This proposal was composed in 1996 for the Capuchin Friars in Australia for discussion at their Provincial Chapter that same year. The proposal was distributed to the friars some months prior to the Chapter.
In presenting the original text here, I have not changed its content or language. The format, however, has been modified. The endnotes are now footnotes. The heading and paragraph numbers are now clearer.
There are some small errors in the content. The bibliography is limited. The heading "regular observance" is used incorrectly. The term 'regular observance' in the Franciscan tradition has a significant, other meaning to the one given it in this proposal. The proposal sees regular observance as a needed 'form of life' or careful, planned and explicit "ascesis" that fosters and expresses the way a fraternity lives its contemplative life.
Another weakness in the proposal is the use of the term "hermitage" with all its sometimes romantic, if not bizarre, connotations. . The term can evoke a mental picture of a bearded, scruffy ruffian anchorite squinting at a manuscript by the light of a tallow lamp. He eats locusts and wild honey, and lives in a cave with a lion or bear - in the Australian context, perhaps a kangaroo or wombat. . Personally, I have preferred to see the Capuchin 'hermitage' as a Capuchin friary in a solitary setting. The weakness of the term 'hermitage' expresses a challenge we can have in arriving at a common understanding and approach to the reality. Nevertheless, 'hermitage' is an attempt to indicate the particular character of the specific life and ministry of the brothers there.
Despite the weaknesses of the proposal, its logic, tone and - dare I say - insight, are valid and useful still. Its attempt to situate the fraternal, contemplative life of the friars within the mission of the Church is fundamental. For some, understanding this essential aspect is perhaps one of the bigger challenges.
Recently, I attended a symposium at La Verna in Umbria. The theme of the day was "The Hermitage within the Franciscan Tradition: - an historical perspective." The talks from this study-day will be published in 2009, in Italian. However, the enthusiasm and interest expressed in the presence of so many of Francis' sons and daughters, shows that the question, tension, practice of 'hermitage' is "alive and well" today.
I believe that our proposal of 1996, made in far away Australia, can make a valuable contribution to such a reflection.
And so, here it is.
P.H.
