Basic Background Information
Traditional Christian monks and nuns belong to "religious orders," many but not all of them falling within the Roman Catholic Church's "jurisdiction."
The Eastern Orthodox Church (established initially in Russia and Greece) has a very old and well established monastic tradition, and the Episcopal Church (U.S.) and the Anglican Communion (Church of England and international churches derived from it) also have relgious orders and communities of monks and nuns.
The name: Mystical Order of the White Rose incorporates this reference to "relgioius orders," as do many other non-traditional monastic, religious and spiritual communities.
Some of the best known traditional Christian orders are: the Benedictines, the Carmelites, the Franciscans, the Jesuits, Cistercians and the Trappists. Some are strictly "contemplative" in that their main form of service is through intercessory prayer rather than more public forms of service.
A Mini-HIstory of Monasticism
Desert Dwellers
The Christian monastic tradition extends back to the early 4th century, when passionate Christians in Egypt moved to the desert to dedicate themselves to God in a life free of worldly distractions and stripped down to bare bones in terms of material possessions and comforts. Some of these monks are now known as the "Desert Fathers."
These early desert monks, often called hermits, tended to live in small communities made up of separate huts located near a water supply. This same pattern was followed by many early Celtic Christian communities (1)
Celtic Christian Communities
Celtic Christians in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Man,and England and Brittany developed the "Celtic Church," which had an identity and way of doing things that was different from the Roman Catholic Church.
At a formal gathering called the Synod of Whitby in 664 C.E., King Oswy, the king of Northumbria (located in North Eastern England near the border to Scotland), renounced Celtic Christianity in favor of the Roman Christian tradition practiced by his wife. This marked the beginning of the official end of the Celtic Church. (2)
Many of the monks, missionaries and holy wanderers in the Celtic Christian tradition lived very simple, austere lives, and yet Celtic monks produced illuminated manuscripts, stories, poems and prayers that inspire thousands even today.
