New Monasticism?

There has been a lot of talk of “New Monasticism” in the world of Fresh Expressions but if I’m honest, this post isn’t really about that.  I often wonder how this relates to the “old monasticism”.  I am personally indebted to the local monastic community in Mirfield, the Community of the Resurrection.  This guardian article makes for interesting reading.  A group of nuns facilitated by “modern technology” to prompt prayer suggestions.  Is this news?

Personally, I organise spiritual direction with a 90 year old monk in Mirfield via email.  I have several members of the community as friends on Facebook.  There is a Facebook group dedicated to the community and they contact people via “modern technology” to organise group retreats.

So what is the guardian article really about?  Essentially we have a good news story.  “There are a group of nuns near York who pray for you and the world constantly.  They are updated via a new device so that their prayers are cutting edge”.  Unfortunately the article reads “there are a bunch of out of date medieval nuns and we had to badger them to get up to date”.  As usual, the question is not “what news are they reporting” but “what story do they want to tell”?

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