A Garden Enclosed: the Fairfield Carmelites

"Female monastic vocations are uniquely loathed by the Enemy." And by the enemies of the Church, which is why Francis tried to destroy the contemplative Orders.

From One Peter Five

By A Friend of the Carmel

All photos throughout by Haley Rossi. Sisters pictured above are externs.

My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up.
Canticle of Canticles 4:12

When children are excited about an experience and want to share the story with ones they love, they often trip over their words, the rush of joy flowing faster than their sentences. Since being asked to write about the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, I have felt something like that. I wish I could tell the story like a child, just launching right into the middle of things: “They are nuns who love Jesus and they raise animals and grow their own food and don’t use electricity! They live behind walls and stay hidden, but one time, through the grill, I saw a sister smiling and it was the prettiest smile I have ever seen! Now they are planting almond trees and they are naming each tree after a saint! Somehow, they remind me of mothers and angels and children all at once! And when you’re there, you know Mary is there too!”

Happily, I have a number of pious children in my life who also love the Carmel and we can speak about the monastery in this simple, excited way together. For grown-ups, the monastery offers an introduction on its website:

The Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Josephis a papally enclosed Discalced Carmelite community in the farmlands of Fairfield, Pennsylvania. Steeped in the rich tradition of their heritage, the sisters live out the centuries-old rule of their Holy Founders, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Completely in communion with the Roman Catholic Church and under the approval of the diocesan Bishop of Harrisburg, the Nuns can trace their roots back to sixteenth century Spain and seventeenth century Mexico.

To Last a Thousand Years

Tradition sits at the center of everything the nuns do: the Traditional Latin Mass is offered (through the ancient Carmelite Rite), the traditional Divine Office is prayed, the traditional Rule is followed. They are even building the monastery according to traditional building methods — something architects told them could not be done, but with God all things are possible. The stone and timber buildings, free of steel and other modern building materials which rust and fail, will ensure that the monastery can survive centuries as a witness to permanence and stability in an age bereft of both.  

To protect the sacred character of the enclosure, the nuns live without electricity or running water. Independent of power and water companies, they are able to maintain their hidden way of life. Living “off grid” gives them unique opportunities to learn and practice the skills of our ancestors: everything from farming to sewing to reliance on fire for warmth and light. Such radical dependence on their own abilities is ultimately a radical dependence on God and His creation, providing ample opportunity for sacrifice and growth in virtue.

The property itself is a 40-acre farm that sits at the top of a hill, a perfect fortress for the sisters waging their quiet war of prayer and penance. A devout lay couple bought the farm in the 1990s. Through prayer, they discerned a whispering conviction of the Holy Ghost: the land was to be used for “a holy purpose.” Unsure of what this meant exactly, they patiently held onto the farm for over a decade despite many opportunities to sell. Providence rewarded their faith and trust. In 2011, they received a call from their priest asking if “a van full of cloistered nuns could come tour the property” and consider it as a location for their monastery. The nuns officially acquired the land in 2015 with the blessing of their bishop.

Ground-breaking began in 2016 and construction is expected to continue for another ten years. Primarily constructed of stone and timber, buildings are also made using slate, plaster, and reclaimed wood, with as many materials as possible sourced as locally as possible. The buildings are made in a simple and classic American architectural style in keeping with the heritage of the area. The mothers desire simplicity for their daughters and at the same time they desire the structures to be beautiful and edifying to the soul, silently preaching God’s constancy through stone and wood.

Among the finished buildings are a woodshed made of stone quarried from the property itself, a refectory and kitchen complete with wood ovens, and most recently, the extern oratory dedicated to St. Thérèse, Love in the Heart of the Church. The oratory will be used by all the sisters until the main chapel is complete. The main chapel will include a unique medieval heating system called a hypocaust, which uses a layer of granite stones under the floor. The stones are fired once a week to keep the spaces above warm. An ice house with an insulated cellar 20 feet below ground level is currently underway. The ice house will allow the sisters to preserve perishable foods, such as milk, during hot summer months. Its upper levels will be used for smoking fish and making cheese, two foods that are important in the sisters’ vegetarian diet.

Incarnated Prayer

The physical aspects of the monastery – the buildings, the chores, the close relationship to the land – ultimately flow from the rhythm of prayer the sisters follow. Daily Mass, chanted offices, and time devoted to mental prayer illumine every aspect of the sisters’ lives. Aware of God’s presence in all things, the sisters seek to transfigure even (and especially) the smallest tasks into offerings of love, knowing this delights the heart of Our Lord. Indeed, the monastery glows with the light of incarnated prayer. As one novice put it, “Jesus is everywhere in the Carmel.” Everything is done with His joy in mind (John 15:11).

The fruit of their prayer is manifest in the lives of those close to the Carmel. For my part, I find when times grow darkest and I am tossed about by waves of misery and disquiet, the simple thought of the sisters is a lifeline keeping me in touch with the reality of the Faith. Their wholesome simplicity beams with the peace of Christ, and when in my weakness I’m tempted to forget His gentle countenance, they stand as tangible reminders of His goodness and love. My fervent hope is that other souls will discover the wonder of this little Carmel, and find their hearts renewed by its pure goodness.

Ways to get to know the sisters and support them:

• Here you’ll find a beautiful documentary about them, titled An Enclosed Garden of God.
• Give them alms. There is nothing so worthy of our support than Christ’s precious brides. They are growing in vocations and have so much more building to complete!
• Send them your prayer intentions.
• Follow their building project on their builder’s Facebook page. Pictures of the monastery abound, sans any of the sisters’ faces of course!
• Plan a visit. Laity can attend daily Mass, and even a glimpse of the grounds nourishes the soul. A large bell can be rung at the gate and one of the externs will greet you. Just the sight of one of the sisters always sticks with children especially. In our effort to increase vocations, it is paramount that we take children to traditional monasteries where they can see the joy and light of monastic life before their eyes. Volunteers are also welcome to help with building! This is an incredible opportunity to be part of God’s work in a place so clearly precious to Him.
• Support their co-laborers in Christ, the Discalced Hermits of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, also in Fairfield. Get to know them here. They also accept prayer intentions. I especially recommend their Lenten enrollment – we attribute much spiritual growth to the graces they have won on our behalf.
• Pray for them. Female monastic vocations are uniquely loathed by the Enemy. We must continually place them under the mantle of Mary.
• Tell others about them, especially young women! If you are a young single woman, you can inquire about vocations here.