This month, the Order of Carthusians celebrates its 940th anniversary. In August 1084, Bruno of Cologne (1030-1101) and six friends hiked into the French Alps in search of a remote region called the Chartreuse, which is still known for its heavy snows and frigid temperatures. Once there, at more than 4,000 feet above sea level, they built individual shelters (later called cells); and they lived as hermit monks devoted to prayer, silence, and solitude.
Since the Latin word for Chartreuse is "cartusia," these monks called themselves Carthusians. It has been more than four years since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the world. More than one million Americans died.
Millions of people were asked to work from home. And tens of millions more were forced into quarantine and isolation. In order to protect ourselves and our families, we wore masks and maintained a safe social distance.
When we ventured out to buy groceries, walk our dogs, or check on vulnerable friends and family members, we hurried home. In many ways, we became hermits: confined to our homes, confined to our cells. The Carthusians celebrate this kind of confinement.
It is who they are. It is their vocation in life. They listen for God's voice in perfect silence.
They search for God's grace in purest solitude. They mark the hours of the day with both shared and solitary prayer. They seek to be totally transformed by God's love and mercy.
They long to know God and be united with God in thought, word, and deed. Their .