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The Fellowship of Solitaries was founded on St Benedict's Day, July 11, 1990 by Peter Edwards, who because of ill health passed on the role of Correspondent and Newsletter Editor to Eve Baker in 1992. Since its foundation, membership has grown steadily, which suggests that the Fellowship has fulfilled a need amongst those who feel called to seek God in solitude. Such a path can be a lonely one, and it does help to know that there are others out there who are walking the same way. It is not an easy option, and one which meets with little understanding from many of our fellow-Christians who have different ideas of what constitutes Christian living. In order to be faithful to the call we are aware of, we have to seek to understand the historical traditions of the solitary life which shows us that we are not at all "odd", but successors in a tradition which is as old as the church itself. This does not mean adopting a particular life-style in the medieval manner, but seeking what might be broadly termed a contemplative life in the midst of all the busyness of twentieth century existence. We do not withdraw from the world but maintain our inner cell of quiet in the midst of all the turmoil of our ordinary everyday lives of work and family. We are called to something which is both new and old. The members of the Fellowship of Solitaries are drawn from all walks of life, and from all religious allegiances or none. Those who belong may be married or single, celibate, widowed or divorced. We also have a number of Members and Associates who are professed Religious living as hermits. What they have in common is their call to solitude. If you are interested in what you have just read you might like to find out more about the solitary way in Eve Baker's book Paths in Solitude. |
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