New Camaldoli Hermitage (formally called Immaculate Heart Hermitage) is a rural

Camaldolese The Camaldolese Hermits of Mount Corona ( la, Congregatio Eremitarum Camaldulensium Montis Coronae), commonly called Camaldolese is a monastic order of Pontifical Right for men founded by Saint Romuald. Their name is derived from the Holy Hermita ...

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

hermitage in the

Santa Lucia Mountains The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than from t ...

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, in the United States. The Camaldolese branch of the Benedictine family was founded by St.

Romuald Romuald ( la, Romualdus; 951 – traditionally 19 June, c. 1025/27 AD) was the founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century "Renaissance of eremitical asceticism".John Howe, "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic ...

in the late 10th century. It was consecrated under the Immaculate Heart of Mary and was known by that name for its first decades, but its official name is New Camaldoli. New Camaldoli Hermitage Panorama (19959310891)

New Camaldoli Hermitage Panorama (19959310891)

The Hermitage was founded in 1958 by two

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s from the

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...

Camaldoli Camaldoli () is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Poppi, in Tuscany, Italy. It is mostly known as the ancestral seat of the Camaldolese monastic order, originated in the eponymous hermitage, which can still be visited. The name was derived from ...

in Tuscany, who had spent two years searching for a site that combined solitude and natural beauty. It is located at an altitude of approximately , and is approached by a winding road that is nearly two miles long, which gives the visitor a clear view of the landscape and Pacific coastline.

Daily life

A dozen monks live and work at the hermitage. Each monk lives in a small cottage, called a "cell," which is divided from its neighbors by a high wall, and includes a small garden. Labors include a guest ministry, retreats, a bakery, a book store, cooking and writing. In July 2013, Father

Cyprian Consiglio Cyprian Consiglio, O.S.B. Cam., is an American composer, musician, Camaldolese monk and Catholic priest. He is noted for his musical work to support the practice of meditation. He is the author of two books. Life He was born in 1958 as Phillip ...

, O.S.B. Cam., was elected as the new

prior Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...

of the hermitage.

Food products

The hermitage produces and ships its own fruitcake, date-nut cake based, and granola on a recipe developed by the monks. The proceeds help to support the hermitage.

Retreats

Retreatants are welcome and over 150,000 people have made retreats at the hermitage. Rooms for men and women are available as well as separate hermitages for longer retreats. Normally all retreats are silent and non-directed.

Location

The hermitage is located in the

Santa Lucia Range The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than from t ...

, along the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1), three-quarters of a mile south of the Lucia Lodge. It is situated between

San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfwa ...

(85 miles to the south) and

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...

(55 miles to the north). The entrance to the property is marked by a sign with a large, wooden Benedictine cross.

Liturgy

Sundays and feast days

* 5:30 a.m.Vigils * 7:00 a.m.Lauds * 11:00 a.m.Eucharist * 5:00 p.m.Vespers

Weekdays

Monday through Thursday

* 5:30 a.m.Vigils * 7:00 a.m.Lauds * 12:10 a.m.Midday Prayer * 5:00 p.m.Vespers with Mass

Friday

* 5:30 a.m.Vigils * 7:00 a.m.Lauds * 11:30 a.m.Eucharist * 6:00 p.m.Vespers

Saturday

* 6:30 a.m.Lauds with Mass * 12:10 a.m.Midday Office of Readings * 6:00 p.m.Vespers

Expansion

New Camaldoli has founded two daughter communities, Incarnation Monastery in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, California, near the GTU, north of

U.C. Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

in 1979 and the Monastery of the Risen Christ in

, California in 2014.New Camaldoli Hermitage
Retrieved 2019-3-21.Incarnation Monastery
Accessed 2019-3-28.Monastery of the Risen Christ
Accessed 2021-11-19.

St. Romuald’s brief rule

Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms—never leave it. If you have just come to the monastery, and in spite of your good will you cannot accomplish what you want, take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind. And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more. Realize above all that you are in God's presence, and stand there with the attitude of one who stands before the emperor. Empty yourself completely and sit waiting, content with the grace of God, like the chick who tastes nothing and eats nothing but what his mother brings him. — From ''The Mystery of Romuald and The Five Brothers'' by Thomas Matus, O.S.B. Cam., A publication of Source Books and Hermitage Books, 1994

References

{{Authority control Camaldolese monasteries Benedictine monasteries in the United States Christian organizations established in 1958 Christian hermitages in the United States 1958 establishments in California Big Sur