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Worth Abbey in Sussex is inviting applications from men between the age of eighteen and thirty-five for a limited number of monastic internships. Successful candidates will live alongside the monastery for two months, following a way of life similar to that of the monks.
During this time, they will learn about the Benedictine tradition and have the opportunity to live in community, to deepen their prayer lives and their personal engagement with scripture. They will be expected to contribute by their work to the welfare of the monastery, receiving board, lodging, teaching and guidance in return. It is hoped that the silence and prayerful atmosphere of the monastery and Abbey Church will help them to deepen their spiritual search and to tune in to God’s loving presence in their lives. As St Benedict writes in the Prologue to his Rule:
“What, dear brothers, is more delightful than this voice of the Lord calling to us?”
The monastic community looks forward to the opportunities monastic internships offer, and trusts that it will be enriched by their encounter with those who take part.
· Two months' stay with full board and lodging, in the peace and seclusion of the monastery and its grounds.
· A share in the life of the monastery, both its prayer and its work.
· Time and quiet for prayer, for lectio divina (prayerful reading of the Bible), and for reading classic spiritual texts.
· Guidance with reading and prayer with teaching from the monks on: the Rule of Saint Benedict, monastic history, liturgy, and scripture.
· Opportunities to talk to someone who will listen to you, and help you develop spiritually.
· Some opportunity to socialise with the monks.
· Participate in the pattern of the monastic day, including attendance at the monastic offices of prayer.
· Reflect with an open heart on God’s word in the Bible, with a willingness to pray.
· Observe the times and places of silence, and the rules of enclosure, customary in the monastery.
· Attend classes (as indicated above).
· Two hours of work each day except Sundays and major feasts, keeping your living area clean and tidy.
· Restraint, within individually agreed parameters in the use of electronic communications.
