemplative life. May I be blessed by

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observing this private hermit rule and I may there be given forever in abundance
measures of grace, peace and consolations of the Holy Spirit. I have chosen to live by this
Private Rule, confident and trusting in the Lord that I have a sure road to union with
Him, if I persevere with zeal in this manner of life and in great fidelity to the prophetic
witnessing of my calling, for the “love of Jesus Christ compels me.”
I may continually offer to God the trials, sufferings, persecutions, misunderstandings
and renunciations which accompany this way of life. At the time of my death, let me
finally commend my life itself as my last sacrifice into the hands of the Lord.