Hermit monks plan monastery on remote Wyo. ranch [Incomprehensible Opposition to Catholic Monastery in Wyoming]

[JReducation]

Inspiration for what, please?

Let’s begin at the beginning. What is the purpose of the monastic life? Is it not to draw men and women to pay attention to God’s presence among us? The art and architecture of monasteries intends to make a statement about God’s glory and his tanscendence. Therefore, it’s supposed to stand out and be noticeable. That’s the meaning of trascendence

And of course you evade the real issues here. And show why monastic life is declining at the pace it is. “grand” and “monks” is a contradiction in terrns of course.

Actually, monastic life is not declining. Monastic orders are getting a steady flow of vocations. In my own religious family, the Poor Clares have 20,000 nuns around the world. They are totally monastic. Their abbeys are large and outstanding as in they stand out from other structures in the community. This was in the mind of St. Francis when he founded that order, unlike the friars who were to live in the smallest possible houses and the least distinguished houses.

I’m wondering if you may be confusing two forms of religious life. The apostolic religious is called to be a symbol of the immanent, whereas the enclosed or monastic is to be a sign of the transcendent. Try not to apply the expectations incorrectly. Our expectations must be the same as Christ’s expectations. Christ expects his monks and cloistered nuns to be the city on the hill that stands out for all to see. St. Augustine made this very clear.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

True monastics seek simplicity and poverty and to be hidden; no hermit would build a spire of any kind. That is a hidden life.

Carthusian Parkminster Charter House

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

There goes that idea.

 

[jilly4ski]

OF COURSE material resources should be used to honour God; by obeying Jesus and feeding and clothing Him! Little children dying needlessly is not to the glory of God

True monastics seek simplicity and poverty and to be hidden; no hermit would build a spire of any kind. That is a hidden life.

The verses you quote show YOu to be in grave error as Jesus is of course speaking of His short earthly life.

Short sightd? Yes, a snear as the nearest homeless person sleeping in a church porch; that is Jesus. He needs no huge spires; only food.

Try reading re the Mercy Order? These are not ancient monasteries; and they are only buildings after all. The problem is that that money is not given to the poor.

This seems like a very narrow view of monastics and religious orders. Not every order is called to “feed the poor.” Some are teachers, or preachers, or completely cloistered and focus on prayer and fasting. The Church has many missions and many arms that work in these missions.

 

[Hopemercy]

This seems like a very narrow view of monastics and religious orders. Not every order is called to “feed the poor.” Some are teachers, or preachers, or completely cloistered and focus on prayer and fasting. The Church has many missions and many arms that work in these missions.

Religious life IS 'narrow" , closing off from the world to focus on Jesus totally.

There is an intrinsic difference between Sisters and Nuns. If you are saying that religious in active orders should live as folk not in Vows then what is the point? If they are the same as lay folk.

The case under discussion here is “hermits” also. They should be building a low vision monastery that blends with the landscape and costs little. Prayer rises without spires and its effect is spiritual.

And every Christian is called to nurture the poor; as the seven acts of charity says.

 

[JReducation]

Religious life IS 'narrow" , closing off from the world to focus on Jesus totally.

There is an intrinsic difference between Sisters and Nuns. If you are saying that religious in active orders should live as folk not in Vows then what is the point? If they are the same as lay folk.

The case under discussion here is “hermits” also. They should be building a low vision monastery that blends with the landscape and costs little. Prayer rises without spires and its effect is spiritual.

And every Christian is called to nurture the poor; as the seven acts of charity says.

No no no, don’t miss the point of the contemplative life. The contemplative individual (hermit, monk and nun) lives a hidden life. But we’re talking about the individual, not the community.

The contemplative community is called to proclaim the Glory of God through its presence. Everything about it, from its buildings to its liturgical prayer is to be as grandiose as possible. When you join a contemplative community, you join to do as John the Baptist said, “I must decrease so that he may increase. “ The monks, hermit or nun becomes insignificant, anonymous. But as scripture reminds us, “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a basket.” God lights the life of these men and women, not to hide them under a basket, but to show the world his Glory. He shows the world his presence, his power and his majesty through their presence in the community where they live. That’s why their houses are as beautiful and as grand as they can afford.

It is up to the lay faithful to contribute to these projects. This is part of the universality of the term “catholic”. The parent, husband wife, the office worker, the doctor, teacher, shop keeper and farmer all become part of the mission of the monastic community by supporting it. Some people donate money. Others donate the land and some donate their talents to make the building happen. This way they house, church and the entire project becomes a true work of the universal Church. The men or women who lock themselves up in these facilities will offer their lives as a silent sacrifice for the rest of us through their life of prayer and the daily work involved in sustaining these houses of glory for the benefit of those of us who are not called to live in such close communion with God.

Finally, let us look at the Gospel of John. There are four Gospels. But which is the Mystical Gospel? Which is the Gospel that stands out for being the most theological, the most mystical, the most sublime? The Fathers of the Church all agreed, as does the Church today, that it’s the Gospel of John. Who was John? He was the most beloved disciple. Christ loved them all, but he loved one more than the rest. He protected him from martyrdom, gave him every opportunity to study and to become not only an evangelists, but also a theologian and mystic. Then, near the end of his life, he guided him to write the one Gospel that stands out from all the others, the one that is not part of the set known as the Synoptic Gospels. His Gospel is the product of a life of contemplation. John was not only an apostle, but also lived a monastic life. The product of his life was the most sublime Gospel in the New Testament. That’s why John is always represented with an eagle.

The monk, the hermit and the enclosed nun is called to be an eagle. You can’t hide an eagle anymore than you can hide a lamp under a bushel. These men and women disappear behind the walls and from within they sustain and support these wondrous houses of prayer, not for their benefit, but for your benefit. When you walk by, you should be lifted up to the Glory of God and see how something as beautiful as a wonderful monastery is just a tiny glimpse of the great house of God in the Kingdom. Finally, the house should also proclaim the triumph of the cross and of the Church. It makes a statement about a reality that we Catholics believe. The cross and the Church are triumphant.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Hopemercy]

No no no, don’t miss the point of the contemplative life. The contemplative individual (hermit, monk and nun) lives a hidden life. But we’re talking about the individual, not the community.

The contemplative community is called to proclaim the Glory of God through its presence. Everything about it, from its buildings to its liturgical prayer is to be as grandiose as possible. When you join a contemplative community, you join to do as John the Baptist said, “I must decrease so that he may increase. “ The monks, hermit or nun becomes insignificant, anonymous. But as scripture reminds us, “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a basket.” God lights the life of these men and women, not to hide them under a basket, but to show the world his Glory. He shows the world his presence, his power and his majesty through their presence in the community where they live. That’s why their houses are as beautiful and as grand as they can afford.

It is up to the lay faithful to contribute to these projects. This is part of the universality of the term “catholic”. The parent, husband wife, the office worker, the doctor, teacher, shop keeper and farmer all become part of the mission of the monastic community by supporting it. Some people donate money. Others donate the land and some donate their talents to make the building happen. This way they house, church and the entire project becomes a true work of the universal Church. The men or women who lock themselves up in these facilities will offer their lives as a silent sacrifice for the rest of us through their life of prayer and the daily work involved in sustaining these houses of glory for the benefit of those of us who are not called to live in such close communion with God.

Finally, let us look at the Gospel of John. There are four Gospels. But which is the Mystical Gospel? Which is the Gospel that stands out for being the most theological, the most mystical, the most sublime? The Fathers of the Church all agreed, as does the Church today, that it’s the Gospel of John. Who was John? He was the most beloved disciple. Christ loved them all, but he loved one more than the rest. He protected him from martyrdom, gave him every opportunity to study and to become not only an evangelists, but also a theologian and mystic. Then, near the end of his life, he guided him to write the one Gospel that stands out from all the others, the one that is not part of the set known as the Synoptic Gospels. His Gospel is the product of a life of contemplation. John was not only an apostle, but also lived a monastic life. The product of his life was the most sublime Gospel in the New Testament. That’s why John is always represented with an eagle.

The monk, the hermit and the enclosed nun is called to be an eagle. You can’t hide an eagle anymore than you can hide a lamp under a bushel. These men and women disappear behind the walls and from within they sustain and support these wondrous houses of prayer, not for their benefit, but for your benefit. When you walk by, you should be lifted up to the Glory of God and see how something as beautiful as a wonderful monastery is just a tiny glimpse of the great house of God in the Kingdom. Finally, the house should also proclaim the triumph of the cross and of the Church. It makes a statement about a reality that we Catholics believe. The cross and the Church are triumphant.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Interesting if very convoluted and inaccurate. So far from Jesus and all His teachings. And from true monastic tradition also… this is a serious distortion and explains more and more why monasticism is in serious decline. Shaking my head at the ideas you expound, No monastic will live his or her life in a gilded cage like this.

The orders who are growing now are ones who truly live the gospel, hidden, leaven in the souls of the world who do not even know they exist. Prayer rising in utter faith.

Loving Jesus, Who prayed in a ruined temple with no call to renew the stones. And in the outside world He created … Never in a costly place, and opening a faith and a Church that began its life in caves and in houses.

Poverty has to be real; period. Read John the Baptist… :" Kings live in palaces."

 

[JReducation]

Interesting if very convoluted and inaccurate.

This has been the tradition of the Church since Sts. Benedict and Basil organized monasticism.

So far from Jesus and all His teachings.

On the contrary. It is based on Benedict’s and Basil’s understanding of what Jesus wanted.

And from true monastic tradition also… this is a serious distortion

Have you ever seen the hosues built by St. Benedict, St. Basil, St. Bernard, and St. Bruno the great fathers of Eastern and Western monasticism?

and explains more and more why monasticism is in serious decline.

Who said that? Did you read my previous post about our own Poor Clare Nuns? They have 20,000 nuns and are opening new foundations as we speak, all around the world. The Benedictines are also founding new houses around the world. Where is the decline?

Shaking my head at the ideas you expound, No monastic will live his or her life in a gilded cage like this.

Go visit: The Poor Clares at the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament, the Carthusians in Vermont, the Benedictines at St. Meinrad, the Trappists at Spencer and Gethesemani, the Benedictines on Mt. Subassio or Monte Casino, the Cistercians at Citeaux. There are three things that every monastic house is to have: 1) a grand church, 2) a grand library and 3) a grand cloister.

Each builds according to their financial situation.

Poverty has to be real; period. Read John the Baptist… :" Kings live in palaces."

Did you know that monks do not make a vow of poverty? If they follow the Rule of St. Benedict, they make only one vow, to obey St. Benedict. Most monastic communities make only one vow. The other evengelical councils are lived according to the dictates of the founder. True poverty is to detach from self.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Dale_M]

Interesting if very convoluted and inaccurate. So far from Jesus and all His teachings. And from true monastic tradition also… this is a serious distortion and explains more and more why monasticism is in serious decline. Shaking my head at the ideas you expound, No monastic will live his or her life in a gilded cage like this.

Hopemercy, may I ask what is your background and familiarity with monasticism that you feel so confident as to tell a Franciscan brother that he doesn’t know what he is talking about?

I can’t help thinking of the story of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with a precious oil, which appalled his disciples who thought the money should have been better used helping the poor:
Gospel According to Matthew:

10
Since Jesus knew this, he said to them,“Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me.
11
The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me.
12
6 In pouring this perfumed oil upon my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
13
Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”

usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew26.htm

Cloistered monks are dying to the world. They are being figuratively buried. The building they live in does not honor them, but it does honor their sacrifice and the good they do for us. Such buildings are to attract and hold our attention, they are to make us remember what is being done for us, every day, by people we will likely never meet.

 

[JReducation]

In discussing this subject there are several things that we must keep in mind, if we are going to be faithful to the Church.

We must pay special attention to St. Benedict and St. Basil. They are the fathers of Western and Eastern monasticism. The Church has reduced all monastic communities to following one of their rules. Even communities like the Poor Clares, the cloistered Carmelite nuns, Dominican nuns, Visitation and other communities that are not Benedictine or Basilian are judge according to the rules of Benedict and Basil before they are approved. There were are two criteria from the Fathers of Mosasticism that any enclosed community must follow: Liturgical life and a public presence. They may not hide their presence in the world.

The individual religious in one of these houses lives a very austere life, must poorer than the friar, diocesan priest or lay person in the world. They have nothing of their own except a cell with the basics necessary for prayer, study and manual labor. While the building may be outstanding, the individual’s living and working environment is very simple.

The architecture and art has a purpose for the good of the world. It must proclaim the Church’s triumphant presence in the world. It also preserves the Church’s culture. In doing this, it serves the church. If we lose sight of our Catholic culture, we lose the connection with our roots. Finally, it must speak against secularism, which has often been embraced by too many Catholics. It should not look like a secular structure, because it’s not a secular structure. It is a prophetic structure. It proclaims the Kingdom of God. It serves as a reminder to those who see it that God is King and Glorious. Most importantly, that God is present.

These are not in conflict with the Gospel. From the early Fathers, we already saw that they understood the Church to be a regal house. Thus, the Fathers adopted whatever was regal in their culture and used it for the greater Glory and Honor of God. The first Desert Fathers did not leave the city to get away from the glory of the Church, they got from the noise and distraction that kept them from praying in silence.

Those of us who are not monks, hermits and nuns, must be very careful not to become their lawgivers and try to dictate to them what is contrary to the minds of the Fathers of the monastic life. If I did that, I may as well argue that Benedict and Basil were wrong , because I know better. God protect me from such a sin of pride.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[JReducation]

View attachment 9087

This is the first monastery built by St. Benedict in the Western Church, Monte Cassino. It stands just at it was built and intended in the 500s. It was to be a city on a hill to be seen by all. There is nothing simple about this house.

However, aside from the Church, library and chapter hall, the rest of it is pretty asutere.

Fraternally,

Br JR, OSF

 

[GeoCyclist]

For example, the Carthusian Charterhouse at Parkminster, UK. Certainly it appears a grand place, from the outside:
parkminster.org.uk/site.php?use=ourmonastery

However, the lives of the hermits there is anything but grand.
the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/2006/08/tour-of-carthusian-cell.html

(The link is a rare look inside a cell at Parkminster, and is worth reading)

Grand structures are not for the monks. They are for the inspiration of us outsiders.

Fascinating! Thanks for the links. God bless these men and women.

 

[1234]

This, from the original founder:

(emphasis mine)

"Lay not up for yourself treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: For where you treasure is, there will your heart be also." Matthew 6:19-21 KJV

The great houses that JR mentions are from the medieval period and testify to the power and wealth of religious institutions at that time. To me it is premature for a community of 18 monks, not affiliated with any other order (they are not members of the Carmelite order) to undertake such expensive building. Anyway, that is their decision. I object to the triumphalism of their project, which I think is so out of keeping with the landscape and the Carmelite spirit, even if they aren’t Carmelites.

Some monasticism is increasing, some isn’t. Many Trappist houses in the US are decreasing in size, with reduced numbers of members who themselves are of advanced age. Gethsemani has men in formation, but is a shadow of its former self. A number of Carthusian houses have closed worldwide. There may be 5 novices at Parkminster, but it remains to be seen how many take final vows. There is one charterhouse in the US–it has about a total of 15 men living there, a mix of brothers, priests, claustral oblates and candidates. I have heard that no US-born candidate has every made final vows there. Most of the Benedictine men’s monasteries in the western world are decreasing in size, even with entrants.

 

[JReducation]

This, from the original founder:

(emphasis mine)

To me it is premature for a community of 18 monks, not affiliated with any other order (they are not members of the Carmelite order) to undertake such expensive building.

They’re not supposed to be associated with a religious order. The are a monastery of diocesan right. This makes themn an autonomous foundation. This is very common in the Church and encouraged by the Church. What the Church does not allow is new rules. You must use of one of the existing rules or create statutes, which are not as binding as a rule, because statutes can be changed and rules cannot be changed.

I object to the triumphalism of their project, which I think is so out of keeping with the landscape and the Carmelite spirit, even if they aren’t Carmelites.

Monastic houses are supposed to be triumphant. Remember, they follow the heremetical life of the early Carmelites, but they are not the Carmelite Order. The Carmelite Orders are mendicants. These men are monks. They are in the great monastic traditions. From the little that I know about them, they are much closer to the Carthusians than to the Benedictines. The Carthusians also do not have a rule nor are affiliated with any religious order. They are autonomous foudations governed by statutes. The follow the heremetical life of the Desert Fathers. However, in their building, they borrow from the great Benedictine Tradition.

This tradition that you call “triumphalist” is very much a part of the religious life of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the East and West. One of the reasons why American Catholics are producing so few vocations to the consecrated life is precisely because of the great American Heresy, “We have to equalize everything and everyone.” Now we have added a new one here, “the environment comes before the transcendent.” Neither of these are consistent with the doctrines on religious life and the disciplines that governed them for more than 1,000 years. Religious life equalizes within the community. All members are equal. It does not equalize between the religious life and the secular world. All things are not equal in that context. The religious life is a sign of Christ’s triumph on the cross.

As a Catholic, how would you like to present the consecrated life to the secular world?

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Tigg]

Here’s a slide show and it looks pretty spectacular. The company I used to work for many years ago has gotten the bid and the project manager may be someone I know personally. I understand the funding is still somewhat iffy - have they published the cost? More info from him said it will be designed and built as a l,000 year structure with an estimated four years of construction.

Check out the scenery - it’s beautiful…my mind is whirling, tho…I can’t reconcile the spartan lifestyle of the Carmelites with this edifice of luxury!

ALL GLORY AND PRAISE BE TO GOD!

SLIDE SHOW HERE:
newmountcarmelfoundation.org/

 

[Cracker_Mom]

Here’s a slide show and it looks pretty spectacular. The company I used to work for many years ago has gotten the bid and the project manager may be someone I know personally. I understand the funding is still somewhat iffy - have they published the cost? More info from him said it will be designed and built as a l,000 year structure with an estimated four years of construction.

Check out the scenery - it’s beautiful…my mind is whirling, tho…I can’t reconcile the spartan lifestyle of the Carmelites with this edifice of luxury!

ALL GLORY AND PRAISE BE TO GOD!

SLIDE SHOW HERE:
newmountcarmelfoundation.org/

Thanks for the link.Beautiful scenery, but it doesn’t quite go along with the architecture somehow. I’d go back to the drawing board. But that’s just my undereducated 2 cents.
I did take one class in landscape design & the most important thing I learned is that the landscape should never be more formal than the design of the home. And I guess that might work in reverse, too.It ends up looking a bit jarring. Especially in the American West.

 

[57classic]

There are moutains in Europe where this kind of architechure originated. It’s just that people hear American West and think of The Ponderosa. I can easily imagine Gothic churches at the base of a mountain range but somehow I can’t picture monks in log cabins.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

There are moutains in Europe where this kind of architechure originated. It’s just that people hear American West and think of The Ponderosa. I can easily imagine Gothic churches at the base of a mountain range but somehow I can’t picture monks in log cabins.

I know, I thought about the monasteries in Europe, too. It just seems different to plunk it down in Wyoming.Kind of like seeing Cinderella’s castle rising up out of the Florida scrub.A little strange.
Aren’t there monks already in log cabins, or am I confusing that with something else?

 

[57classic]

I know, I thought about the monasteries in Europe, too. It just seems different to plunk it down in Wyoming.Kind of like seeing Cinderella’s castle rising up out of the Florida scrub.A little strange.
Aren’t there monks already in log cabins, or am I confusing that with something else?

Actually my mind was seeing Hoss Cartwright while I was envisioning monks in log cabins. I need a cowboy emoticon.

 

[JReducation]

Here’s a slide show and it looks pretty spectacular. The company I used to work for many years ago has gotten the bid and the project manager may be someone I know personally. I understand the funding is still somewhat iffy - have they published the cost? More info from him said it will be designed and built as a l,000 year structure with an estimated four years of construction.

Check out the scenery - it’s beautiful…my mind is whirling, tho…**I can’t reconcile the spartan lifestyle of the Carmelites with this edifice of luxury!**ALL GLORY AND PRAISE BE TO GOD!

SLIDE SHOW HERE:
newmountcarmelfoundation.org/

The bold is mine.

Let’s take a step backward here. I believe that I can clarify something for everyone. The life of a monk is very spartan. He owns nothing and has very few items of luxury available to him AS AN INDVIDUAL.

Monks are meant to be very wealthy. They were founded to be that way by the founders of monasticism, Benedict and Basil. The monks were to be great land owners. Their houses were to foreshadow the Heavenly Jerusalem. These houses were often referred to as “the City on the Hill”. In other words, monks are not supposed to be corporately poor. The individual is poor. He does not own the place. He simply lives there. He has access to whatever is necessary for his work, prayer and study, which are the three daily activities of monks. Their houses are also supposed to be centers of culture and hospitality to the traveler.

The Carmelite spirituality is one of contemplation and solitude. The surrounding complex does not interfere with this. Therefore, it is permissible to them.

I believe that you may be confusing the austerity of the friars with that of the monks. Friars are mendicants. They are more austere than monks are. Friars live in much simpler houses or no houses.

Currently, the Carmelite Monks are living in log cabins, until a permanent monastery can be builty. They cannot remain in these log cabins. That would be contrary to the vocation of the monk. That is the life of a friar, not a monk or a cloistered nun. This was the case with the Poor Clares in Irondale. They lived as if they were sisters. They had to build a monastery that served the daily activities of the monastic life: prayer, study and work. The Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament was an added bonus, because the money was donated for that purpose and perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is part of the Franciscan charism. All of the pieces fit together. But if you had been to the open house, before they erected the enclosure of the Poor Clares, the part of the complex that the nuns occupy is hideous. It’s like a college dorm. The halls and rooms are very institutional, not the kind of place that anyone would want to call their permanent home. There is nothing fancy about it at all. Everything is very functional. The things that the nuns can use are only what is necessary for study, prayer and work. They don’t use the whole complex.

The same will be the case with this house. It’s a temple to God’s glory. The monks will inhabit a portion of it. The rest will serve other functions according to monastic tradition.

Remember, monastic tradition is not American. There is no way that we can build an American looking monastery without a point of reference. The few attempts that have been made have been disastrous. The monks and nuns living in them find the facilities to be unsuitable for their life. They are very close quarters, which is not conducive to solitude. There is little room for expansion. The workshops, factories and land are not big enough. The libraries are outdated and do not allow for the introduction of modern technology used in most media centers. The properties are usually too small to build a church; therefore, they have to settle for a chapel. Monasteries are supposed to have three cetners of worship: monastery church for Sundays and solemnities, chapel for daily mass, and choir for the recitation of the Divine Office. These are required elements in a monastery.

Friars and sisters, on the other hand, have none of the above. Our houses have a chapel that serves for everything or no chapel at all and we use the local church. We have no workshops, factories or farmland. We rarely have libraries, unless you call two bookcases a library. LOL We live in very close quarters, because we live in community, whereas monks and nuns have very loosely bound communities, silence and solitude are more important to them than they are to us. We don’t need the space, because we spend a lot of time outside of the community house.

I hope this helps.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[1234]

I think that there is a substantial difference of opinion present among monastics in the US. The Poor Clares in Greenville SC built a new monastery recently–very simple, one story. They moved because they were being surrounded by the encroaching city and noise and their former monastery needed a lot of serious work. Their property was valuable, being commercial, so they sold it, bought property far out of town, started a capital campaign which promptly filled, and built. They have no debt. They are growing.

However, the Poor Clares in VA built a huge monastery styled like an Italian hill town on the top of a mountain (VA-style) that they had to level. At the time of their building, they had a blog, since discontinued, in which the abbess frankly described all the dunning they had to do of the local dioceses to come up with the money. I don’t know if it’s paid off or not. They have had a lot of drainage problems and require maintenance men to change the light bulbs in their high-ceilinged choir.

The PCPA’s in Arizona, the ‘desert nuns’, are also building a grandiose Italian-Renaissance styled monastery , and they feature prominently in their blog opportunities to buy windows, etc in it. I don’t know how the fund raising is going. It is an immense project. These are also Poor Clares, very different from those in Greenville, SC.

The Benedictine women’s monasteries have tried to divest themselves of their huge 19thc. monasteries, or turn them into senior care, both for their members and the communities at large. One monastery was saddled with a single gigantic building, which included the monastery, college and novitiate, over 100,000 squ feet, which they finally managed to get torn down, after getting no takers to buy it. Others, such as Duluth OSB’s of St. Scholastica, still have their gigantic plant, but which contains their excellent college. They are filled with elderly sisters,s but have entrants and new members. If you asked many of these communities whether, if they had the chance, armed with entrants and money, they would commit to building huge edifices again, I am certain that the vast majority would say “No”. And these are Benedictines, with their history and tradition of Stability, one of their vows, education in their many schools, the great monasteries of yore.

I suspect that the Benedictine men’s monasteries also have difficulties in upkeep of their immense buildings, but have no information. All of these monasteries are shrinking, even as many, Sts. Meinrad, Vincent, John, attract new members. The shrinking Trappist communities have large holdings AND property to maintain. The Carthusians are definitely shrinking in the western hemisphere; however I must add that the nuns are increasing, now about 75 worldwide. Soon there may be more Carthusian nuns than monks!

The Dominican nuns of Summit NJ had a foundress who envisioned 15 separate chapels for the 15 decades of the rosary. Fortunately she was able to build only one(?) unit before financial reality intervened. However, because her building was incomplete, it was filled with a lot of inconveniences and incongruities which were able to be addressed only recently.

I personally think that it is unwise to commit to vast architectural piles, no matter how traditional or inspirational they may be to some, as no one knows what the future may bring. Life appeared to be very stable in the Middle Ages, and for a long time it was. Then it wasn’t. And things happen much faster these days.

Something else to consider is that fact that the armies of lay brothers/sisters who maintained these vast structures don’t exist anymore. Someone is going to have to maintain all of this, not only the housekeeping but the electrical, plumbing, heating, etc. All of this assumes a large novitiate, which may be present now, but which may not continue.

All of this resembles those poor married couples who until recently had two well-paying jobs and who found a bank who was willing to lend them far more for a home mortgage than they had any reason to expect. Many of these homes are now in foreclosure.