I totally know what is about to happen. I feel completely comfortable with the plans I have made and have no expectation of the Holy Spirit lovingly smacking me in the face.
Everybody when they encounter Jesus.
Samaritan women at wells, rich young rulers, tax collectors,
and especially me, right now, blissfully typing away
Most Days in the Community of St. Anselm
- Wake up around 8, in the midst of the Great Silence, which began after Compline the night before.
- Silent Breakfast. If you have not instituted this in your own home, you need to get on that.
- Morning Prayer at 9. Often from the Book of Common Prayer, but we pull from different resources throughout the year.
- Personal Prayer. One hour. Don’t worry, they teach how to do this without descending into going through the lyrics from High School Musical.
- Mass at Noon. In the twelfth century crypt. Normal palace-dwelling things.
- Lunch. In the fourteenth-century tower. The new part.
- Activities, dependent on the day of the week.
- Dinner, Evening Prayer, and another hour of Personal Prayer.
- Compline, and the Great Silence begins. There is no need to feel anxious about running into a Sibling or staff member. We are removed from the pressure of communication for a few hours everyday, most of them while we’re asleep. If I have a roommate, though, I have no clue how that will work. I’ve heard miming for the toothpaste is frowned upon.
Most Weeks in the Community
- Monday: We prepare for the week ahead, especially the arrival of of our Integrated Siblings for dinner and Evening Prayer.
- Tuesday: Scholarship day with scholars visiting London or Lambeth Palace. Exciting to learn for fun, even if I do love a nice, procrastinated research paper.
- Wednesday: Desert Day…The Great Silence lasts until Mass at noon
- Thursday & Friday: Throughout the year, we work with a charity two days a week. Some members have worked with a house for abled and disabled persons; others have served as hospital chaplains.
- Saturday-Sunday: Saturday mornings, we play games or hang out as a community, then we have free-time through Compline Sunday night! Museums, parks and gardens, some groundling time at the Globe, and visiting with friends in the UK — can’t wait to invite my siblings along as we explore the city I love (and one of the few places in Europe where I don’t get lost automatically.)
The Year as a Whole
- We begin our year September 25th with a Service of Commitment, where each member addresses their new Brothers and Sisters with the phrase, “I choose you.”
- In the fall, we will go on three week-long retreats where we experience the traditions that Sts. Ignatius, Francis, and Benedict initiated. Each is in Cornwall, so get ready for all the Poldark references.
- Christmas is spent with our companions from Chemin Neuf in their mother Abbey in Northern France. The following week, we are free to return home, visit family or friends, or travel. My plans are totally TBD at this point.
- At some point, we have a full week of silence, as well. Supposedly, we build up to this.
- We spend Holy Week and Easter with the Chapter and community of Canterbury Cathedral, in Kent. In 2018, I went on a pilgrimage to Canterbury with The Episcopal Church at William & Mary and rather fell in love with the pattern of life, the atmosphere, and the hospitality of the Cathedral community. I first heard about CoSA during this trip, and I look forward to celebrating Holy Week with Dean Willis and the Archbishop.
- During the season of Easter, we either transition to a thirty-day silent retreat in Switzerland or join another Religious Community in the UK.
- Upon hearing that thirty days of silence struck me with fear and trembling, the Dean assured me that this month is meant to help us discern and live more closely with God. If too much quiet would get in the way of … me functioning like a sane person … there is no reason for me to do so. Thank God.
- Usually, involvement in the Community of St. Anselm concludes in June/July, but this year, we will stay into August so that we can pray and serve throughout Lambeth 2020, the conference that the Archbishop hosts for all the bishops of the Anglican Communion in Canterbury. Apparently there’s a good chance the Queen will be in attendance…swoon…
Franklin of Anselm: Updates from Living in God's Time 
I can’t wait to read more! Feeling somewhat wistful about the idea of silent breakfasts and days of contemplation as I dive into medical school craziness..
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Franklin, would you elaborate on the Great Silence? It sounds like communication between siblings is avoided (forbidden?), but can you read? What does one do during the silence?
Thanks, Carolyn Crocker (former language lab director and Spanish instructor at SU)
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Hi Dr. Crocker! During most of the Great Silence, were asleep or at breakfast. In my mind, it’s more so that we’re relieved of the pressure to communicate, allowed to be left to ourselves, our sabbath, and our communication with God. I have only experienced the Great Silence once before, as a retreat member at the Episcopal monastery in upstate New York; at that time, reading, making tea, and other quiet and calm activities were encouraged. I do not yet know what the stipulations will be for those of us in the community.
Thank you for asking! Hope you’re well!
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