past. With great delight he told me the young men seeking to live this life say to him "Reverend father, can we just follow the way of the Saints". And this holy priest fully believes that, in his own words, the "surest way to go in bringing back the great monastic tradition of Carmel as a gift to and for the Church is to follow the way of the Saints".

In concluding our discussion he told me a very heartwarming story of the only resident who spoke at the recent public hearing. When the commissioners opened the floor for discussion, before unanimously voting to approve the requests presented by the Monks, Father Daniel Mary admits that he was a little concerned. After all, there had been some concerns from neighbors before. However, only one woman spoke, an older woman named Susan. Turns out Susan had been in the Courthouse to get license plates for she and her husband's new truck when she saw the sign indicating there was going to be a public hearing on the Monks request to build on that property.

When the commissioners asked for public comment she stepped forward and spoke, "I want everybody to know, I love these monks. They are the best neighbors we could ever have. They pray for us all. I want all of you to know that these monks should be given full approval for everything they ask for." Susan then came up to the monks and thanked them, leaned down and kissed the head of Fr. Daniel Mary and then left the hearing room. The second part of the session concerned the requests for "Mystic Monk" Coffee to build a new facility. It was also approved.

When the second session was complete, the monks received news that Susan had driven home and accidentally left her truck in gear when she went to get out. In a freak accident, she was run over and sustained very serious injuries. Susan died that very day. Of course the monks were shocked! They immediately drove to the house.  They found her grieving husband and went inside to console him. They hugged him. He asked "Why"? Father Daniel Mary then explained to me what they told Susan's husband. They explained her act of kindness at the hearing. In the midst of his tears of grief he said it helped to make sense of it all for him; it was his wife's "last act of love."  

The Monks of "Carmel of the Immaculate heart of Mary" come to us at the beginning of the Third Christian Millennium as a gift and a prophetic sign. These are real monks and real men, passionately and courageously in love with the Lord Jesus Christ and dedicated to renewing in our day the great treasury of monasticism. Vocations are not a problem for these monks; they receive hundreds of inquiries a year. They will build a place from which prayer will rise to the heavens, renewing the Church so that she can continue her redemptive mission in our age. The beauty of the monastery they will build will be added to the beauty of 2500 deeded acres of ranch land. This land is enhanced by over 6,000 acres of forested land surrounding Mt. Carmel which is part of a National Forest lease and cannot be developed. 

The Monks of Mt Carmel know that their calling to live a radical monastic life, in fidelity to the original vision of the Carmelites, is special. They embrace it courageously in and for the Lord and His Church. Now they will be able to build a new Mt. Carmel for America. I have said it before and I say it again - with even more conviction - when the history of the Third Millennium is written, this monastery will be one of many where historians recount the rebirth of Christendom.  The building of this monastery is Good News for the Monks of Mt Carmel and Good News for the Church in the United States. They need our prayer and they need our financial support to build Mt. Carmel for America.