How do you become a Monk?

how'd you become a monk actually technically I'm not a monk I'm a Franciscan friar and monks and friars are slightly different but were very similar to monks monks are people who they make a promise to stay in one place for their whole lives they stay in a monastery and they just they take what's called a vow of stability and that that's the difference between monks and friars because while we fry as we move throughout the country all over the place I've lived in lots of different religious houses and priories and and we're called itinerant because we're always on the road it means you're on the road so how did I become a friar well first of all I had to find out where friars were I didn't know nothing about friars and I said to myself I better find out where they live so when in those days uncle Google didn't exist so I had to use the newspaper and I found a newspaper cutting that told me the address of this place fantastic so I picked up the phone and sipped and can I come visit you I think I need to talk to you so when they said sure and and I came over and I started talking to one of the brothers and they said well you know if you're interested in becoming a friar and you should come and visit just a few times just to see if you think you're on the right track so I did and I kept coming back and you go through this you go through this process and all the time you're kind of praying and trying to check to see if this is really what God is asking you to do because some people they want to do things because they want to do them but unless God wants you to do something you're never going to be happy to so God wanted me to do this and and I went through this long process of visiting the other brothers and they're masking me some pretty difficult questions having medical tests psychological tests physical tests and then trying it out for a year the first year when you when you join you're not in straight away take seven years to become a friar the first year is called a postulant see when you're postulating or or thinking about and joining the order so when I spent one year as a postulant and M we serve the poor we work with the dying and spent time in prayer just as a beginning and then the year after that it's called the novitiate when you become a novice which just means a newbie you know you're a new person and then that's when you get your habit that's when you put on this this this this garment and and that's a very difficult year that year is called the year in the desert and you don't get much contact with your mom and dad you can't contact can't contact your friends and em it's really quite an intense year of prayer and you study so that you really draw close to God in a way you've probably never done before after that year you make what's called temporary vows just promises that lasts just for three years so you're kind of like you know it be thinking of getting married well if you're thinking of getting married and you might get engaged to someone before you do get married and that engagement is like you're moving towards it but you haven't actually made the step just yet and temporary vows are a bit like that taken for three years and and you promise the three vows and here's what they are poverty chastity and obedience our poverty means that you give up all the things you own all your possessions all your toys all your things you how I had to give up my car okay you get rid of you all your money everything is all gotta go you just entrust yourself completely just to Christ and and he looks after you from then on it that's poverty chastity means that you don't get married you promise not to get married no more girlfriends or if you're a girl no boyfriends and then I had to get rid of my girlfriend can you imagine she wasn't very pleased but anyway for the Lord so and no romantic relationships and that's chastity and thirdly obedience and obedience means that there's one brother in each of our communities who is in charge is called the Guardian and and he tells us what to do and we do it we make a promise but whatever he says we will actually do so he says jump when I say how high and that's our three vows our three promises so the way we put it is no money no honey and a boss all right poverty chastity and obedience and we and we show those vows on our court but we way around our middle just like married people wear a wedding ring and there they are these three knots on our cord poverty chastity and obedience and that's the way you become a friar you finish those three years I took another two years of temporary vows after that so I wanted to just extend that time and and then after that you tie the knot you make it permanent and and when you take solemn vows final vows that you can't go back from and that's you that's your promise to God for life you

Channel: RE:quest

Views: 54,961

Rating: 4.8620691 out of 5

Keywords: Christian, Religious Education, Friar, Monk, Live, Life, Christianity, RE, Lesson, Resource, Keystage, KS2, KS3, KS4, GCSE, A Level, Interactive, Philosophy, Ethics, Bible, Jesus, God, Church, Service, Modern, Worship, Faith, Calling, Holy, Orders, celibacy, chastity, frier, holy orders, monastery, monk, nun, nunnery, obedience, poverty, vow

Id: I8fyphFEhxY

Length: 6min 45sec (405 seconds)

Published: Thu May 28 2015