The Desert Fathers and Mothers

At our next Western Civilization meeting, we’ll study the Desert Fathers and Mothers, the early Christian ascetics who withdrew into the deserts of Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean beginning in the third century. Figures such as Anthony the Great, Pachomius, Syncletica, and the monks and hermits whose sayings were collected in the Apophthegmata Patrum helped shape the Christian monastic tradition. We’ll consider their distinctive way of life and their reflections on solitude, prayer, temptation, self-discipline, humility, community, and the search for spiritual freedom. Please join us if you can.