I saw on the internet a list of the Top 10 Hermits in Church history. One might come to the conclusion that this way of life is part of ancient history.
But Canon 603 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law says:
Besides institutes of consecrated life, the Church recognizes the life of hermits or anchorites, in which Christ’s faithful withdraw further from the world and devote their lives to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through the silence of solitude and through constant prayer and penance. Hermits are recognized by law as dedicated to God in consecrated life if, in the hands of the diocesan Bishop, they publicly profess, by a vow or some other sacred bond, the three evangelical counsels, and then lead their particular form of life under the guidance of the diocesan Bishop.
There are several hermits that are members of the IRL. There is also a community of Carmelite Hermits in Houston, MN. The live in separate hermitages and come together for sunday/holy day meals, one hour of daily prayer and the mass. “Our life is a vocation to prayer,” says Sister Miriam, one of the hermits. “This total union with God is how we are called to serve the Church.”
There is also a IRL men’s Affiliate Community that are hermits. They are the Hermits of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. They live a life of silence, solitude, prayer and penance for the good of the Church and the salvation of the world. The picture to the right is of Bro. Martin Mary who was ordained to the priesthood in May of 2012.
By the way, the top 10 hermits of all time are: St. Simon Stylites, St. Jerome, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Antony the Great, St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Macarius of Egypt, St. Isaac the Syrian, St. Sergius of Radonezh, St. Meinrad and St. Paul the Hermit. (Note to self: Need to read up on some of these hermits!)
Thank you for your candid comments above. It is good to be able to know the differences. AK May 16, 2023
Regarding the Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel (in Christoval, TX):
This is a very holy community. But truth must be told: They are not hermits according to canon 603. That canon refers to hermits who live under the supervision of a bishop. This community is under the Common Order of Carmelites (O.Carm) and not under the bishop of St. Angello, whereas there may be good rapport with him. This community has a degree of coenobitical features which are not part of the Church’s vision included in canon 603. (You may read the commentaries of the two paragraphs of canon 603; it states this difference very clearly – for your reference: https://citydesert.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/the-hermit-in-roman-catholic-canon-law/ or https://www.carmelite.org/family/hermits-solitaries).
In Sum: Good community. Good intentions. But they are Carmelite, not diocesan hermits (cf., canon 603). Not strictly eremitical. May have some eremitical elements, but it is more accurate to consider them: semi-eremitical –very strong on coenobitical elements, which are in fact beautiful; but not suitable for a person looking for the eremitical life in its strict sense, certainly not the one envisioned by the Church in canon 603.