Dear Friends of Carmel,

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The forested mountainside is silent and still. The pines stand strong and towering over the young monk in brown robe who walks below with Rosary beads in hand and an ardent and burning longing in the innermost recesses of his heart. He is at home in the wilderness where God is near. The mountain peaks soar above towards the heavens as this young man seeks God in this austere and wild place. He is hidden and unknown to the world below where life continues on as usual; the young monk is at peace, deep in prayer. The birds fly from tree to tree with their melodious song and the twigs below his sandaled feet make a snap as he slowly makes his way back to the monastery. Only the magnificent and powerful ringing of the bell summons him back to the monastery nestled amongst the mountain’s majestic slopes. Here in the mountains the monk finds a swift and direct ascent to God. He continues a life begun so very many years ago on the summit of Mount Carmel.

This same solitary bliss drew the crusaders of old to retire to the green, commanding slopes of Mount Carmel in the pursuit of their Beloved, their God and their All. These giants of men of whom we know but so little were men of magnanimity who did not fear the wilderness, but rather left everything to follow Christ. They did not seek the company of men, although in the ways of God they were united to all. Rather these first hermits on Mount Carmel found a home in the mountain’s solitude. There, in the towering heights, latent with so many secrets and hidden mysteries of God, they prayed and made sacrifice behind the monastery walls. And as we are told, the holiness of their life on Mount Carmel drifted abroad as a sweet fragrance of prayer and sacrifice drawing men to Christ and to His Church. St. Teresa of Jesus was drawn and captivated by such a life, so hidden and poor; nothing could penetrate into the silence of their mountain retreat. She and St. John of the Cross could think of nothing else, but to return to the beauty and solitude of Carmel. Our Holy Parents’ most intense and ardent longing in their reform was to reclaim this life of old, to ascend Mount Carmel seeking God in imitation of those early hermits.

At first glance, such a life may perhaps seem too difficult, too austere and too far removed from our day, but I dare to ask, “Is it really so impossible for the zealous of today?” Did our Blessed Lord not pray in the wilderness? Was he not transformed on Mount Tabor, so magnificent and radiant? Surely the mountains are the home of solitaries, but does such a yearning resound in the youth, the priests and religious of today?

My dear friends, in the heart of every Carmelite, there is a calling to the solitude of the mountains, a calling that cannot be realized in the tumult and chaos of our modern cities where God’s voice is drowned out amongst so much noise. As it is so often said, a yearning for the mountains cannot be squelched, the mountains simply beckon and beckon. And so it is for the Carmelite who is called to Mount Carmel and to the mountainous heights that he might find solitude and peace, a setting majestic and captivating where God is near. The Carmelite must be a contemplative; he must find the fingerprints of His God in the beauty of creation and lift his soul in praise and thanksgiving. He must be the voice of all men before the Divine Throne singing God’s praises and the psalms of the royal David, which echo throughout the mountainside. The mountain is the Carmelite’s home.

Does Carmel not mean “garden of God” and can such a garden, a cloistered paradise survive and flourish under the trample of men on the city street corner? Surely not. Young men across America are being captivated by the Carmelite life. Our young monks and candidates find themselves drawn to the mountains, the proper setting for Carmel to shine forth her radiance and to let fall the refreshing dew of her wellsprings of grace. Such an earnest and overwhelming longing ought not be overlooked. Our monks seek nothing new or innovative, but simply the mountainous solitude and profound silence that nurtured the hermits’ prayers and commanded the envy of our Holy Parents in years now long past.

But now we must ask ourselves, “Is it possible for this new monastery in Wyoming to enjoy the same peaceful solitude as the first hermits of Mount Carmel?” For this reason I do write, our Lord is working this miracle of transplanting this newest blossom on the vine of Carmel to Wyoming’s wild and solitary mountains. The reality of a New Mount Carmel, an oasis of spiritual bliss and powerful intercession is within grasp. Oh yes, a miracle is necessary, but God can work miracles. For this, we beg your prayers, your friendship and your support that this vision, our vision may come to be that Mount Carmel may be refounded in Wyoming’s Rockies for the glory of God and the salvation of many.

May the day come soon when you can find solace and peace in the retirement of the mountains near our monastery, bursting with youth and life, flourishing in holiness and vocations. This I desire to give to you and my sons. With the help of God and His Immaculate Mother Whom I love, I shall not rest until it be so.

Your devoted and loving Father in Christ,

Fr. Daniel Mary of Jesus Crucified, M. Carm.