St. Pachomius the Great

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Pachomius the Great (290-346 A.D.) was born of a pagan family in southern Egypt where he served as a military conscript.  After his discharge, he converted to Christianity and soon after established a monastery on the right bank of the Nile.  The monks there were taught to observe a life of poverty, prayer and asceticism, which came to be called “coenobitism”.  He went on to establish eight other monasteries for men and two for women and became generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism.  He is celebrated as a saint in Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, and Lutheran Churches.

Writings:

  • The Rule of Saint Pachomius

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Quotes and Excerpts:

The Rule of Saint Pachomius

-WORSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH.  An Anthology of Historical Sources Volumes 1-4

Lawrence J. Johnson

A PUEBLO BOOK
Liturgical Press Collegeville, Minnesota

86-A. Rule of Saint Pachomius. Precepts

  1. On Sunday or at the time of the Eucharist, none of the weekly servers shall be absent from his seat on the embrimium and [thus] not responding to the psalmist.
  2. On Sunday and in the synaxis (assembly) in which the Eucharist is to be offered, let no one be allowed to sing psalms apart from the housemaster and the clerics of the monastery, who are of some reputation.

18. Anyone who, without an order from the superior, leaves the synaxis (assembly) in which the Eucharist is offered shall at once undergo the order of penance and rebuke before the altar.

51. When people come to the door of the monastery, they shall be received with greater honor if they are clerics or monks. [.] If they wish to join the assembly of the brothers at the time or prayer and synaxis, and they are of the same faith, the porter or the guestmaster shall inform the father of the monastery and they shall be brought to pray.

127. When one of the brethren dies, all the brothers shall accompany his body to the mountain. No one shall remain behind unordered, nor shall anyone sing psalms without being ordered.

140. There shall be no one whatever dwelling in the monastery who has failed in learning to read and who does not memorize certain portions of the Scriptures. [A member of the monastery should learn by heart] at least the New Testament and the psalter.

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