``Where
the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of
Antioch, 1st c. A.D
Rebuilding:
Begin the Beguine
In the 13th
century, the Crusades left many women widowed and childless, outside of
the norms of both married life and the religious life. For mutual
support, they formed communities and dedicated themselves to lives of
prayer and service. These "Beguines," as they were called, were not
nuns or sisters; they did not give up their personal property, they
took no religious vows, and they had no religious rule. But they helped
each other get through life by forming "Beguinages" -- homes for
themselves who had nowhere else to go.
Men -- called "Beghards" -- followed suit, forming such communities of
their own. They were working men -- members of guilds -- who, for
whatever reason, found themselves alone in the world, so they banded
together for the purpose of community.
These sorts of communities dwindled with changing times and
fortunes (and some of them were repressed because of lapses into
heresy), but maybe it's time for them to make a comeback. Given the
costs of housing and the horrendous nature of the dating and marriage
scene, small groups of young, same-sex singles forming communities
would be a way for them to save money for the future, when sanity is
restored, pray God, and to not be
alone in the world in the meanwhile. Maybe some -- or even most -- of
these will go on
to marry, or to become religious or priests; maybe some would live in
such a community all their lives; but whatever vocations they're called
to, members wouldn't be alone and feeling so helpless as they're
finding their way. And pooling certain resources would be a
good way for each to save money, an especially important matter for
young men who wish to marry, buy homes, and raise families, or for
those who have student debt to pay off.
Ex. in
Indianapolis as I write, a four-bedroom house can be rented for
$2000/month. Divided among four people, housing costs for each would be
$500/month, which is not nearly as prohibitive as trying to go it alone
these days. If men doubled-up in rooms, as in dormitories, housing
costs would drop to $250/month per person.
Aside from ensuring that these communities consist of sincere Catholics
who agree on moral principles and know that heaven is the goal, they
could be structured any way its members wish. They could be treated
like frat house/sorority dorms in which everyone does his own thing, or
they could be treated as a sort of secular, third order-style group
with some sort of prayer life in common (e.g., nightly rosaries).
Firehouse rules could apply, for ex., with tasks (cooking, cleaning up,
sweeping, dusting, dealing with trash, shining the brass pole,
etc.) divided up in rotation. Or tasks could be assigned randomly by
lot. Or who does what could be voted on based on members' various
gifts,
temperaments, and work schedules.
There should be an absolute minimum pooling of finances. Such things
lead to trouble, so should be restricted to rent, renter's insurance,
shared utilities (electricity, gas, water), and, maybe food costs
depending on how meals would be handled: would
they be a matter of every man for himself or would there be meals -- or
at least some meals -- in
common? In the firehouses I'm familiar with, every man takes a turn and
is responsible for cooking two meals for everyone when it's his day to
cook.
Some chores, like cooking, cleaning, etc., rotate, and others are
assigned by fireman type.
House rules should be basic and few (e.g., no illegal drugs, no
opposite sex persons in private rooms, no porn). Plans should be in
place for how things would
be handled if someone loses a job, gets sick, or leaves to get married
or join a
religious order (perhaps in the first instance, he could stay on and
handle all of the tasks until he gets a new job, or could stay as long
as he could pay his part, etc.)
I don't know, folks. But in thinking about the lives of the young
people
out there, and having in mind the principle that "iron sharpens iron,"
I see "Beghard" type situations as a way for people, especially young
men, to help each other,
hold each other up to higher standards, keep each other company, save
money for the future, and other good things.
Footnotes:
The title of this page comes from an old Cole Porter song from the
1930s, made famous by Artie Shaw, danced to by Fred Astaire and Eleanor
Powell in "Broadway Melody of 1940," recorded by the great Ella
Fitzgerald (she is vocal perfection), etc. It has nothing to do with
the
medieval Beguines, but refers to a foxtrot style of dance. Young
people, I implore you to give a listen to older music -- classical, Big
Band jazz, etc. You're missing out! Here's Artie Shaw playing the song
he made famous:
