Over a thousand years ago there lived a group of hermit-monks on an island off the coast of Ireland. They were almost entirely cut off from the world and were (voluntarily) stranded on an island that was relatively small and treacherous to live on.
Remarkably the community inhabited the island of Skellig Michael for over six hundred years. The big question that everyone wants to know is this: what did they do there and how did they survive?
Early Christian monasteries were inspired by the words of Saint Paul to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and developed a daily regimen where they frequently stopped what they were doing and prayed seven times a day.
In imitation of these early monasteries, the Irish monks held fast to the following hours of prayer.
Prime (6 a.m.)
Terce (9 a.m.)
Sext (noon)
None (3 p.m.)
Vespers (6 p.m.)
Nocturns (midnight)
Matins (3 a.m.).
During these hours of prayer, the monks chanted three Psalms and listened to a reading from either the Old Testament or the New Testament. The monks developed a cycle where they chanted all 150 Psalms in Latin every few days, distributed between all the hours. This they did by memory, being one of the first requirements of the monastery. The other readings from scripture, however, would have been read from manuscripts that were copied by the monks.
One of the primary hinges of the monk’s prayer life was the celebration of Holy Mass. At first, Mass was only celebrated on Sundays and special feast days, but it soon became the norm to celebrate Mass every day. It was within the context of the Mass that the monks would receive the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, truly present under the appearances of bread and wine.
This regimen of prayer (typically called a horarium), added to the monks green martyrdom and provided a daily opportunity for sacrifice. It also meant that their daily work was constantly being interrupted for prayer, reminding the monks of their primary duty as spiritual warriors.
Besides prayer, the monks had a very lean diet of food. Fasting was a primary focus for these spiritual monks as they saw excessive food as a grave temptation. This was especially true during Lent, when they would only eat every few days.
Food was also relatively scarce on the island, consisting of a diet of fish, birds (Porgs…I mean, Puffins), eggs, and possibly seal, besides what they were able to trade for on the mainland. They also cultivated a small garden on the island that supplemented their meager diet.
And no, they didn’t have sea cows that gave them blue or green milk (like Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi).
Otherwise their work would have revolved around building and repairing the stone huts and walls as well as copying ancient manuscripts. It was a simple life, one that was focused entirely on God, with the ultimate hope of reaching the Eternal Shores of Heaven.
Skellig Michael Image credit: Wikipedia
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.