Work
You must give yourselves to work of some kind… Rule, chapter 20
The Early Carmelites came together as Hermits near the Fountain of Elijah on Mt. Carmel in the Late 12th Century. They built a chapel dedicated to Mary, whom they chose to be their patroness. Our Hermitage, like that first chapel on Mount Carmel, is also dedicated to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Annunciation. Like those early Carmelites we follow a way of life whose purpose is to offer our prayer, our work, and our silence for the praise of God and the salvation of souls. For more than 800 years Carmelites have followed this ideal of silent prayerful labor inspired by the Rule of St. Albert of Jerusalem.
St. Joseph, Carmel’s great Protector, offers us that admirable image of human work and especially manual labor which receive special prominence in the Gospel. Along with the humanity of the Son of God, work has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a particular way. At the workbench where they plied their trade together, Jesus, with St. Joseph, brought human work closer to the mystery of Redemption. And just as the Holy Family served each other with all their heart, we place ourselves and our Hermitage at the service of the Church’s mission to establish the Christ’s Kingdom in souls.
Carmelite Monastery Products, LLC was established to support our way of life by the sale of our craft products. In keeping with the traditions of hermit life, we generally prefer manual labor as a means to sustain ourselves and also as a means of prayerful recollection. We offer these items for sale at the Hermitage and at seasonal arts/craft fairs and markets in this region, and we invite you to look at our Craft Products page where some of our goods may be ordered.
Carmelite Coffees A variety of gourmet blends and one blend also available in decaf or whole bean, in 12 oz. bags.
Monastery Soap Handmade with natural ingredients; each bar is approximately 5 oz.
Monastery Rugs Our hand woven rugs are made with new fabric, a cotton/poly blend, and a frayless warp. All widths are 28 inches wide, and lengths vary. Washable.
St. Joseph’s Preserves Home made jellies & jams, assorted flavors in 8 oz. jars.
Look for our Carmelite Monastery Products at these Art/Craft Fairs, Markets, and Events in this region.
We will be posting our schedule of Spring and Summer sales in the near future.