Rev. Sr. Dr. Jacinta Auma Opondo, FSSA, HUC Deputy Principal Academic Affairs’ latest publication: A Call to Hermit Life: Theological, Juridical & Practical Approach, is a response to a call by the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) to provide a guide to hermit life in the context of Africa. The call was made during the Bishops’ Conference Canon Law Executive meeting, of which Dr Opondo, a Canon Lawyer, is a member.
During that meeting, at which Dr. Opondo was present, the Bishops’ Conference said the vocation to hermit life is beginning to flourish in some local churches, but there are no clear guidelines on how to receive, form, and nurture this vocation. So, what is Hermit Lifestyle in layman’s language? A quick Google search reveals that a hermit lifestyle is a way of living characterized by intentional seclusion and withdrawal from society. Individuals who adopt this lifestyle are known as hermits or solitaries, and they choose to live alone, minimizing human interaction to focus on internal experiences, personal freedom, or spiritual growth. They choose this path for many reasons, from spiritual devotion and mental peace to introversion and independence.
According to Dr. Opondo, hermit life is an ancient, highly appreciated path, a radical response to the experience of knowing oneself as loved by God, and a commitment to witnessing this primacy of Divine love through one’s very existence. Dr. Opondo revealed that the guide is the result of her research on the history of the desert fathers and their rules, the Magisterium of the Catholic Church on hermit life, and the Code of Canon Law, which helped her understand what the Church teaches about this form of consecration.
Coupled with her own experience as a religious consecrated woman, which also calls for significant moments of silence, solitude, and prayer, the guide explores the historical foundation of hermit life, the Church’s Magisterium on hermit life, and discernment of vocation and formation to hermit life. It also provides criteria for writing a rule of life and a profession formula, practical considerations for establishing a hermitage, and the essential need for both physical and spiritual sustenance.
The guide, which is intended for persons who feel a genuine, undeniable call to separation from the world, or are discerning a religious vocation or simply seeking a more intentional, silent life in the world, offers some templates of a rule, a profession formula, a sample solemn prayer of consecration and a sample definition of insignia of profession in the appendices.
Candidates discerning their vocations, vocation animators, formators, spiritual directors, Christians seeking a life of solitude without joining religious consecrated life, as well as local ordinaries in whose dioceses this vocation is lived according to the stipulated Canon Law on hermit life, this guide will serve as a useful, insightful source of information.
While congratulating Dr. Opondo on her newest publication, HUC Principal Rev. Dr. Marcel Uwineza, SJ, said that every great university has a culture of teaching, research, publication, and community service at its heart.
“This new work is a beautiful testimony to that mission. We are especially proud that, amid her demanding responsibilities as our Deputy Principal for Academic Affairs, including the successful approval of four new academic programs, Sr. Jacinta has continued to contribute meaningfully to scholarship through yet another publication.” Dr. Uwineza also congratulated all members of the HUC family who continue to enrich the academic community through research and writing, saying Hekima looks forward to many more publications in the years ahead.
By Pamela Adinda – HUC Communications and International Office Coordinator
