Carmelite Hermits

Carmelite Hermits of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel

From the Friars website:

The Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel are a community of men called to a life of silence, solitude, prayer, and penance for the good of the Church and the salvation of the world. The hermits live in a Laura, a colony of Hermits living in separate dwellings around a central chapel, following the original Carmelite rule.

The vocation of the Carmelite Hermit is the contemplative vocation, and the foundations of his life are the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture and devotion to Our Blessed Lady under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel . For the hermit the cell is the place of encounter with God.

The Carmelite Rule states "Let each one remain in his cell, or near it, meditating day and night on the law of the Lord and keeping vigil in prayer, unless occupied with other lawful duties." The cell is also the place where the hermit sleeps and takes his meals alone, except on Sundays and special days where the hermits eat in a common refectory. The cell is composed of a study, chapel, bedroom, bathroom, and porch. Each cell is separated from the next by an enclosed garden.

Centering their lives on the Word of God, through the Eucharist and Lectio Divina, the main activity of the hermits is prayer. This single-minded attention to God in prayer becomes the means for assuming purity of heart, the "Pearl of Great Price."

For the hermit, manual work takes its place beside prayer as a most important means to follow Christ, giving of himself in mind and body under obedience, as Christ was obedient to the Father unto death. Also, the hermit humbly remembers that he must toil to earn his living, identifying himself with the poor of the world.

Our life is strictly contemplative; we do not engage in any apostolic, pastoral or educational ministry. Such a life bears its own witness: God's majesty is so great and His love so powerful, that men may give themselves to His service completely for a lifetime.

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Experience the daily life of a Carmelite Hermit. Live the monastic lifestyle for a weekend to see if God is calling you to the hidden life of prayer and praise as a Carmelite Hermit. For men ages 18 to 40. Fri. - Sun. p.m.

2009 Schedule:
January 2-4
January 23-25
March 13-15
May 22-24
June 26-28
July 24-26
August 7-9
September 4-6

Visit the Carmelite Hermits' Vocations page HERE.

Support the Friars at their online store HERE.

Hat tip to the Roman Sacristan