All are called to holiness...

"...to be holy as God is holy, that is our human dignity and grace.

"But some few are called to follow a less frequented path to achieve it: not because of any merit on their part, but to fulfil a particular function in the Church.


"In the case of the solitary, (that particular function is) to witness visibly - in his life - to the absolute priority of God to any created thing....

"Our monks come from many different countries and backgrounds, and follow very different paths.

What is "essential is the call (however it comes) and its discernment in the practical living of the Carthusian life.

"It is a question of letting one’s self be guided by the Spirit into the secret of God - into His infinite abounding love....

"Many will drop out along the demanding desert road of solitude. They may find that they are now called to live their faith in another way of life.

"Others, poorer perhaps in many ways but finding their grace in their poverty and trusting in God alone, will go on to the gift of self in Christ...."

from the website of St.Hugh's Charterhouse in England

(a very cool website - check your speaker volume)