Abbey of Gethsemani The Hermitage

In 1960, the monks of Gethsemani gave Fr. Louis (Thomas Merton) a gift he had yearned for for decades. They built him a hermitage. For the first five years, it was a place of retreat for him, but in 1965, he moved up there full-time. The hermitage was completed in early 1968 with the addition of indoor plumbing and a small chapel.
The hermitage is still in use by members of the community. We can request a private retreat of one week each year, to be spent there. It is a place where we can reconnect with our vocation, and listen more closely for the voice of God.
This short movie attempts to capture the experience of one monk on retreat at the hermitage.
The film also gives a glimpse inside the hermitage for those who are curious about it. Because the hermitage is part of the secluded area of the monastery, reserved for the use of the monks, those who visit the monastery for retreats cannot see it. We hope that this will be an intimate look inside for all the people who have visited us, who will visit us, and who wish that they might visit us some day.

[@fredsimon6640]

I was privileged to visit the hermitage with Br. Patrick Hart 🙏🏼

[@museluvr]

It is calming when hearing the brothers pray the Liturgy, and in seeing this glimpse of the place, it is beautiful.

[@mommyseastar5776]

What a treasure! Thank you for letting me see this beautiful place 🙏❤️

[@rastabilly6880]

God bless you my brothers may our Lord keep you .

[@elperiodistaespiritual]

I don't know why but by looking at the images of nature and contemplation tears rolled down my face. Thanks for this gift Brother Lawrence.

[@mortalclown3812]

How wonderful! I've loved Merton's writing for decades and thank you for this glimpse into his earthly world. Paz y luz.

[@chefanthony815]

By watching your videos, I feel I’m closer to God. Thank you so much for sharing

[@ObstreperousAntipodean]

I'm grateful for the anonymity of the monk, working and praying in obscurity for G-d and all creation. Thank you.

[@ussco]

I have always thought about entering the monastery, but I don't know where nor how. I am in Chicago and I feel like the midwest is where I could live out my remaining years as a monk.

[@ugomariapablo]

Try the Carmelite Hermits of Fairfield Pennsylvania

[@elleh3495]

wonderful film. thank you🤍.

[@barbararey-constantin5679]

A beautiful balance of prayer and silence, stillness and movement. Thank you very much for posting this.

[@drewcharpentier8670]

Congratulations Father! I here this week (Aug 20 2018) youve been ordained! Thank you all for the protection and grace your prayers cast over this kingdom of noise. My best to Brother Luke and Kelley from the kitchen. Love.

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Drew: How wonderful that you were here for the ordination! It was a very special day for me as you might imagine. Friends and family came down, some from a ways away, to make it a real celebration. Blessings, Fr. Lawrence

[@fredsimon6640]

I was blessed to be in the hermitage with Brother Patrick Hart.

[@2Brento]

Beautiful video. How very thoughtful to share this with many, like myself, who will never be able to visit the hermitage.

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Todd: Thanks for the comment and appreciation. It has been a joy and a privilege to make these small movies to show different aspects of our life here at Gethsemani. Br. Lawrence

[@runlolarunpunk]

Love it as always. I could feel the stillness and peace there. You guys did a great job! Glad BroJo was able to help too! ❤️❤️❤️

[@MrDavidSalamon]

Thank you for producing this visual experience!

[@hermitruben4032]

From Misión Cruz Hermitage in Somerset, Texas. Blessings to you Brother Hermit.

[@petrasant5495]

Beautiful! Greetings from Wales! IESU BENDIGEDIG, (Wonderful Jesus)

[@chungchihsu2000]

He is alive in his books everywhere in the world. I am reading the Chinese translation of his intimate journal on this place, his book on Chuangtze in the context of western spirituality.

[@ChrisDuncan]

I really enjoyed the video! I'll be on my second retreat to Gethsemani a little before Easter this year. Wishing you well and keeping you in my prayers!

[@tomlehr861]

I went for silent retreat when i lived in kentucky

[@austexchris]

Reading the book on Thomas Merton by Cornelia and Irving Sussman...very moving book. This video brings me closer to Thomas Merton's soul....

[@mortalclown3812]

Thanks for this recommendation!

[@paulmartin7609]

Praying for your intentions Bro Lawerance👏👏👏

[@polemeros]

I was a Merton fan when I was young but have come to see him more as a symptom than an inspiration. His psychiatrist said that Merton's real idea of solitude was to set up a hermitage in Times Square with a big neon sign on it saying "HERMIT!".

[@LawrenceMorey]

On the other hand, the fact that we know this from supposedly confidential sessions says a lot about the psychiatrist.

[@polemeros]

@@LawrenceMorey Merton himself published a lot of what Zilboorg told him, all of which lines up with the above. You're just avoiding and deflecting.

[@LawrenceMorey]

@@polemeros Dear Polemeros: One thing that everyone agrees on is that Merton was a complex guy, including Merton himself. Trying to reconcile internal friction is often what makes an artist. So it's natural that different people have different views of him. Roger Lipsey (the biographer of Dag Hammarskjöld among other things) has written an interesting book about Merton's relationship with Dom James, including his work with Zilboorg. I shouldn't have stuck in my own two cents about Zilboorg. My opinion is worth exactly that - two cents. I wasn't there. I'm not saying you are wrong about Merton, but there are many sides to this complicated monk. I think this is why he still fascinates people today. Fr. Lawrence

[@robertsnopkiewicz]

MERTON SHOULD NOT BE REASAVED TO MONASTERY, IT WAS ALL THE PROBLEM. HE WAS - A YEAR TO EARLY, AGAINST CANNON LAW OF CATHOLIC CHURCH, -ILLEGALY.@@LawrenceMorey

[@waqarbhatti9558]

Please keep it up and also encourage new generation to be soilder of CHRIST our LOARD

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Waqar: Thanks for the appreciation. I do hope that some people seeing these videos might be inspired to try the monastic life. It is a rare vocation, but many people do not even know that it's an option. Someone once said, "I thought all the monks had died out." No. We are still kicking. The more people that know about it, the more chance there is that someone will be moved to try the life. Keep us in your prayers. Blessings, Fr. Lawrence

[@jadpuertorico123]

Besides the retreat. How does one become ordained to live here amongst the hermitage?

[@livelovenow8862]

Here is how to make a visit about possibly becoming monk. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXu8ophpncuNrMU

[@mariahaddad3555]

Estamos unidos aos n. Irmãos da Ucrânia, em orações!!

[@AndreyVas2008]

Thank you for the silence! I just didn't understand why was those doubled and trippled voices...

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Andrey: Thanks for the question. I have found that when I go on retreat, the external silence is waiting for me, but I have to work through some chatter in my head before I can reach internal silence. That can take a few days. - Br. Lawrence

[@ofcourse7357]

For me the doubled voices reminded me of the overlay of time, such as when the sacrifice of Christ on the altar during Mass brings the past and the present together at the same time on the altar. And also, it suggests that when one prays even in solitude one is still among the community of those who prayed those very words in the past. It suggests eternity.

[@LawrenceMorey]

@@ofcourse7357 Thanks for the thoughtful interpretation. I like it very much. The communion of the saints does indeed live outside time, in eternity, which we touch when we pray. Fr. Lawrence

[@michaelcasey3152]

Wow, Merton entered a Trappist monastery three weeks after he was baptized?

[@shawnhampton8503]

I don't understand the audio: strange echo with the psalm recitation.

[@LawrenceMorey]

Shawn - the idea behind the audio was to show that when someone first starts a retreat, his or her mind is often still chaotic, still attached to the jumble and confusion of everyday routine. As the retreat progresses, the mind calms down until it is focused just on what is happening at each moment. So the audio goes from slightly chaotic to calm and unified. Thanks for your comment.

[@gtalaveraa]

Wonderful video! Where can I find the oil lamp seen at 0:47?

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Gabriel: I'm so glad you liked the video. It was a labour of love. I wanted to share the hermitage with the many people who would not have the chance to visit it. You know, we sell those lamps in the Welcome Center gift shop. A local potter hand-makes them for us. Each one is unique. They cost around $50, but they will last a lot longer than a box of candles. You can buy the oil for them in most hardware stores. We use them in various places around the monastery. They last forever with a full tank. Blessings, Fr. Lawrence

[@isthisagoodplacetoscream2244]

♥️

[@jaw0449]

Would love to join this wonderful house of worship (the monastery as a whole), but alas, Cannon Law says no...for now, anyway

[@windstorm1000]

Why not?

[@michaelorsini9695]

Very Beautiful! I felt like I was right there in the hermitage myself! Is that your home now Br. Lawrence?

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Mr. Orsini: Wouldn't it be nice to be out there full-time! Each of the monks here get the opportunity, if they would like, to spend one week out there on private retreat each year. I do take advantage of that. So for one week each year, yes, it is my home! And we sometimes use the hermitage for gatherings of one sort or another. Our "Come and See" weekend visitors, for example, spend an afternoon out there chatting with the novices.

[@pencilpen8838]

Are these monks required to take a Vow of Silence or is it voluntary

[@LawrenceMorey]

Dear Pen: The Trappists were never required to take a "vow" of silence. Our vows are stability, obedience and conversion of manner. However, up until the mid-1960's, the monks did keep fairly strict silence, using sign language to communicate. It was never a vow, as I say, but a practice. These days we are allowed to speak pretty much as we wish, though we still keep strict silence from Compline at 7:30 PM until after Terce at 7:30 AM. This isn't too tough, since we sleep through about 7 hours in there, but this is real "monastic" silence, during which we do not even greet each other with a wave or a smile when we pass in the cloister. There are also other times and places for silence - the refectory (our dining room) is a place of silence, for example, as is the church. Naturally, when we go on retreat to the hermitage, there's no one to talk to, so we are generally silent out there. I hope this answers your question. Fr. Lawrence

[@pencilpen8838]

@@LawrenceMorey thank you

[@z-di8pi]

Korea pray for Peace unification

[@lmtt123]

Americans don't seem to know how to use a knife and fork together lol

[@janetruggles8708]

This was all you received from the video?

[@marciasloan534]

I will read my Thomas Merton book.

[@KR-ms6km]

low quality comment

[@LawrenceMorey]

And I'm Canadian, so that might explain a lot.