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When the BBC commissioned the independent Tiger Aspect production company to make a three-part series about life in a monastery, they took the concept of reality TV to a new level.

Here was an opportunity to see if spirituality could be seen and experienced by ‘normal’ people from the outside world. Would the monks’ way of life and belief system affect those who took part in the project? Or would they confirm to a mass audience that religion is antiquated and irrelevant for a modern world? Put simply, could these monks prove to the five non-Catholics who came to live with them that their God was real enough to have faith in?

The Abbott of Worth Monastery, Father Christopher Jamison, made it clear that he believed the monks offered ‘an answer to dissatisfaction with life’ in an age of materialism and consumerism. The narrator picked up this theme and suggested that there was ‘something of deep value’ to be found in this ‘ancient vision of mankind in the world’. The question was whether this ‘vision’ had anything of value for today’s modern men.

The five very different characters entered the project with very different backgrounds and beliefs. The common ground they had was that they were prepared to listen and evaluate what the monks offered them. A soft porn film producer, an ex-member of the UDA from Northern Ireland, a PhD student studying Buddhism, a legal publishing company executive and a retired teacher were all committed to staying under the religious instruction of the monks for six weeks.

Settling in

The structure of the six weeks began with two weeks’ settling-in period, then four weeks more rigorous concentration on the disciplines of silence and prayer.

The Northern Irish Protestant, Gary (McCormick), was the one to watch. His background suggested at a first glance that he might fit into monastery life very easily. He had spent long stretches in prison, which had included frequent three-day stretches in solitary confinement. In addition to this, prison had led him to pick up a Gideons Bible in his cell and to become a Christian through reading it and talking to other Christian prisoners. Surely he would enjoy this experiment and lead others to benefit from his experiences. His recently published book Me and My Bleeding Mouth (written by Sue Weller, published by Day Three Editions, 01579 343663, £6.99) provides a very interesting background perspective on the character that we witnessed in the programmes.

Born at the start of ‘the Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, Gary grew up eager to be noticed and to succeed. His parents, teachers and local police all gave up on him as he became impossible to handle, his behaviour and aggression quickly spiralling completely out of control. His times in young offenders institutions and then adult prisons taught him that it was violence, aggression and confrontation that would help him to gain results. He joined the UDA paramilitaries and took every opportunity to satisfy his cravings for success and acceptance, becoming an alcoholic in the process and failing to maintain any meaningful relationships with girls, let alone friends and family. He makes it clear in his book just how deeply these habits have affected his life since committing himself to Jesus. He doesn’t claim to have got everything sorted out to any extent. Although more settled in Cornwall, where he is part of a church and has a supportive network of friends, he still makes mistakes and longs to be able to settle into a more stable lifestyle. It was this desire that led him to apply for the BBC’s ‘Monastery’ project. He considered that the monks might be able to show him how to find peace and stability in his restless life.

Stand-up confrontations

On screen, Gary came across as confident, bold and forthright. He talks a lot, hence the title of his book. He is always part of conversations and opinions being discussed and puts his own points of view forcefully. The editors of the series seemed to particularly appreciate Gary’s stand-up confrontations with Anthony, the legal publisher. The issue at hand was the Bible and whether it was necessary to actually read it to have an opinion about it. Anthony considered that he could have a negative opinion about it without reading it at all, whereas Gary thought that this was an arrogant point of view. Much screen time was devoted to their exchanges and the ensuing need to reconcile the two as the group found themselves deeply affected by the rift that grew up between them. The monks spent much time one to one with all of the novices as part of their daily timetable and these heartfelt discussions played a part in displaying the inner workings of Gary’s world. He was reaping the fruit of years of fear and paranoia about what others thought about him. His sinful humanity showed through very clearly as he struggled with God’s purpose for him in the situation and he was shown on camera reading the Bible and praying.

Rooting for Gary

As an evangelical Christian, I was strongly rooting for Gary, yet I doubt whether others who had not read his book would have picked up on the depths of his struggles. When contrasted with the serenity and spirituality of the monks, it was interesting to question who had the harder job of living to please God day to day. The monks live under St. Benedict’s teachings that place great emphasis on silence, obedience and humility. Their days include six services a day, times of isolated prayer and meditation and work in the grounds. There was no doubt that the beautiful buildings and grounds of Worth Abbey reflected the peaceful order and calm that the monks promoted and lived out. They were shown to be ordinary men in many ways, but they were models of restraint and patience, bearing with the five novices in their questioning and protests quite brilliantly at times. As a result of their example, Tony, Peter and Anthony were all profoundly affected by the project and life changes were evident as a result.

Yet I couldn’t help thinking that it was Gary rather than the monks who represented more clearly the daily reality of being a Christian, even within the monastery. There were qualities to aspire to in their devotion to God but Gary’s confidence was in what he knew about Jesus’s death for him, despite the depths of his sinful life.

Saints and sinners

Settling in

Stand-up confrontations

Rooting for Gary

Eleanor Margesson

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