a hermit & fool for Christ
living in silence
and solitude
praying | studying | helping others
With the permission of my spiritual director (a Roman Catholic priest) I’ve as of mid-2026 fully retreated into a solitary, silent, and watchful life, dedicated to praying, waiting, searching, and discovering God (+) both ‘in here’ and ‘out there’.
Based on (traditionally well-described) mystical developments, and only after approximately ten years of intensive spiritual guidance (and fact-checking) by my spiritual director, I’ve been given - in accordance with canon law - permission to help others who ask me explicitly to do so.
You might call me a hermit, you might call me a fool. You might call me anything in between. I don’t really mind. Fact is that since I was fourteen years old - first unknowingly and later deliberately - I’ve lived my life in the mould of St. Anthony the Hermit: deliberately challenging myself, regularly retreating into uninviting circumstances and/or places, combined with an intensive prayer practice focused on meditation, contemplation, and self-emptying.
If you live - or would like to live - a similar kind of challenging life, then feel free to reach out to me if and when you think I might be of help to you. Either I can help you by email or by phone, or - if necessary - you can come to where I am for as long as is fruitful (anywhere between a minimum of three days and a maximum of six weeks).
Please note: I will always help you as your brother and friend in Christ, never as an authority figure (like a ‘modern desert father’, a ‘preacher’, a ‘guru’, etcetera). This means I will stand next to you, never above nor under you, like an older more experienced brother or friend.
In keeping with God’s (+) command and in line with the tradition of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, all my religious help is given away for free. This means that I’d prefer not to receive any financial nor material donations (and certainly not in a quid pro quo fashion), lest this should later be cause for giving or taking offence. For instance people thinking, saying, or feeling: "We have supported bartholomew, and look now how he is spending our gratitude”.
Instead, you will help me most:
- by giving your prayerful thanks to God (+)
- by being kind to others too
- and by including me in your prayers (preferably asking our Heavenly Father (+) on my behalf whether I might finally start to listen and obey Him a little bit better than in the past)