2. • Greek word “monos” means alone
• Sometimes “monachism” means
dwelling alone
- is a special form of religious
community life. People who practice
monasticism separate themselves from
ordinary ways of living so they can
follow the teachings of their religion as
completely as possible. Men are called
MONKS while women called NUNS
DEFINITION
3. ORIGIN
1. St. Patrick
converted the Irish people to Christianity, and
probably founded the first monasticism monasteries in
Ireland. Irish monks lived in small separate cells made of
clay or stones
2. St. Anthony
founder of Christian monasticism. At age of 20, he sold his
property, gave proceeds to the poor, and became a hermit near
his home in Egypt. His days was spent in prayer, reading
scriptures and committing them to memory and in manual labor.
4. SPIRITUAL
The aim of monastic education is the salvation of
individual souls, a kind of moral and physical discipline
based on bodily mortification and worldly renunciation for
the sake of moral improvement
MORAL
• To attain the ideals of chastity, they gave up family
relationships, instead, adopted spiritual and religious
relationship
• To attain the ideals of poverty, they renounced property, all
inheritance devoted to charity
• To attain the ideals of obedience they renounced all self
power but obeying the brothers and the will of God.
SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE
Attain the highest spiritual knowledge and the purest
spiritual satisfaction through meditation, contemplation,
inspiration, and ascetism.
AIMS
VIRTUE
Fasting, very little sleep, wearing coarse, clothing, and assuming
painful bodily postures measured the virtue of the monk. World
renunciation meant dying all claims of social and human
institutions.
5. Grammar-
language, and
literature
Dialect- logic, and
reasoning
Rhetoric- law, and
composition
Geometry- geometry,
geography, natural
history
Arithmetic- numbers
and the study of the
calendar
Music- plainchant and
harmony used in
church
Astronomy- the
heavenly bodies,
chemistry and physics
Agencies of Education and Contents
Studied
TRIVIUM
( tres viae, three roads)
QUADRIVIUM
Monasteries and Monastic Schools were the only agencies for
education aside from the parish and cathedral schools
7 Liberals Arts of Monastic
Curriculum
6. Moral and religious training
Monks engaged themselves in religious contemplation,
meditation, asceticism, and religious reading and
writing
Types of Education
Literacy Education
Copying manuscripts with other monasteries, collecting
manuscripts in libraries, and writibg original manuscripts
concerning religion, historical events, and other matters
Manual training
Monks are skilled artisan in wood, leather, and
metal, and skilled agriculturist
7. Aspects of Social
Organization
The Domestic Homes
The strictest hermit lived alone, in huts so placed
that their inmates could not see nor hear one
another
The Economic Structure
By the vows of poverty, monks promised
not to possess anything as his own or
make use of it without permission from his
superior
The Political State
Monks lived the same type of life; they did not constitute a
formal community and committed themselves to obeying
their superiors
8. Catechetical Method
Methods of Instruction
The question-and-answer method was generally used as a tool
of teaching in monastic schools
Dictation
Heavily used due to scarcity of books
Memorization
Pupils had to memorize what was dictated to them
Language
Latin was the only language for learning
Discipline
Discipline was severe. The teacher used the rod to punish erring
pupils
Meditation and Contemplation/Thoughtful Reflection
The monks believe that the deepest spiritual experience could
be gained only through divine inspiration
9. MELC BASED
Contribution to Education
1. Preserving and spreading learning and culture by the
Christian Monasteries.
2. The monasteries opposed the vices and corruption of
the medieval world.
3. They were an influence of taming the warlike spirits
and refining the rustic customs of the Teutonic
people.
4. Dignity of labor.
10. POPE FRANCIS
“Teaching is a beautiful job; as it
allows you to see the growth day
by day of people entrusted to
your care. It is a little like being
a parent, at least spiritually. It
is a great responsibility.”
