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Life of the Carthusian Priest

A priest's day begins upon rising shortly before midnight, and, having prayed the Little Office of the are also able to attend a common meal on Sundays. During these two periods, monks are encouraged to talk to one another. Penance is undertaken by each of the monks according to their own constitution. It is not rare to find priests who willingly fast on bread and water at least twice a week. The medieval practice of wearing hair shirts (woven goat and horse hair placed directly against the skin) is a lesser known custom of the Carthusians. The Order boasts a very high failure rate among the ranks of would be monks. After five years of initiation, the community will take a simple vote on a candidate. It was just such a vote that expelled St. Sir Thomas More from the novitiate. (''Carthusian Way of Life'', 1987, The Charterhouse of the Transfiguration)