The Order of St. Bega
Colossians 1:9-14
Rule of Life
The Order of St. Bega involves the crafting of a Rule of Life made up of the following 7 aspects:
- The practice of private prayer, Bible reading and self-discipline.
- The regularity of our attendance at Holy Communion.
- Bringing the teaching and example of Christ into our everyday life.
- The boldness of our spoken witness to our faith in Christ.
- Personal service to our Church and our community.
- The integration of our heart and mind by our studying aspects of the rich intellectual and spiritual heritage of the Christian faith.
- The offering of our resources, according to our means, for support of the work of the Church at home and overseas.
About the Order of St. Bega
The Order of St. Bega is committed to individual and corporate growth in the knowledge and witness of Christ. It is open to all Christians who desire to deepen their faith both spiritually and intellectually, and desire their faith to be more effective in their everyday life.
Where did the idea come from?
St. Bega is the patron saint of west Cumbria and St. Bees is named after her. The Priory Church of St. Bees was founded as a Benedictine monastery. At the time of the reformation the monastery was disbanded, and though the parish church is called ‘The Priory’ there is no vital connection with the monastic life which once thrived here. The Order of St. Bega was formed to provide a way for people to grow in their faith while simultaneously apprehending the monastic heritage of west Cumbria and the Priory Church. It is not a ‘monastic order’. Rather, it is an opportunity for Christians in the area to find an order and structure of prayer and Christian devotion which gathers up the whole of their existence and not just a couple of hours on a Sunday.
Questions
Question: What kinds of Christians can join the Order of St. Bega?
Answer: The Order of St. Bega is open to any Christian (Catholic, Evangelical, Charismatic or undefined) who wants to form a rule of life and be accountable for it. The only expectation is that there will be a desire to delve into the essential Christian faith as it has been passed down to us, and consider its relevance in our immediate context.
Question: I’ve been going to church for my whole life, why should I become a part of something like this?
Answer: You don’t need to join the Order of St. Bega in order to grow in your faith. It may be something that will be helpful for you. It’s true that a mature Christian will be doing all the things listed in the Rule of Life already, however, it is always good to set our aim a little higher. Arguably, even more as we approach the end of our lives. The days can pass us by so quickly that we need to be intentional about how we use our time. It is important to avoid the aimless drift towards the afterlife.
Question: Why was it started?
Answer: To provide a flexible framework for people within the Priory Church to help them deepen their faith and set goals in relation to the rule of life they formulate.
Question: Would I have to wear monks’ or nuns’ clothing?
Answer: No. The Order is to help people integrate their faith into their everyday lives. However, the wearing of socks with sandals (or any other offense against good taste) is to be avoided as much as possible.
Question: Do all “Rules of Life” look the same?
Answer: No. Everybody has a different temperament, personality, context and starting point so each rule of life will be different.
Question: How does the accountability work?
Answer: You will simply get together with the vicar (or some other suitable person) from time to time and talk and pray about your rule of life, ask any questions and assess how things are going.
Question: Isn’t something like the Order of St. Bega a little scary?
Answer: It doesn’t have to be. As mentioned above, every rule of life will be different. A rule of life for a young person will be very different than a rule of life for an older person. You will develop your rule of life to suit your own goals and desires in terms of your faith.
Question: I’m sort of interested. What do I do now?
Answer: The first step would be contact the vicar of St. Bees or a member of the ministry team (822279). Then you can discuss the Order in more depth and see what the next step is. Alternatively, you can also contact the vicar by email: stbeespriory AT gmail.com.
