Roman Catholic Monks Trivia Quiz

Answer: St. Anthony of the Desert

St. Anthony was a very early monk who sold all his belongings and gave to the poor when he was 34. He went into the deserts of Egypt and was noted for his asceticism. After long periods of solitude he eventually was sought out by a large group of disciples who lived with him. St. Anthony served as a great inspiration for these and all other monks to come. He died shortly after reaching the age of 100.

St. Basil was a wealthy man who after a conversion also gave all that he had to the poor. He then lived some very joyous years as a monk eventually writing a Rule. St. Basil after some time was called out of his monastic lifestyle to assist in Church government.

St. Gregory was the first monk to become a Pope - a position which he initially had no desire for. This once wealthy man, who turned to a life of focused humility, lived in the 5th century. Because of Gregory's brilliance he was not allowed to stay a quiet monk for long. He was soon called out of his cloister to defend the Catholic faith before emperors. He is now venerated as a Doctor of the Church and as St. Gregory the Great.

St. Simeon Stylites was a most fascinating man. As a fervent young monk he put himself through severe bodily austerities in the Egyptian desert. As word of this Holy man spread crowds gathered around him to request his prayers and counsels. To escape the distraction of these growing crowds, Simeon ascended a tall pillar (stylos) and lived that way for over thirty years!

Answer: The Rule of St. Benedict

St. Benedict of Nursia became tired of the lack of morality in Rome and left around 500 AD to live as a monk. After many trials he founded the monastery of Monte Cassino in about 534 AD and soon after he wrote his Rule. It combined the needs of a monk to pursue God as an individual with the necessary demands of a stable community life. Today St. Benedict is considered to be the Father of Western Monasticism.

The many Christian principles that are found within the Rules of St. Augustine, St. Pachomius, and St. Basil all inspired Benedict when he wrote his Rule.

Answer: True

The word "monk" was first used to describe men who lived as hermits, not to describe men who lived and worked together in a community. Initially the religious men in a community were called "brothers". However, by the time of St. Benedict, "monk" had come to mean both those men living in groups as well as those men living alone.

Answer: Cenobites live in community and eremites live in solitude.

Eremites, who can also be considered hermits, were the first type of monk and their tradition started in the Egyptian deserts. St. Pachomius is given the credit for having begun the first communities of monks or monasteries in the third century. He was called "Abbe" by his community brothers, a word which means "father". From this word came the word "abbot", which is what the head of all monasteries came to be called.

Answer: Bernard of Clairvaux

Bernard was an early abbot of the order who ranks amongst the greatest of the entire Church's saints. At a young age he entered an early Cistercian monastery and quickly rose to become the community's Abbot. He was often called out of his cloister to assist the Church through difficult times. St. Bernard defended Her from heresies and helped Her survive schisms. At the end of his life he worked to encourage the Second Crusade, something he would eventually regret. Today he is venerated as a Doctor of the Church.

Abbot Alberic, Stephen Harding, and Robert of Molesme all had key roles in the founding of the Cistercians.

Answer: the Carthusians

The Carthusians are named for the Chartreuse mountains in the French Alps where St. Bruno built his original hermitage. The monks are split into two groups: (1) the choir monks (who are priests or are studying to be so) that spend their lives mostly in the solitude of their cells, and (2) the lay brothers who quietly work the various tasks needed to be performed around the monastery.

The Camaldolese were founded by St. Romuald around 1012; this order exists today in both monasteries and hermitages.

The Carmelites were founded in the 12th Century on Mount Carmel as a group of hermits, supposedly by one St. Bertold. Today they continue to serve God, although more so as nuns than as monks.

Lastly, the Friars Minor were begun by St. Francis as poor mendicants but not as monks.

Answer: No

Although silence is well known within their monastic walls it is not a vow that the Trappist monks take. As Cistercians the Trappists follow the Rule of St. Benedict which calls for the monks to only take the vows of stability, fidelity, and obedience. The Trappists strongly discourage "idle chatter" but certainly do permit their monks to talk at specific times.

Answer: No

St. Bruno modified the Benedictine Rule to produce his Rule for the Carthusians shortly after he had founded them. The Carthusians have never had any reform in their entire history!

Answer: 1893 A.D.

Pope Leo XIII created the Benedictine Confederation, or Order, in 1883. Although St. Benedict wrote his widely used Rule in about 535 A.D., it had each monastery acting autonomously. Today the Benedictine Order works to support other monasteries within their Confederation while respecting each monastery's right of self government.

Answer: Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton lived a life without much moral focus as a youth, he had a conversion as a young man that brought to him a great desire to serve the Lord. Eventually he became a Trappist at Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky, where he wrote numerous Christ-centered books until his death in 1968.

Denis the Carthusian lived in the fourteenth century in Belgium and was also a great writer who is especially respected for his mystical theology.

Joesph C. Martin was a priest in the state of Maryland who had given his life to especially help people who suffered from drug and alcohol addiction. Sadly he passed shortly before this quiz was written.

Fulton J. Sheen was an American bishop who had used both his radio and television shows to bring people to Christ through his intelligence and charisma.

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