Note from the Co-Chair
Friends of the Hermitage Society,
I met Father Charles Brandt in 2016. Pulling into the long driveway, I immediately felt the sanctity of the place Charles had lived in for many decades. I parked my truck and Father Charles was there waiting for me on the porch. He showed me around and we talked. He spoke slowly, in no hurry, without nervousness or pretense.
We settled onto his back porch with the Oyster River hushing in the background and meandered through his life as a hermit, his encounter with Thomas Merton in 1956, and his love for this land which he purchased in 1970. His work to protect salmon and the ecology of the Tsolum and Oyster Rivers. His love for the writing of Thomas Berry, a Passionate priest who called himself a Geologian. And we spoke of a strong sense that Father Charles’ vocation to the priesthood had led him into deep conversation with the world’s wisdom traditions.
In my dissertation research, I had interviewed over 50 monks at various monasteries in the American West about their sense of place, their attachment to landscapes where they live. Charles enthusiastically agreed with the power of place for the contemplative vocation, and it showed.
As he writes in his book Self and Environment, regarding his practice of contemplative forest walks, “I become present to the most distant star, and she to me, the ‘complicated web of interdependent relationships’. Every atom of my being is present to every atom in the universe, and they to it.” (Pg. 21).
I joined the Board of the Brandt Oyster River Hermitage Society shortly after Father Charles’ passing in 2020, and since becoming Co-Chair, I have been humbled by the hard work of my fellow board members. Their charity, kindness and grit are the reason the Society still exists today to carry on the legacy of Father Charles Brandt, and to protect and continue to use his beloved hermitage.
It is my pleasure to be serving on the board of this fledging organization, and I am very excited for the years to come. We have lots of ideas for making Father Charles’ vision better known, and for exploring how a contemplative ecology is a valuable paradigm for troubled times filled with uncertainty. Truly, contemplative practices have never been more needed in a world of furious activity.
Sincerely,
Jason M. Brown
Call for Board Members and Volunteers
The Brandt Oyster River Hermitage Society is currently looking to expand our board! We are particularly interested in recruiting those with some skill related to financial literacy. If you live in the Comox Valley, are interested in contemplative spirituality, or are passionate about the intersection of spirituality and the environment, consider joining our board, becoming a regular volunteer, or a member! Sign up here! Or give us an email with your ideas or interest.
Hermitage Society Updates
- The Society now has a 10-year lease to operate the hermitage within the newest Regional District Park! As a board, we really struggle with how to realize Charles’ vision. But his bequest was clear. He wanted the land to become a public park, and the hermitage to be a place of contemplation. Thanks very much to the CVRD team, Father Charles’ Estate Lawyer, the Estate Executor, the Comox Valley Land Trust (CVLT) and the Hermitage Society’s lawyer for their expert help. The Comox Valley Land Trust recently published a write up of the project. The Comox Valley Record also included a short write up.
- The Father Charles Brandt Archive is now complete! A huge thank you to the Regional District for supporting this project financially and to archivist Karen Nicol and volunteer Bev Sparks. If you are interested in accessing the archive and Father’s library, you may do so by appointment.
- Father Charles’ book Self and Environment has been republished by the World Community for Christian Meditation and is available through their publishing website Medio Media. We have a few copies available at the hermitage as well. The books will also soon be available at the Laughing Oyster and Blue Heron bookstores.
Upcoming Events
- Hermitage Spring Cleaning volunteer day! Join members of the Board and our current contemplative resident for a day of contemplative work! Lunch provided! May 25th, 2024, 10am-3pm. Please RSVP to willacan@telus.net
- Vancouver resident and soon to be Master of Theology, Sophia Kooy has accepted an invitation to join the Board, and will be officially welcomed to the board in our June meeting
Note from Sophia:
“I’ve been interested in the Christian mystical-contemplative tradition for almost as long as I can remember. I grew up in a small village in the south of France, at the foot of a holy mountain called La Sainte Baume. Village legend had it that Mary Magdalene spent her last days in a grotto near the top of the mountain, fed and looked after by angels. A Catholic monastery had been built in the grotto, and it hosted any pilgrim who would climb the mountain to pray. I remember climbing the mountain with my parents, its long serpentine trail leading us higher and higher above the village, till at the foot of the grotto we would turn around and see our tiny house. My first experiences of prayer were sitting against the damp walls, the drip drip drip of the water from the top of the cave landing in puddles at my feet. This memory has informed my interest in contemplative ecology: the experience of God in prayer and attention so beautifully mediated by a mountain, the human stories woven around the mysterious Otherness of its/His presence. I strongly believe in the importance of reviving contemplative practices in new and creative ways, especially in the context of climate change, as a tool for guiding our attention back into the world.”
- From Anxiety to Peace: CCCM National Conference Retreat, July 5-7, 2024, will take place at UBC. Father Laurence Freeman will be in attendance. Jason M. Brown, BORHS Board Co-Chair will also be giving a talk about Charles Brandt and Contemplative Ecology. Poster.
The Brandt Oyster River Hermitage Society’s website: https://charlesbrandt.ca/