The Discalced Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

EREMITAE DISCALCEATI DOMINAE NOSTRAE DE MONTE CARMELO

A Roman Catholic diocesan religious community in full communion with the Holy See that follows the unmitigated observance of the ancient Carmelite charism in its contemplative form.

Daily Horarium
  • 12:00 a.m. Rise

    Rise

    In the darkness and quiet of the night the Hermits rise for prayer in the first hours of a new day.
  • 12:15 a.m. Matins & Lauds

    Matins & Lauds

    In the glow of candlelight in the Chapel, the Hermits chant Matins & Laudes of the Divine Office. Liturgical prayer and interior contemplative prayer are profoundly complementary in cultivating union with God in the depths of the soul.
  • 1:45 a.m. Mental Prayer

    Mental Prayer

    According to the original observance of the Discalced Reform of the Carmelites and the discipline in the contemplative Holy Deserts, the Hermits have their first hour of silent Mental Prayer following the nightly liturgical offices either before the Tabernacle in the Chapel or in the Oratory of their Cells. Then they retire back to sleep by 3:00 AM.
  • 6:00 a.m. Rise

    Rise

    The Hermits rise again for the day as the growing sunlight illuminates the monastery grounds, waking the community's animals and livestock.
  • 6:15 a.m. Mental Prayer

    Mental Prayer

    In the morning, the Hermits have a second hour of Mental Prayer in the solitude of the Oratory in their Cells. Prayer in the solitude of the Cell and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel are mutually enriching and bring the Hermits to a deeper union with Christ.
  • 7:30 a.m. - Prime & Terce

    Prime & Terce

    Offering themselves to the divine praises in the liturgical offices in union with Christ the Great High Priest, the Hermits chant Prime & Terce in the Chapel and then prepare themselves for offering or assisting in His Sacrifice in Holy Mass.
  • 8:15 a.m. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

    The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

    The heart of the religious life is in deep union with Christ and Our Lady in the worship of God. This union culminates in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass which makes present the redemptive mystery of the Sacrifice of the Cross. Each day the Hermits strive to live and imitate that supreme mystery of sacrifice and charity by giving themselves entirely to divine worship and the love of God and neighbor.
  • 9:15 a.m. Spiritual Reading

    Spiritual Reading

    Prolonging the recollection from Holy Mass and Communion, the Hermits apply themselves to spiritual reading, which is an essential nourishment for prayer and ongoing formation in the school of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the imitation of Christ. Illuminated and inspired by the traditional teachings of the saints and Doctors of the Church, the Hermits advance in living obedience to the Word of God and perfect worship in spirit and truth.
  • 10:00 a.m. Manual Labor

    Manual Labor

    Physical labor is ordered to the spiritual work that is the soul of the Carmelite vocation in the heart of the Church. By exercising their bodies in hard manual labor and humble service, the Hermits practice fraternal charity, grow in virtue, perform penance, and better dispose themselves for prayer and study. To preserve the integrity and fullness of their contemplative vocation and religious observance, the Hermits operate no business.
  • 1:00 p.m. Sext & None, Examen & Angelus

    Sext & None, Examen & Angelus

    Having concluded the heavy manual labor for the day, the Hermits return to the worship of their Lord in the chapel and chant Sext & None of the Divine Office, followed by an examination of conscience and the Angelus.
  • 1:30 p.m. Monastic Dinner

    Monastic Dinner

    The Hermits process from the Chapel to the Refectory for their principal meal accompanied by the reading of a book. On Sundays and feast days, community recreation follows, which exercises fraternal charity and is the occasion of much joy and laughter.
  • 2:30 p.m. Rest

    Rest

    Returning to a prayerful silence that is observed until Vespers, the Hermits have free time for rest, reading, hiking on the monastery grounds, or quiet work, such as handwashing their laundry or gardening.
  • 3:45 p.m. Vespers

    Vespers

    The Hermits chant Vespers of the Divine Office in the Chapel. On Sundays and feast days the Divine Office is more solemnly sung. The Anchorites in the monastery pray the hours of the Divine Office mostly in the sacred solitude of their Cells, except for Sundays and feast days.
  • 4:15 p.m. Classes, Reading, or Manual Work

    Classes, Reading, or Manual Work

    The Hermits have a spiritual conference, tutoring in ecclesiastical Latin, practice in sacred chant, or a class on philosophy or theology. Otherwise they occupy themselves in individual study or manual labor.
  • 5:30 p.m. Compline

    Compline

    The Hermits chant Compline of the Divine Office in the Chapel. At this time Grand Silence begins throughout the Monastery until Holy Mass on the following day, fostering recollection and prayer. The observance of silence is also part of charity towards neighbor in helping him to be undistracted and focused on the things of God and His grace in the soul.
  • 6:00 p.m. Mental Prayer

    Mental Prayer

    Hidden with Christ in God, Mental Prayer is at the heart of the Hermit's vocation to live in union with the divine Savior and His Mother. In the evening the Hermits have a third hour of Mental Prayer in their Cells or with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel.
  • 7:00 p.m. Collation or Meal

    Collation or Meal

    In the late evening, the Hermits have a small Collation on days of fasting, or a Supper outside of times of fasting.
  • 7:30 p.m. Free Time

    Free Time

    It is at this time that the Hermits carry to their Cells the water, candles, firewood, or other supplies needed for them to live another day in the service of God and His Church.
  • 7:45 p.m. Reading

    Reading

    In the last two hours of the day, the Hermits have an extended period for reading or free time.
  • 9:30 p.m. Retire

    Retire

    Commending themselves into the hands of God, the Hermits blow out the candles in their Cells and retire to sleep.