CARTHUSIANS

WHO
•St. Bruno founded Carthusianism in the year 1084

WHAT
• The Carthusians consecrate their lives to prayer and seeking God in the secrets of their hearts
•Their life finds its balance around 3 points- silence, solitude, and living in cell
•The carthusians did not choose solitude for their own sake, but because they saw in jt an excellent means for themselves to attain a deeper union with God and all mankind

SILENCE

• The monks take a vocation of solitude
• It is lived on 3 levels
• 1- separation from the world
• 2- living in the cell
• 3- interior solitude (solitude of the heart)

Solitude of the Heart
• This means to keep ones soul away from any and all things not of God. In the liturgy; there are long periods of silence, no musical instruments, and the Gregorian Chant which helps internal conversation.

WHEN

• born in Cologne in 1030
• founded the order in 1084
• died in 1101

WHERE
•when he entered the Desert of the Charteuse this is when he engaged and devoted himself to this kind of path, leading to his founding of the order

WHERE cont.
• The homes of the monks are found in Europe, US, and South America.