Do you have a vocation to be carmelite hermit?

St. John of the Cross

“In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”

St. Augustine said, “To fall in love with God is the greatest of romances, to seek Him the greatest adventure, to find Him the greatest human achievement.”

A vocation to Carmel is a vocation to be loved intensely by God and then to love Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength (Mark 12:30). This vocation is indeed an adventure—the greatest of all adventures! It requires a willingness to leave everything and everyone in the world behind so that you can focus on the one thing necessary for happiness and human flourishing: God. This vocation is the pearl of great price. To be a Carmelite hermit, a man must have a burning desire to be a saint. He must want to live out poverty, chastity and obedience and to be in a community of like-minded men who desire heaven. He must be attracted to silence and solitude in the midst of a noisy and busy world. He must love to pray!

Our Community is composed both of priests and brothers. We do not engage in priestly ministry outside of our monastery with the exception that we offer assistance to the Carmelite Nuns by way of retreats, conferences and spiritual direction. Our vocation is not active, but rather contemplative. We pray for the salvation of all souls. Click here to see our daily schedule and to read our holy Rule of Life.

Aspirants to our life are Catholic men between the ages of 20 and 40. After initial correspondence, a visit to the hermitage is arranged. If after this visit a man still feels God calling him to this holy way of life he may be invited to make an extended retreat with the community. If this retreat seemingly confirms his vocation, the aspirant will be given an application to enter Carmel. It is upon entrance to the monastery, though, that the real discernment begins—which involves four major steps over the course of six years.

PHASE 1: Postulancy (duration: 6 months to 1 year)

Postulancy begins the day a man enters the monastery. It lasts for six months to one year. When you arrive, you are given a postulant’s robe to wear for the duration of your postulancy. Postulancy is a time of intense prayer and discernment. A postulant is a “guest” in the monastery who begins to live the life of a hermit—learning how to pray, how to work and how to live in community. If at the end of this time, both the man and the community recognize the contemplative Carmelite vocation in his soul, the postulant is given the ancient Carmelite Habit and receives a religious name. It is at this time he enters the second phase of discernment, the novitiate.

Phase 2: Novitiate (2 years)

The novitiate is the true beginning of religious life. It lasts for two years. And during this time, a man is fully immersed into the life of Carmel. He follows the daily horarium (schedule) in full. His day consists of prayer and study, manual and intellectual labor. Each week, the novice has class with the novice master to learn about the Carmelite saints, the ancient Rule of life, contemplative prayer and all facets of religious life. In addition, he receives regular spiritual direction and frequents the sacrament of confession (which is offered every two weeks by an outside confessor). This is a time of true formation. A man is being formed into a Carmelite hermit…into a saint.

Upon successful completion of this part of the formation, the novice makes his first vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Phase 3: Temporary Vows (Duration: 3 Years)

Before a man promises to live out poverty, chastity and obedience for the rest of his life, he first makes the vows for 3 years. These are called temporary vows. This is analogous to the “engagement” phase before marriage. By this time, a man presumes permanence in his vocation. And if after the three years he is willing to lay down his life for God and the Church, to live out the contemplative vocation, he then makes his solemn religious profession.

Phase 4: Solemn Profession! (Duration: Until death)

During the Mass of Solemn Profession the Prior asks the hermit, “Dear Brother, what do you ask of the Lord and of his holy Church?” The man responds, “The mercy of God, and to vow Obedience, Poverty and Chastity in the Order of Carmelites.” It is by these vows that a man is drawn so close to God that for the rest of his days, he wants nothing more than to be perfectly united to Him—who is Life itself. This life of union with God is nothing less than a foretaste of heaven on earth.

Is God Calling You to Live this Life of Union with Him?

If you think God is calling you to this great adventure, email the Novice Master at vocation@carmelitehermitage.org and begin to talk to him about a vocation. If God is calling you, you will not have peace until you respond. And by responding to God’s call, you will experience peace like you have never experienced this side of heaven. Know of our prayers for you as you discern God’s holy will for your life!