A Carmel for the Lord

Great news! A new Traditional Carmelite Monastery, but given the climate in Rome, they might have chosen another name for their community.

From One Peter Five

By the Community of Our Lady Co-Redemptrix Carmelite Monastery

We rightly hail her as our Co-Redemptrix; not that her work was absolutely necessary for our redemption, since all our sufficiency is from Christ, but that having been freely called by God, she also contributed her share to so great a work.

From The Carmelite Directory of the Spiritual Life  Imprimatur: Fr. Alphonus C. De Romanis, Epis. Porphyr. Vic. Gen. Vatican City, June 1, 1940. Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago, January 15, 1951. Nihil Obstat: Rev. Norbert G. Piper, O. Carm. Censor Deputotus. Imprimi Potest: Very Rev. Leo J. Walter, O. Carm., Prov. Dec. 1, 1950

In Gilchrist County, High Springs, Florida, a new community of Traditional Carmelite Nuns eagerly seeks to build a new Monastery for the Greater Glory of God. The Carmelite Nuns of the future Our Lady Co-Redemptrix Carmelite Monastery are Roman Catholic women religious in communion with Holy Mother Church who received a blessing from His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider in the hopes of building an autonomous monastery to serve the Holy Catholic Church. Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Avila sought for her spiritual daughters to build their monasteries in the ancient roots of the “autonomy of Mount Carmel,” wherein the Sisters live a hidden life set apart from the world enclosed within the cloister of the monastery, praying without ceasing for the Pope, the bishops, and all the priests of the Catholic Church.

A RETURN TO TRADITION

Amid this present crisis of the Church, where Sacred Tradition is attacked: the Traditional Latin Mass is suppressed worldwide, monasteries are closed hundreds at a time in one year, and the use of Roman-style vestments, altar crucifixes and candles, the Latin language, and traditional vesting prayers are put under scrutiny if not altogether prohibited. The world needs prayer ever more for the Pope, for the faithful, for our holy Catholic priests! The world needs more Nuns who Pray!

The Community of the future Our Lady Co-Redemptrix Carmelite Monastery hopes by the grace of God to fill this need of prayer. The Sisters pray daily the traditional Divine Office, follow the Holy Rule of their spiritual Bishop Saint Albert of Jerusalem, and adhere to the Constitutions approved by the Holy See and written by Holy Mother Saint Teresa of Avila. They also hope to receive priests in good standing with Holy Mother Church to pray the Holy Sacrifice of the Latin Mass within their future monastery.

As His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider once said,

The Pope has the fundamental task of confirming all the faithful and the bishops in the faith. And if the Pope does not do this, we must help him, starting with us bishops, to make clarity, with respectful words.

The Nuns desire to help in this holy endeavor through our unceasing prayer for Pope Leo XIV, the cardinals, bishops, and all the priests of Holy Mother Church.

The ancient and most express purpose of a monastery is to safeguard the Sacred Tradition and Holy Faith of the Catholic Church so that those outside the enclosure within the world can look to the Nuns within to see what the Church has believed and affirmed for centuries. As His Excellency Bishop Schneider also affirmed,

The faithful as well as priests have the right to a liturgy that is a liturgy of all the saints (…). Therefore, the Holy See does not have the power to suppress a heritage of the whole Church, it is an abuse, it would be an abuse even on the part of a bishop. In this case, you can continue to celebrate the Mass even in this form: It is a form of obedience (…) to all the popes who have celebrated this Mass. 

The High Springs Carmelite Nuns will always keep true to obedience in Christ by keeping the Sacred Tradition and Holy Faith of the Catholic Church alive and well.

To accomplish all of this, as well to live their vocations and private vows correctly, the Nuns need a new monastery. In High Springs, Florida, the Nuns received a parcel of ten acres of land for this express purpose. They have founded a 501c3 nonprofit (cheerfully called, “Habit Forming Sisters Corporation”) in order to receive donations for the building of their monastery.  

Because they are an autonomous monastery, 100% of their property and assets are directly owned by the Community and in no way can be stolen from them. Through their vow of poverty, they receive funding for their building project only through the generosity of anyone and everyone willing to help them.        

BUILDING FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD

The Carmelite Nuns made their building project public in 2024. So far, they have successfully completed minor construction of a driveway and access onto the property, proper fencing of the ten acre parcel, and they cleared of three acres of their land in preparation for the future construction.

In 2025, the Nuns chose Baker Architects to help them produce full architectural renderings of the future monastery. Baker Architects use innovative 3D modeling and computer graphics to create a full Master Plan that illustrates all the hopes and prayers of the Sisters. Their 501c3 website showcases many of these architectural renderings as well as a 3D video presentation of these designs.

The Sisters currently are involved in acquiring the building permits needed for future construction. A local Florida engineer has offered to work with the Sisters “pro-bono” in the creation of the schematic drawings needed for their permits review with the local county. Thanks be to God! This was an answered prayer to the Nuns’ private novena to Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of Engineers.

THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: HOPES AND PRAYERS

Based upon the conceptual design permitting analysis, the initial budget of the monastery construction is $6.5 million. The entirety of the monastery facility, consisting of a: 16,000 square foot (SF) Monastery​, 1,800 SF Chapel, and Two 1,900 SF Outbuildings (I.e. Priest Rectory & Guesthouse)

Building in Phases

Each feature can be completed in Phases as necessary. The Estimated Costs do not apply an economy of scale between the phases; being particularly beneficial within Phases 1 and 2. While the foundation and outer shell of the Monastery Building must be entirely completed within Phase 1, the cost savings realized by combining these two phases can be significant. The hope and initial goal of the Sisters will be to complete Phases 1 and 2 together.​​

Phase 1

The Monastery Residence and Supporting Facilities – $2,900,000

GOALS: Building the “shell” of the Monastery structure, and Complete a selection of inner Supporting Facilities.

PURPOSE: Phase 1 will allow the Nuns to take up residence early on through the completion of a few selected Supporting Facilities necessary for their initial move-in.

These include: the Dormitory of Cells (Nuns’ sleeping quarters), Nuns’ Choir (where the Nuns pray as a Community and have the potential to begin holding private Mass until the Chapel is completed), Kitchen, Refectory (where the Nuns eat as a Community), Laundry, HVAC and supporting facilities, etc.

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Phase 2

The Chapel and Ancillary Monastery Facilities – $2,450,000

GOALS: Construction of the Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel for daily Latin Mass to be held publicly, and Complete the interior Supporting Facilities of the Monastery that were not completed in Phase 1.

PURPOSE: Phase 2 will allow the Holy Sacrifice of the Latin Mass to be held publicly on the Monastery grounds within the Nuns’ Chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. The Nuns desire to build the chapel for the Greater Glory of God as a fitting place for daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary guilds, and Third Order Carmelites prayer groups.

All will be welcome to pray with us for the Pope and the bishops in union with him as well as for the salvation of souls through Holy Mother Church. In addition, the inner supporting facilities that were not necessary for the Nuns initial move-in will be completed in this phase. As the Nuns are building a Monastery to last for hundreds of years to come, there are various supporting facilities that will ensure the community will be able to maintain their autonomy and enclosure from the world.

These Phase 2 facilities include: Library, Infirmary (for First Aid and the care of sick Sisters), Storage Rooms, Food Pantry, Recreation Room (the room that Nuns gather to do their crafts together), Sewing Room, etc. For the first Community to live in this Monastery as well as for those who will come a hundred years from now, the Phase 2 supporting facilities will ensure that the Nuns have the opportunity to live the self-sustaining, autonomous, and cloistered life that God has called them to live according to the teachings of Saint Teresa of Avila.

Phase 3

Two Separate Outbuildings (i.e. Rectory and Guest House) – $850,000

GOALS: Construction of one Priest Rectory for the Nuns’ designated Chaplain(s) and visiting priests, and construction of one Guest House for the Nuns family visits and possible visitors’ retreat house

PURPOSE: The construction of a Priest Rectory will allow for the Nuns’ chaplain(s) to have a place of residency on the property as well as serve as a place for visiting priests to stay on the property. The Guest House will allow the families of the Nuns to have a separate space to reside when visiting their daughters. The Sisters will also consider the possibility of allowing donors to reserve a stay in the Guest House as a retreat when visiting the Monastery.​

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Please visit the Nuns 501c3 nonprofit Building Project website: https://habitformingsisters.wixsite.com/buildingproject

Online donation options include the Sisters’ Zeffy donation page and their PayPal donation page. See website for more details.

Visit the Nun’s Online Shop and buy their handmade wares as a donation to the building project: https://habitformingsisters.etsy.com

(If you would not like to use Etsy, please write to the Nuns to request to purchase their handmade items in stock directly through them, via the website.)

Write to the Sisters and send your checks to:

Habit Forming Sisters Corporation
PO Box 564Richmond Hill, GA 31324

Follow Sister’s Facebook page “Habit Forming Sisters” where updates of the building project, pictures of the future monastery, novenas, Carmelite teachings, and more abound.

Become a Sponsor of the building project and have your business or company featured on the Sisters’ website, in their monthly e-newsletters, and more. Contact through the website for more information.

Contact the Sisters through the website to send your prayer intentions: the Sisters are always praying for their benefactors and supporters! And please kindly remember to pray for the Sisters and the women interested in joining the future monastery. There are so many women who cannot enter religious life because too many monasteries have been closed down in recent years, or else all the traditional monasteries are quite full! More monasteries are needed for future vocations!

If you are interested in becoming a vocation for the future monastery, contact the Nuns through the website or write them a letter!

And remember to Spread The Word! Share the Website with anyone and everyone. There are many priests, religious, nuns, bishops, fathers, mothers, children, men and women of all vocations who are supporting the Community of the future Our Lady Co-Redemptrix Carmelite Monastery. Your generosity and prayers are greatly appreciated, too! Jesus and Mary love you! Our Lady Co-Redemptrix, pray for us!