On March 11th, 2019, we watched the four founding sisters of our little Carmel walk up the driveway of their little farmhouse for the first time. Now, following the fourth anniversary of that day, we wanted to send out a little update to express our gratitude for all the support, contributions, prayers and love their friends have provided over the past four years. The Sisters are so happy with their property, and with the way their surroundings support their life of prayer, solitude, gardening and simple agricultural work.
The seedlings which were planted three years ago through the generosity of many friends have taken root and are each day slowly and gently increasing the screening of the monastery from the highway.
For the first time, the Sisters' dam held water for most of the Summer, which was a welcome development for the alpacas and donkeys, as well as giving a family of wild ducks the opportunity to raise a family under the delighted gaze of the Sisters.
The guinea-fowl have successfully raised another generation of 'keets.' Despite their noise, the Sisters are happy to have these interesting birds scratching through the monastery undergrowth discouraging unwanted snakes from settling in. The Sisters' new English Mastiff has also been doing an excellent "watchdog" job - "watching" the Sisters with great devotion!
Many Willy-Wagtails and Swallows have hatched out new members, which helps greatly in keeping the fly population under control.
Kind friends have given weaving looms to the Sisters this year, allowing them to begin weaving the fibre shorn and spun from their alpacas.
The Sisters have finally succeeded in growing loofah plants for home-grown sponges.
And it has been found that even a heatwave can be useful... to dry the home-grown apricots!
The hot outback sun is useful for not just drying fruit but also for melting new candles from old scraps of altar wax. The Sisters would happily receive any old stubs or pieces of wax, however small, to recycle into candles for their devotional use.
The Monastery has joyfully welcomed several young women to their little family since arriving in Australia. They now number eight, with two more arriving in June. An additional accommodation demountable will arrive in a few weeks, God willing, and the Sisters are also hoping to have a third demountable by June, which will give them a little more space for their daily life of prayer and manual labour.
Meanwhile, work continues steadily on plans and approvals for their future Monastery. They are so grateful for the support and advice they have received in this process, and hope to be able to share more detailed plans soon.
The Sisters are so grateful for all the letters and prayer intentions they have received since Christmas, and are slowly replying to each one as soon as they can.
Please be assured of the continued prayers of the Sisters for you and your loved ones.