Long ago, villages, towns and cities grew up around famous monasteries. Many events and projects conspire to make this happen. Monasteries raised sheep and needed shepherds, wool gatherers, wool carders, sellers, and so on. Monasteries raised grapes and needed help making wine, or cordials, or brandy. Lay people flocked to those areas for jobs, for protection, for Mass and for the schools their children could attend.
Entire communities rose up around monasteries.
This could happen again, in areas where the abbots have jobs. But, the problem is that Catholics no longer want to live where there are abbeys or monasteries. They do not want to sacrifice, or look into the possibilities for communities.
But, more than that, few abbots see the need, few understand the signs of the times. There are some, but few.
It is sad that the very leaders who could be helping the laity form base communities have either sold out to the secular world-view or have made idols of their own communities so as not to reach out any longer. Compromise in doctrinal matters can also be a problem. Few monasteries, for example, support the Latin Mass, which could draw people together.
Some religious orders are too wealthy, too complacent to need the laity or even think of expanding the ideal of community.
The other problem are new orders. Frankly, I would not be involved in orders with only diocesan approval , or those which have not yet received Pontifical approval. Why?
The Vatican approves orders which have sound formation and are not merely a group following a leader in some type of "cult of personality". Time and experience provide us with prudential judgement regarding orders. Some orders flare up and only last a short time. This is not good for the laity, if the laity are trying to set up a community.
We all know examples of failed or suppressed orders. The laity suffers under these difficult situations. The tried and true orders can be the best for new communities of the laity to join.
I believe the age of the oblate is over. I think some third orders are excellent, but sadly, too many chapters of oblates and third orders have been hijacked by feminists, heretics, and liturgical liberals. One cannot grow except in opposition to some of these groups. Years ago, I was asked to join a Carmelite third order in an area of America. When I began to talk with the women in the group, I discovered that many believed in women priests, contraception, and took part in dubious ministries involving new age stuff, like maze prayer and centering prayer.
How sad that such groups have fallen away from orthodoxy. One cannot become holy without the basis of orthodoxy.
The problem is that too many of the orders have fallen away into error. Some of the new excellent orders, such as the FSSPs, now have attached groups for the laity.
How these may evolve into real base communities remains to be seen.
If anyone has an orthodox, good community experience, not Charismatic, to share in comments, please do.
I am interested, as are others reading this blog. Do the nuns and brothers at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery have a lay community, for example?