In a noisy world, with the boundary between reality and virtuality fading, there are still those who choose a spiritual life made of silence, solitude and assiduous prayer.
This is the case of the Bolzano priest Don Massimiliano de Franceschi, Don Max to his friends, who decided to live as a diocesan hermit in Alto Adige.
In front of Bishop Ivo Muser, the fifty-year-old made his simple profession which will see him lead - initially for three years - a life far from the world.
As a diocesan hermit, Brother Massimiliano - as he will be called from now on - gave himself a rule of life which was delivered during the rite of profession.
Hermitism is a special lifestyle of the Catholic Church recognized by canon law.
Hermits live secluded, in solitude and silence, to dedicate themselves to prayer and penance.
The Church recognizes two types of hermits: diocesan hermits, who follow the bishop's directives, and hermits who belong to a religious order.
Diocesan hermits publicly commit to a life of poverty, chastity and obedience, while religious hermits are supported by their community.
In Italy there are around 150-200 hermits, in Germany there are an estimated 70-80.
Brother Max chose to live as a diocesan hermit.
As such he follows the indications of the bishop, who must recognize and monitor the hermit's life to ensure that it is authentic and corresponds to the magisterium of the Church.
"The desire to lead a hermit life is also for me, as for many sisters and brothers before me, the commitment to respond to a call that invites us to stay in a dimension of solitude and silence. After the first years of active service as priest in our diocese, the call towards greater solitude, the hermitage, has acquired ever greater strength. For this reason I intend to lead a more withdrawn life, marked by prayer and silence, on a path of continuous conversion in the place identified by mutual agreement with my superiors", writes Brother Massimiliano in his rule of life.
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