Get Thee To a Monastery

5 men did - for a British reality TV series.

Although participants were not required to vote each other out, they faced the challenge of living together in a community and following a disciplined regime of work and prayer. By the end, the atheist, Tony Burke, 29, became a believer and gave up his job producing trailers for a sex chat line after having what he described as a "religious experience".

Gary McCormick, 36, the former Ulster Defence Association member, who spent much of his early life in prison, began to overcome his inner demons.

Peter Gruffydd, a retired teacher, regained the faith he had rejected in his youth and Nick Buxton, 37, a Cambridge undergraduate, edged closer to becoming an Anglican priest.

The fifth "novice", 32-year-old Anthony Wright, who works for a London legal publishing company, started to come to terms with his childhood traumas.

The three-part series called The Monastery shows the five abiding by the monastery rules, with a strict timetable of instruction, study, prayer, reflection and work duties. They are also shown holding intense and often painful sessions with their religious mentors, individual monks assigned to guide each of them on their spiritual journeys.

Let's hope it comes to BBCAmerica eventually - I'd like to see it.

Comments

[Dan M]

Now there is some good news.

If only people were able to remain silent during a portion of their day, and gaze inwards, they would find the Lord waiting for them.

The Lord only needs a small opening. He is like an opportunistic General, who siezes immediately upon a vulneribility, and drives through.

Let us hope this show triggers some reflection in the British people.

The very thought of our friend and ally, Great Britain, moving deeper into the toils of the Franco/Germanic dominated EU, makes my stomach turn.

[Paul]

For UK viewers:
The programme is to be broadcast on BBC 2 at 21.00 hrs to 22.00 hrs on Tuesday the 10th,17th and 24th May 2005.

The following address links to the BBC press release for the series.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/04_april/22/monastery.shtml

[Rosemarie]

+J.M.J+

At last, a reality show I might actually watch.

At last a reality show I might actually want to appear on as well (if they ever did an American version).

In Jesu et Maria,

[Joanne]

"By the end, the atheist, Tony Burke, 29, became a believer and gave up his job producing trailers for a sex chat line after having what he described as a "religious experience"."

This was especially heartening to hear. I pray that more men have a similar conversion.

Regards -

[Emily]

Fascinating.

[Mark R]

BORING!

[Gerard E.]

Would also like to see an EWTN reality series about the 'Phoenix 5-' the five nuns from Mother Angelica's overcrowded monastery in Alabama setting up camp in Arizona.

[Tim]

This reminds me of an email I wrote to Barb Nicolosi a while back:

"While reading your blog I thought to myself, "Why aren't there any reality TV shows about missionaries?". It kind of seems like a natural fit and could probably be "PBS fare" if done with taste. I guess I'm thinking more along the lines of "Manor House of God" as opposed to "Last Missionary Standing" or "Faith Factor". For all the TV I watch, who knows, maybe there already are shows like this."

Maybe if we're lucky the Missionary one is in production!