Western Monasticm Quiz Review

Question 0

Who was St. Brigid of Kildare?

Answer 0

• Daughter of an enslaved Christian mother & a pagan Celtic king
• founder & abbess of the monastery of Kildare, a rare double monastery (men & women)
• also founded several convents for nuns throughout Ireland

Question 1

Who was St. Anthony of Egypt?

Answer 1

regarded as the founder of Christian monasticism

Question 2

Who was St. Benedict?

Answer 2

• well educated son of a Roman noble
• twin sister is also a famous monastic saint: St. Scholastica
• compared the licentious [lawless, immoral] lives of his peers & the Gospel
• chose the Gospel, left city to become a monk
• many became his followers, even to today

Question 3

What does ora et labora mean?

Answer 3

simple & well ordered, balanced between prayer & work

Question 4

What is a monastic rule?

Answer 4

written instructions / pattern for living a monastic life

Question 5

What is a hermit?

Answer 5

A person who lives a solitary life in order to commit himself or herself more fully to prayer & in some cases to be completely free for service to others”
*lives alone

Question 6

What is a cenobite?

Answer 6

Like a hermit but lives in community

Question 7

What is an abbot/abbess?

Answer 7

The superior & spiritual leader of a monastery

Question 8

What is hesychasm?

Answer 8

Greed for stillness/quiet

Question 9

What is asceticism?

Answer 9

a radical way to live out the Gospel

Question 10

What are some monastic contributions to the church & society?

Answer 10

• Christianized Europe
• preserved Western knowledge & learning (by copying writings)
• developed great art, architecture, & music
• developed new & effective agricultural, wool production, & vine growing techniques
• education through monastery schools (when all other education centers collapsed)

Question 11

Describe the Liturgy of the Hours

Answer 11

• Opus Dei - the Work of God: community prayer using Psalms, scripture & other readings
• also called the Liturgy of the Hours
• there are a total of 7 hours* of prayer
  1. Matins - Office of Readings or Vigils, early morning
  2. Lauds - Morning Prayer, before breakfast/work
  3. Terce - Midmorning Prayer
  4. Sext - Midday Prayer, noon
  5. None - Midafternoon Prayer
  6. Vespers - Evening Prayer
  7. Compline - Nigh Prayer
• that is times of prayer, not length