We have been blessed by donations and coverage to allow us to build the new monastery, but we still need money to furnish it properly. This primarily includes the seating for the new church. We need good congregational seating, and a monastic choir. Simple, yet comfortable enough to allow elderly to stay during the three daily services. These will be made of quality wood in order to survive their rugged use through the upcoming years.
We also will need help with the initial landscaping costs to heal the wound of, both the fire, and the building process. What is planned is simple, but beautiful. We want to provide a restful environment for residents and guests.
Please consider helping generously with these needs. We really want to build something that all our friends and supporters will be proud of, and will want to visit in order to pray, worship, and fellowship with us at the Hermitage.
I have not written a Little Portion Fire update for a long time. But it was not due to lack of work.
We are just now getting to work after excavating the burn site. Jesus, the teaching Christ, stands alone as the sentinel over the only reminder of the old buildings and gardens, and a Savior to lead us on during these most painful months.
We have been reviewing the architect's preliminary plans. These were reviewed by our Board of Directors, and our General Council. We will see several more detailed renderings next week. After that is a community meeting to get everyone's input. We hope that they will be pleased.
The next job is to break ground and get started. But there many decisions to be made: Poured or concrete block, or some form of real rock. This is the ultimate dream, but we have to trust in God.
Right now we have the money to begin and nearly finish, but we will need more. Much more. We think that we still need several hundred thousand dollars. Why so much? Simple - we want to build a monastery that will last a lifetime to live in, and withstand another fire. So it will be masonry unless God shows us another way. Plus, we want to stand with the monastic communities of long ago; something both ancient and new.
That's it for now. Other reports will come as more developments arise.
In Jesus, John Michael Talbot John Michael Talbot Founder and Spiritual Father The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage
