Preserving Quiet and Solitude

Sacro Speco at Fonte Colombo, Italy

Wherever we are or wherever we are going, we have our cell with us. For Brother Body is the cell, and the soul is the hermit who dwells in it, meditating there and praying to God. Therefore, if the soul does not preserve quiet and solitude in its own cell, of what profit is a cell made by hands?

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 80

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Taking Pleasure In Vices And Sins

Try to realize the dignity God has conferred on you. He created and formed your body in the image of his beloved Son, and your soul in his own likeness (Genesis 1.26). And yet every creature under heaven serves and acknowledges and obeys its Creator in its own way better than you do. Even the devils were not solely responsible for crucifying him; it was you who crucified him with them and you continue to crucify him by taking pleasure in your vices and sins.

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE ADMONITIONS
Admonition V

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Saint Francis Preaches To The Birds

Spoletto Valley in Italy

Meanwhile, while many were joining the brothers, as was said, the most blessed father Francis was making a trip through the Spoleto valley. He came to a certain place near Bevagna where a very great number of birds of various kinds had congregated, namely, doves, crows, and some others popularly called daws. When the most blessed servant of God, Francis, saw them, being a man of very great fervor and great tenderness toward lower and irrational creatures, he left his companions in the road and ran eagerly toward the birds. When he was close enough to them, seeing that they were waiting for him, he greeted them in the usual way. But, not a little surprised that the birds did not rise in flight, as they usually do, he was filled with great joy and humbly begged them to listen to the word of God...

At these words, as Francis himself used to say and those too who were there with him, the birds, rejoicing in a wonderful way according to their nature, began to stretch their necks, extend their wings, open their mouths and gaze at thim. And Francis, passing through their midst, went on his way and returned, touching their heads and bodies with his tunic. Finally he blessed them, and then, after he made the sign of the cross over them, he gave them permission to fly away to some other place.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER XXI

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Peace

The peace which you proclaim with words must dwell even more abundantly in your hearts. Do not provoke others to anger or give scandal. Rather, let your gentleness draw them to peace, goodness, and concord. This is your vocation: to heal the wounds, to bind what is broken, to bring home those who are lost.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions - 59

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"Search" For Jesus!

We need to raise $120,000 to duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel
at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

What if the Portiuncula Hermitage earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or what if a percentage of every purchase you made on-line went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half of its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

Although this may not sound like a lot of money, if only 1000 of our supporters use GoodSearch.com just 5 times per day for the year, the Portiuncula Hermitage would receive over $18,000 towards its mission of spreading God's love!

It's easy. Just download the GoodSearch – Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center toolbar at:

Website owners can also help by adding a customizable badge to their homepage or blog.

So please, make a commitment to browsing the Internet with GoodSearch.com with the Portiuncula Hermitage as your designated charity. Set it as your homepage, or bookmark it so using it becomes a habit.

As well, you can earn money for the Portiuncula Hermitage by doing your online shopping through GoodShop.com. It is a new online shopping mall which will donate up to 37 percent of each purchase to the Portiuncula Hermitage. Hundreds of popular stores, including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop.com and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting our valuable mission.

By simply surfing the web with GoodSearch.com and shopping with GoodShop.com you can raise much-needed funds for the Portiuncula Hermitage!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS PRAYER REQUEST TO
EVERYONE YOU KNOW!

Pax Et Bonum!


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Dr. Everett L. Ringenberg: the Passing of a Friend

Dr. Everett L. Ringenberg, age 84, of 12276 Bishop Court, Plymouth, Ind., formerly of Richmond, Ind., passed away at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, at Miller's Merry Manor in Plymouth.

Everett was born on Jan. 9, 1926, in Hicksville, Ohio, to Samuel and Clara (Knoblauch) Ringenberg. On July 24, 1948, Everett married the former Joyce Dean in Fort Wayne, Ind. Together they raised their seven children.

Everett proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1944-1946 during World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart.

He graduated from IU Bloomington in pre-med. In 1952, he graduated from the St. Louis University School of Dentistry. He practiced in Richmond, Ind., from1952-1990. He then continued to practice, part-time, with his son, Dr. Tom Ringenberg, commuting from North Carolina until his retirement in 1993. Everett was elected to the International College of Dentists in1971. He was appointed to the Indiana Board of Dental Examiners by Governor Otis Bowen and served for six years.

The Ringenbergs lived in North Carolina for 10 years and four years in Columbus, Ind., before locating in Plymouth two years ago. Everett was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Plymouth.

Everett is survived by his loving wife, Joyce Ringenberg of Plymouth; his sons, Stephen and Nancy Ringenberg of Richmond, Ind., Paul and Carolea Ringenberg of Tampa, Fla., Tim Ringenberg of Fort Wayne, Ind., Dr. Tom and Hayley Ringenberg of Richmond, Ind., and Mark and Brenda Ringenberg of Plymouth; his daughter, Janis and Gary Monroe of New York; his son-in-law, John Clark of Melbourne, Fla.; 14 greatly loved grandchildren; seven stepgrandchildren; four great-grandchildren; his sisters, Betty and Herbert Weisshart of Las Vegas, Nev., and Ilene McLauchlin of Winter Haven, Fla. Also many nieces, nephews and cousins survive.

Everett was preceded in death by his daughter, Cathy Stout Clark, in 2005; his grandson, Garrison O.P. Ringenberg, in 2009; his grandson-in-law, Tim Hartman; his brothers, Quentin R. and Miles Ringenberg; and his sister, Charlotte Dasher.

A memorial service in honor of Everett will be held on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, at 3:30 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 401 Walnut St., Plymouth, IN 46563, with the Rev. Jean Sparks officiating. A time of greeting the family will be from 3:00 -3:30 p.m., before the service. A private internment will be held a later date in Richmond, Ind.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like for you to remember your local food pantry, hospice or church.

The Van Gilder Funeral Home, 300 W. Madison St., Plymouth, IN 46563, has been entrusted with the arrangements.

You are invited to share memories and sing the guest book at www.vangilderfuneralhome.com

We All Have Our Own Private, Invisible Stigmata's We Must Bear. What's Yours?

St. Francis cried out and said: "My Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You for the great love and charity which You are showing me, because it is a sign of great love when the Lord punishes His servant well for all his faults in this world, so that he may not be punished for them in the next world. And I am prepared to endure with joy every pain and every adversity which You, my God, wish to send me for my sins."

Saint Francis of Assisi
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Part II
THE CONSIDERATIONS OF THE HOLY STIGMATA

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Evangelical Envy

Tunic worn by St. Francis found in Cortuna, Italy

O enviable envy! O emulation to be emulated by his sons! This is not that envy that is grieved over the goods of others; it is not that envy that is darkened by the rays of the sun; not that envy that is opposed to kindness; not that envy that is nurtured by spite. Do you think that evangelical poverty has nothing about it to be envied?

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter LI

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Spiritual Joy

St. Francis maintained that the safest remedy against a thousand snares and wiles of the enemy is spiritual joy.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, Second Life

Chapter LXXXVIII



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Vatican Cardinal: U.S. Sisters in Crisis After Embracing "Secular Culture"

Papa Benedict XVI with Cardinal Franc Rode

By Hilary White

ROME, February 5, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Some religious orders in the U.S. and most western countries are in a state of “modern crisis” because the members of the order have embraced “secular culture” and abandoned traditional religious practices, the head of the Vatican’s office for religious life has said.

But, said the cardinal, the religious life in the Catholic Church should be presenting an alternative to the “dominant culture,” “which is a culture of death, of violence and of abuse,” rather than mirroring it.

Cardinal Franc Rodé, the prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, which is undertaking a review (known as a “visitation”) of the active religious life for women in the U.S., was speaking to a conference on religious life sponsored by the Archdiocese of Naples on Wednesday.

He said, “The crisis experienced by certain religious communities, especially in Western Europe and North America, reflects the more profound crisis of European and American society. All this has dried up the sources that for centuries have nourished consecrated and missionary life in the church.”

“The secularized culture has penetrated into the minds and hearts of some consecrated persons and some communities, where it is seen as an opening to modernity and a way of approaching the contemporary world,” the cardinal added.

In November last year, Cardinal Rodé forthrightly said that it is feminism that has created the crisis in the religious orders. In an interview with Vatican Radio, he said he had been “alerted” by an unnamed representative of the Church in the U.S., “to some irregularities or deficiencies” in the way the religious sisters were living.

“Above all, you could speak of a certain secularist mentality that has spread among these religious families, perhaps even a certain 'feminist' spirit,” the cardinal said.

Late last year, the increasingly loud complaints about the ongoing visitation from a small number of American communities prompted several public comments from the cardinal defending the Vatican’s decision to investigate the sisters’ lives. For some years now, Rodé has called on the sisters to refocus their communities on the “founding charisms” or original purpose of their orders.

The deterioration since the 1960s into radical feminism and leftist politics of most of the religious orders in the U.S., especially those of women, has not gone unnoticed in Rome. In 2008 at a meeting of religious men and women in Boston, Cardinal Rodé said that today there are some in religious life “who have chosen paths that have carried them away from communion with Christ in the Catholic Church, even though they have decided to physically ‘be’ in the Church.”

This assertion was bolstered in 2007 at a meeting of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a keynote speaker, Dominican Sister Laurie Brink, said that the more liberal congregations of sisters were leaving behind “institutional religion” and “moving beyond the Church, even beyond Jesus.”

What she called a “sojourning” order “is no longer ecclesiastical,” she said. “Religious titles, institutional limitations, ecclesiastical authorities no longer fit this congregation, which in most respects is Post-Christian.”

These statements were cited by the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) when it launched a doctrinal investigation into the beliefs and teachings of orders that are members of LCWR. The Apostolic Visitation being conducted by the Congregation for Religious is separate from the CDF investigation, but the latter has been excoriated as an “inquisition” by the same religious orders that have objected to the Visitation.

Read related LSN coverage:

Dissident U.S. Nuns Unlikely to Change, Even in Face of Vatican Inquiry and Shrinking Numbers: Experts

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042201.html

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A Visitation Of The Spirit Is Not To Be Neglected

St. Francis was accustomed not to pass over any visitation of the Spirit with negligence. When indeed such was offered, he followed it, and as long as the Lord would permit, he would enjoy the sweetness offered him. When, therefore, while he was pressed by some business or was intent upon a journey, he would taste the sweetest manna in frequent snatches.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter LXI

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Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To Order Direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Icon at the very top of this page!

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all our commission sales are donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Fra Chris





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Edify By Simple Words Of Burning Fire

Francis began to preach penance to all with great fervor of spirit and joy of mind, edifying his hearers with his simple words and his greatness of heart. His words were like a burning fire, penetrating the inmost reaches of the heart, and it filled the minds of all the hearers with admiration.

Saint Francis of Assisi

Celano, First Life

CHAPTER X

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Being A Model And Example To Others

Contigliano, Italy

In those days, Blessed Francis was living at the hermitage of St. Eleutherius, not far from Contigliano, in the disict of Rieti. Since he was wearing but one tunic and it was extremely cold, he was obliged to line the inside of it; so did his companion. His body felt some relief from this. A short time after, as he had just finished his prayer, overjoyed, he said to his companion, "I must be a model and an example to all the brothers. Therefore, although my body needs a lined tunic, I must think of my brothers who are experiencing the same need and who do not have or cannot procure for themselves a like tunic. I must therefore put myself in their place and share their privations, so that they may endure them patiently because they see the way I live."

...blessed Francis' main concern was to teach the brothers, more by his actions than his words, what they ought to do and what they ought to avoid.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia : 85

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Senator Dan Coats - Your Vote Their Voice

Withdrawing To The Forest To Pray

Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Francis mortified himself by going without food and by abstaining from talk. He often withdrew to the forest near the church in order to pray; there he could give free rein to his grief and pour out abundant tears in the Lord's presence...

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 21

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Welcome To The Portiuncula Healing Ministry

Parresia: the quality of a Monk to perform miracles

"Only say the word Lord, and I shall be healed"

We are a

Franciscan Prayer Ministry

located in Jerusalem, Ohio.

Through prayer and Adoration before our Eucharistic Lord, we seek His awesome power, grace, and mercy, to bring His divine healing and peace into your life.

To receive prayer simply e-mail your Prayer Requests to:

hermitage@parallax.ws

We encourage you to participate in our

Healing Services

and

Retreats

Thank you for visiting.

Pax Et Bonum!

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The Power To Heal Comes Through True Humility

In his love for true humility, St. Francis devoted himself to the lepers and lived with them, waiting on them all, for the love of God. He washed their feet and bound up their sores, drawing off the puss and wiping them clean. He was extraordinarily devoted to them and kissed their wounds, he who was soon to play a part of the worthy Good Samaritan in the Gospel. As a reward, God endowed him with such power to heal that his influence over ills of soul and body were miraculous.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Major Life
CHAPTER II

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We Don't Heal, Only God Working Through Us Can Heal

Sister Briege McKenna, OSC, called the "Healing Nun" by Mother Teresa

Athanasius comments: "For Anthony [St. Anthony of Padua] did not heal by issuing commands, but by praying and calling upon the name of Christ, so that it was evident to everyone that it was not he who did this, but the Lord manifesting his compassion to men and, through Anthony, was healing those who suffered." (Matthew 17:19 and John 16:23-24)

Vita Antonii 83-84

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Lethal Weapons

Franciscans are not to take up lethal weapons, or bear them about, against anybody.

Saint Francis of Assisi
THE FIRST RULE OF THE THIRD ORDER
Chapter V

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Staying Away From Outsiders

The friars who are mothers must be careful to stay away from outsiders and in obedience to their custos keep their sons away from them, so that no one can speak to them. The friars who are sons are not to speak to anyone except their mother or their custos, when he chooses to visit them, with God's blessing. Now and then, the sons should exchange places with the mothers, according to whatever arrangement seems best suited for the moment.

Saint Francis of Assisi
RELIGIOUS LIFE IN HERMITAGES

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"Come To The Quiet" - Become A Monastic Without Having To Leave Your Day Job!

Dr. Tom Ringenberg during personal prayer time at the
Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Dear Christian Brothers and Sisters,

Having just experienced one of the most peaceful and fulfilling weekends of my Christian life, I feel led to write you and encourage you to take a fresh breath of the clean air at the Portiuncula Retreat in Jerusalem Ohio. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation in the hills of Appalachia, I was refreshed in God’s peace.

The initial reaction to a weekend of silence, fasting and prayer was mixed as I revel in the world’s flash of media and the madness of twenty-four hour news. I feared boredom and the lack of external stimulus. But God is good, and He provided plenty for me. Walks in the woods and fields, silent prayer and meditation, communal prayer with my Brothers in Christ, prayers of intercession, and theological discussion on the travel to and from Jerusalem, stimulated my spirit far more than my flesh has ever been stimulated.

It is my hope that the Portiuncula will become a haven for those who need a fresh touch of God. I will return soon to restore my soul with peace.

Please prayerfully consider joining me in supporting the Portiuncula Retreat Center by simply contributing $5.00 $10.00 $15.00 or more a month.

Simply Click On The
Parish Pay
Icon

Or mail payments to:

"Portiuncula Hermitage"
% 508 South 16th Street
Richmond, IN 47374.

Thank you and God bless!

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Tom Ringenberg
Centerville, IN

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Erect Humble Buildings

Francis said, 'Friars often raise large buildings, and violate our holy poverty, and by so doing provoke criticism and set a bad example. And sometimes, in order to obtain a better or holier place, or a larger congregation, they abandon their own houses out of covetousness and greed; or they pull them down and build others that are large and pretentious. Consequently, those who have contributed to their cost, and others who see it, are greatly offended and distressed. So it is better for friars to erect humble little buildings, remaining loyal to their profession and setting a good example for their neighbors, rather than to act contrary to their profession and set a bad example to others'...

Saint Francis of Assisi
Mirror of Perfection - 10

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The Sharing In The Sufferings And Bitterness Which Christ Endured

The Grotto and Bed where Francis slept

Every day Francis meditated on the humility and example of the Son of God; he experienced much compassion and much sweetness from this, and in the end, what was bitter to his body had changed to sweetness. The sufferings and bitterness which Christ endured for us were a constant subject of affliction to him and a cause for interior and exterior mortification; consequently, he was totally unconcerned with his own sufferings.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 37

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Begging For Stones; Monroe County, Ohio

Monroe County, Ohio Catholics are being asked to collect all their field stones and drop them off at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road so that we can duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel located at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

Francis set to begging for stones with which to restore the church of San Damiano. He called to the passers-by: "Whoever gives me one stone will have one reward; two stones, two rewards; three stones, a treble reward!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER VII

Please round up all your field stones and dump them into the woods next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road in the direction of the Portiuncula Hermitage, the white house towards Woodsfield (pictured below). These stones will be used to build the Portiuncula Chapel.

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Alien

MARY BRENT WHITESIDE

He crouches in the chapel, on his knees,
With matted hair that hangs in dusky strands;
Apart and strange, among the little bands
Of worshipers, for he is not as these.
Alone! and yet a deeper vision sees
That near this alien with his grimy hands,
The Little Poor Man of Assisi stands,
As Giotto painted him upon a friese.

I know one luminous Italian spring!
"Your province? Is it Umbria?" I ask.
The weariness falls from him like a mask,
And all his visage is a shining thing,
As though some deathless master of his race
Inscribed a sudden message on his face.

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Franciscan University Youth Conferences 2010, "The Word Became Flesh"

Serve Women As Angels Serve Them

And this was the will of Francis for all his brothers: he wanted them to serve women in such a way for Christ, whom they serve, that like them that have wings they would always guard against the snare laid out for them.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life
Chapter CLVII

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The Path of Petals

by
Kindred Spirit
http://trailofflowers.blogspot.com/

As I neared the communion rail
I saw it-
a path of white rose petals
leading past the hem
of her white satin gown,
past the bridegroom to the altar,
to Him.
And I saw the path of thorns and dust
leading to Calvary,
the one the Bridegroom trod
in His blood-soaked robe
for His bride,
for us.
Two paths to Heaven-
the second one is loveliest.


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Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To Order Direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Icon at the very top of this page!

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all our commission sales are donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Fra Chris





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