I've noticed that there have been some inquiries this week regarding "lay hermit" as a term. I have written about this previously but will do so briefly yet again. The term "lay hermit" is a misnomer. There is no such designation as a "lay hermit" in the Consecrated Life of the Church, Eremitic Life.
Of those of us who are consecrated Catholic hermits, there are only two designations or types. There are those who have made private profession of vows, including the three evangelical counsels, and there are those who have made public profession of vows, including the three evangelical counsels.
I'm sure there are out there people who are discerning a vocation in the Catholic Church as a hermit (or eremite, or eremitic vocation) but who have not yet professed their vows. But once one has done so, either privately fulfilling what the Church requires of private profession, or has done so publicly fulfilling what the Church requires of those who choose that means (via CL603), they are hermits in the Consecrated Life of the Church.
There is no such term as "lay hermit" as yet, in the Catholic Church institutes, Catechism, or canon law to designate anyone in the hermit vocation. Perhaps some have begun to coin that term to refer to people who have not professed vows nor the evangelical counsels according to what is required by the Catholic Church, private or public form. Would such a person need to be called a "lay hermit" who chooses to merely live alone?
No. No doubt there are people out there who may consider themselves "hermits" who do not understand or who have not come to a point yet of going through a thorough, vocational discernment process involving spiritual director, priest, or bishop. But those persons are in discernment and not yet hermits in the Consecrated Life of the Church, nor are they "lay hermits". They are simply people who are in state of discovery, discernment, trial period of living some of the requirements the Church states and requires.
I've never heard anyone in discernment call themselves a "lay hermit". The term is relatively new on the scene, as it were. Someone who says they are a 'hermit" would simply call themselves that, if they consider themselves that--maybe living alone and "as" or "like" they consider a hermit would. But they do not call themselves Catholic hermits or Consecrated Catholic hermits. And it really does not matter, anyway.
Those of us who are consecrated Catholic hermits know when we professed our vows including the three evangelical counsels, tend to have a copy of them, also have a rule of life written and approved by our spiritual director or priest or bishop. We have dated records of such if privately professed or of if publicly professed--either or. The latter requires the vows to be received by a bishop and requires the hermit remain in that diocese.
The term "lay hermit" is not an issue, really, whether someone or other wants to bandy it about or not. However, every now and then some few of my readers inquire, I suppose having seen the misnomer and wondering what is a "lay hermit." Rest assured, there is no such status or title. It's a misnomer if you've read it or heard it. Perhaps sometime the Church will develop a category of "lay hermit" status, but I doubt that will happen any sooner than they'd develop a category, designation, or label of "lay priest," "lay deacon," "lay widow," "lay virgin," or "lay religious," etc.
Mercy, especially after the depths of where the Lord has taken me spiritually in the past three weeks since extensive spine surgery, such topics are tedious and far from the pith of the spiritual life or of what we Catholic souls are seeking.
However, for those who are desirous of further learning about how to become a Catholic hermit, private or public profession, and thus as an eremite in the Consecrated Life of the Church--please refer to the posts I've written which go into detail about the process. The path and process of becoming a consecrated Catholic hermit is important not only for the individual hermit's vocational formation and progression over the years but is of value for the Church, the Body of Christ of which we all are a part, as well.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
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