We are nine monks living at St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth.
Monastic lives are made up of three activities: prayer, study and work. As St Benedict advises in his Rule at Chapter 48 on the Daily Manual Labour.
1 Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore, the brothers should have specified periods for manual labour as well as for prayerful reading. 2 We believe that the times for both may be arranged as follows: 3 From Easter to the first of October, they will spend their mornings after Prime till about the fourth hour at whatever work needs to be done. 4 From the fourth hour until the time of Sext, they will devote themselves to reading. 5 But after Sext and their meal, they may rest on their beds in complete silence; should a brother wish to read privately, let him do so, but without disturbing the others. 6 They should say None a little early, about mid-way through the eighth hour, and then until Vespers they are to return to whatever work is necessary. 7 They must not become distressed if local conditions or their poverty should force them to do the harvesting themselves. 8 When they live by the labour of their hands, as our fathers and the apostles did, then they are really monks. 9 Yet, all things are to be done with moderation on account of the fainthearted.
In terms of prayer, we gather in choir eight times a day from early morning (5.45 am) until early evening (8.45 pm). Two half hour periods of private prayer, in the morning and evening are added to this, to practise lectio divina or sacred reading. Other pages on the Website give more detail about this.
Outside prayer and reading, time will be spent doing the necessary household chores of cleaning, laundry and cooking and shopping. We all have specific duties to run the library, the guest house, the refectory, the archives, the bursar's office, preparing and selling our monastic products, composing music and texts for the prayer offices or composing talks and sermons to be delivered during Mass or study days or via Zoom. Some brethren are studying intensively in preparation for taking their monastic vows or the priesthood or take extra specialised courses to benefit themselves or the community.
