medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On the other hand I have come across in several necrologies (death
commemoration registers) references to people who became Religious "ad
succurrendum", that is, they joined the Order at the end of their life, or
when in mortal sickness, in order to die with the benefits of being
professed. These people must have been in need to care and help even tho'
they were not expected to live long. I am not clear whether this was a
matter of days, weeks or months. But just as in the modern hospice movement,
some may have recovered and / or lived a great deal longer than was
anticipated. There was no way an Order would throw out someone who had been
Professed in this way.
I am thinking in particular of Duke Alan IV Fergent of Brittany who became
a monk "ad succurrendum" in 1112, in broken health as a result of his
service in the First Crusade. He may well have been an invalid because he
took the cowl hastily at the ducal monastery at Redon near Vannes in
Brittany while lying sick on what he believed to have been his death-bed.
However he recovered (from a stroke ? a heart attack ?) eventually dying
with a reputation for sanctity in 1119 . He took his "ministres" into the
cloister to become monks with him, so I suppose these men (his 4
ministerales ?) would have been responsible for his physical care. He - and
his son & heir - also made a fat donation to the monastery to cover the
expenses of his life there.
So clearly there were circumstances in which the sick / disabled / dying
might enter the cloister. Maybe it depended on rank and cash, but to be
fair, I have not (yet) identified this in correction with other references
in other places.
I would also suspect that there was less long-term disability in the Middle
Ages. The less than hardy tended to die young and everybody had a much
shorter expectation of life.
I also have a faint memory of a document from the 14th ? century which
applies for a dispensation for a young man (who was blind in one eye as the
result of being hit in the face with a carrot during a student rumpus) to be
ordained priest. This would suggest that there was some kind of bar on the
ordination of the less-than-perfect but that (like a lot of things) the ban
could be got round if the circumstances were right.
To be personal - if this is not an impertinance - my mother (now aged 95 and
still fighting) has had scoliosis since her teens so I am very well aware of
all the disabilities under which you are suffering.
Brenda MC
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