HERMITS OF ST. MARY OF CARMEL
THE HERMITS
A Roman Catholic diocesan religious community in full communion with the Holy See.
Living under the ancient Rule of St. Albert, we are Carmelite Hermit Sisters (HSMC) consecrated to a hidden life of silence, solitude, and prayer. Drawing from the Carmelite spirituality of St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross, and the Little Way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux—we follow the narrow path that leads into the Heart of God.
Ours is a semi-eremitic life, set apart from the world, yet united to it through sacrificial intercession. In the cloister of the desert, we offer our lives in reparation—for our own sins and those of the world—praying especially for the sanctification of priests, the needs of Holy Mother Church, and the salvation of souls. Hidden from view, yet bound in love to the Victim of Calvary, we live solely for Him who first loved us.
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Hidden in Christ, we live not for ourselves, but for God alone—Soli Deo.
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In the stillness, His voice. In the solitude, His presence. In the silence, His peace.
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Deo gratias!
An Unpetalled Rose
Poetry of St. Therese, ICS
This unpetalled rose is the faithful image,
Divine Child,
Of the heart that wants to sacrifice itself for you
Unreservedly at each moment.
Lord, on your altars more than one new rose
Likes to shine.
It gives itself to you...but I dream of something else;
To be unpetalled!...
At a Glance
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In full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, our community lives under the pastoral care and ecclesiastical authority of the local bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.
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We wear the full, traditional Carmelite habit.
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​We live according to the Rule of St. Albert, shaped by the contemplative tradition of Carmel.
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Our daily prayer draws upon the Divine Office in the Carmelite spirit.
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Founded in 1987 by hermits drawn from the Carmelite tradition in Wisconsin, our community was established in southern Minnesota through Divine Providence. In the Great Jubilee Year of 2000, the Hermitage was formally recognized by the local bishop as a diocesan institute. While we are not receiving new vocations at this time, we continue to live our vocation as hermits, faithfully under the care and guidance of the Church, following the spirituality of St. Therese.
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We depend entirely on Divine Providence, sustained by the alms and in-kind gifts of the faithful—without financial support from the diocese.
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Our monastic rhythm unfolds in the context of a rural environment where the work of our hands becomes an offering of love and witness to the Gospel.