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Fairfield Carmelites


Kateri89

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Just visited them for the weekend and let me tell you, it was like a dream.  I’ve never been attracted to Carmelite spirituality and I’m still not sure if I am, but the nuns that I got to speak with were amazing and the monastery grounds are breathtaking.  It is incredibly peaceful and it feels like I’ve stepped back into a different era, maybe colonial haha I don’t know.  The temporary chapel is this adorable stone cottage with a little porch and all of their buildings are being built the old fashioned way with hand carved stones, timber, and brick.  They live a very austere life tending to the land and the animals, cooking with wood burning stoves, no heat or air conditioning, no phones, etc.

Nothing but nature as far as the eye can see as they’re perched atop a hill.  They have a pony, chickens, ducks, pigs, and several other animals.  Unfortunately I never got to see them as they are also cloistered :nunpray:  some Carmelite hermits came to assist at Mass and a former Friar of the Immaculate who is now also a hermit (still Franciscan though) offered the high Mass.  What a joy it was and I can not recommend it highly enough for any Carmelite souls out there!

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It is so good to visit monastery! I am very glad for you.

As one who is affiliated with O.Carm I would be very interested to hear about your thoughts re: Carmelite spirituality... perhaps your meeting with the nuns changed something?

Oh Lord, how wonderful a good monastery is... how much it uplifts the souls, how important it is for the Church. In Orthodoxy monasteries are called "the stronghold of the Church". And even the briefest exchange with monks or nuns can bring a person closer to God.

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I am sorry, I realized that my questions here are probably out of a place. I simply got excited with the word "monastery" and "meeting with the nuns".

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8 hours ago, Anastasia said:

It is so good to visit monastery! I am very glad for you.

As one who is affiliated with O.Carm I would be very interested to hear about your thoughts re: Carmelite spirituality... perhaps your meeting with the nuns changed something?

Oh Lord, how wonderful a good monastery is... how much it uplifts the souls, how important it is for the Church. In Orthodoxy monasteries are called "the stronghold of the Church". And even the briefest exchange with monks or nuns can bring a person closer to God.

I don’t know exactly why I’ve never been interested in Carmelite spirituality but I think one of the main things is that they’re not big on Eucharistic adoration which has been enormously helpful for me in my spiritual life.  It’s one of the reasons why I love Franciscan spirituality so much.  That being said, I’m praying about it because I didn’t expect to have such peace as I did when I was there.

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