Monastic Brothers of Bethlehem... part 1
The 'Monastic Family of Bethlehem and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary'took birth in 1950, following the promulgation of the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin. The Sisters were founded on France, soon after, and the Brothers in France in 1976. They are 2 geographically distinct Lavras of Hermits,one Congregation men, the other of women, though with similar charism lifestyle and foundation. The life of the Monks is to love Jesus through Mary, and adore the Blessed Trinity in silence and solitude . It is Saint Bruno that the religious confide in to guide them toward the hermit life. The life of the monastic family of Bethlehem is inspired by the model lauras or skites in Egyptian beginnings of Christian monasticism, where the monks lived in solitude through the week and gathered for the Holy Synaxis on Sunday. The monks (and nuns) of Bethlehem pray, work, study, eat and sleep in their cells and hermitages. The monastic day begins with evening vespers celebrated in common in ...