[Anaedilla]

From experience with the whole concept of intentional communities or communal living, I can tell you that in order for such a thing to succeed beyond a short time, there must be some great external force that binds the members together. In monaticism the monastic life, routine and commitment serve that purpose. However, I have yet to see anything that will bind a group of laymen together in the same way. A lot of "intentional communities" begin with great zeal and energy, but within a few short years, so much changes (children, job demands, educational imperitives, extended family, etc) that the desire for community is overcome by the demands of living in the world. The best way to have an intentional community in the world is to have parish that fosters a communal/extended family spirit and let each family participate in its own way and to its own degree. The parish life becomes the focus of the communal life, but there is no commitment beyond being a part of the parish, thus allowing for the flexibility to incorporate all those changes which would otherwise destroy a community.

Sharing resources and labor sounds good on the surface, but I have yet to see it work (outside of an already existing organically formed community). I have seen (been part of and observed from near proximity) more than one community fall apart until it consists of one family (and even then the family fragments as the children grow to adulthood). OTOH I have seen many a cohesive parish that functions like an extended family with the sharing of resources and labor as a part of parish life, but with no committment to creating an "intentional community".

Fr David Moser