Eremitical Life

The eremitic (or eremitical) life is one of the most ancient forms of consecrated life in the Church, lived by hermits. Without necessarily professing the three evangelical counsels publicly in a religious institute, hermits "devote their life to the praise of God and salvation of the world through a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude and assiduous prayer and penance" (CCC 920).

A Hidden Apostolic Fruitfulness

While physically separated from the Christian community and the wider society, the hermit remains profoundly united to the Church. Their life of intense prayer and self-denial is not a rejection of humanity but a radical intercession for it. The Church recognizes the eremitic life as a silent preaching of the Lord, testifying that God alone is sufficient to satisfy the human heart (CCC 921).