Thank you and may God Bless You!
PRAISED BE
JESUS CHRIST,
NOW AND FOREVER!
THE CARMEL OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD ALMIGHTY!
Glorious, Historical overview in Photographs of its construction
With gratitude to the Discalced Carmelites for allowing us to share their photographs on the construction of the Monastery of the Carmel
Photography credit: Bob Masek With gratitude!
Please note that photographs may not be copied or distributed. Thank you.
Greetings to all,
It's good to be back on line. I've been having trouble with my e-mail account and PC. If you've sent me any messages during the last couple of weeks and I didn't respond, I may have missed them. Please try sending again.
We've all settled in nicely to the new surroundings. The Sisters seem very happy in their new home. It's so spacious compared to where they were before. And to think that they are only occupying about 1/5th of the entire monastery right now. The rest of the monastery is really starting to take shape. The south wing, consisting of the refectory, kitchen, provisory, and recreation room, is completely enclosed and insulated. They began constructing the interior walls yesterday (Jan 22nd). The west section consisting of the library, offices, workroom's etc. is also at the same stage. They started to drywall the novitiate (north section) and will be installing the ceilings very soon. The work that has gotten everyone's attention is the chapel construction. A large set of scaffolding (see photos) covered with tarp has been constructed to enclose the sanctuary to allow the bricklayers to continue work during the cold and wet weather. The steel dome structure arrived on the 22nd and will be put in to place very soon. It's very exciting to see the chapel start to take shape. I'll be taking photos as soon as something new happens and send them your way.
The weather here has been pretty mild for a January. The highs have been in the 30's and the lows in the teens. We've had a few light snows since December but not enough to get out the shovel.
Hope you enjoy the photos. I'll be sending more very soon.
Bob & Susan
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+JMJ
February 17, 2001
Greetings to all,
Well, it's been a cold, snowy & windy month here in Nebraska. Last Friday we received another 10" of snow. Wednesday we had about 1/4" of ice and another couple inches of snow on top of that. The temperature has been in the 20's. The weather has slowed construction a little, but work continues on the interior walls, wiring, plumbing, & drywall. Say a special prayer for the bricklayers. They have continued to work during the coldest of days. Their work is compounded by the fact that they must erect tarp enclosures everywhere they work just to get the temperature up to about 40 degrees.
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The interior of the rest of the monastery is progressing at
about the same pace. Framed walls, conduit, plumbing, etc.
I've taken a photo looking down the hallway by the library & Rev. Mother's office. All the other halls and rooms are exactly the same.
It was exciting to see them take the tarps down that covered the sanctuary walls.
I've attached a couple of photos for you to see. The chapel is slowly starting to take shape.
There are also a couple photos of the interior that were taken a while back.
Thank you for keeping the Sisters and builders in your prayers.
May the Peace of Christ be with you all,
Bob & Susan
They are currently putting the copper sheeting on the dome. When that is completed, they will lift the dome into place. I assure you, there will be plenty of photos of that big event.
Some of the photos I've attached were taken a couple of weeks ago. (Not as much snow) They might give you a better idea of what the outside of the monastery looks like.
+JMJ
March 9, 2001
UPDATE: The Dome (see images below)
Greetings to all,
It was very exciting day today at the monastery. The dome was lifted into place atop the sanctuary walls. It's a tremendous sight! As each piece of the monastery is completed, you begin to get a glimpse of how impressive this structure will be. The photos do not do it justice. You need to be here to appreciate the beauty. Here are just a few facts about the dome that I heard today. Total weight of the dome is 12,000 lbs (5443 kg). The weight of the copper alone is 1600 lbs (726 kg). The cross atop the dome is approx. 5' tall.
+JMJ
April 17, 2001
Solemnity of Easter
Praised be Jesus Christ!
We hope you all had a happy and blessed Easter. We sure did here in Nebraska. This was the first time that we have been able to attend the Easter Triduum with the Sisters. Last year we had commitments with our local parish and weren't able to attend. This year, however, we were able to attend all Holy Week Masses with the Sisters. What a blessing! It is a privilege that we thank God for everyday.
We also thank God for the "miraculous" healing of Madrecita. Her health has improved dramatically during the past 2 weeks. She is no longer on oxygen. She is no longer confined to a hospital bed. Her blood pressure and pulse are normal. She attends Mass in the choir with the Sisters and we could hear her voice loud and clear. Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers and thanks to all of you for the many prayers offered for Madrecita.
During the Easter Vigil on Saturday evening we celebrated our Lord's resurrection with bells and alarms and flashing lights and horns ...(the incense was a little too much for the small temporary chapel, and it set off the smoke alarms. Strobe lights and shrieking alarms!) Sr. Perpetua raced into the public side of the chapel to disable the alarms, while I ran into Rev. Mother's office to call the security company. Sister's security system is tied directly in to the 911 system. If an alarm sounds, we have 2 minutes to call them and let them know it's a false alarm otherwise it automatically sends the fire department. All during the commotion, Msgr. Thorburn and the rest of the Sisters maintained their composure and never flinched. Mass continued on as if nothing ever happened.
A lot has been happening with the Monastery. The north wing which consists of the Novitiate and some of the Professed cells is nearly complete. The tile floors have been put down and electrical fixtures will be installed soon. The concrete walls for the Novice's Oratory (to the left of the dome) are done. They have been working on the two bell towers also. The concrete walkways in the Cloister Walk are nearly complete. Electrical work continues in the south wing which consists of the Kitchen, Refectory, Recreation Room, Library, Offices, etc. The walk-in cooler and freezer were installed last week in the kitchen.
Keep in mind that the Sisters are making a retreat this week. They are not taking phone calls or visitors until next week. Rev. Mother wanted me to let you know that they are keeping all of you in their prayers.
Pax Domine sit semper vobiscum,
Bob & Susan
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MAY 1, 2001
Praised be Jesus Christ,
Spring has finally arrived here in Nebraska. The weather has been beautiful. 70-80° highs. Lows in the 50's. An occasional thunderstorm rumbles through now and then. You can really appreciate the beauty of a thunderstorm here on the monastery hill. You can watch them roll through even when they're 30 miles away. Monday we had a severe thunderstorm/hailstorm. We measured the hailstones at over 1.5" (3.8 cm) in diameter. They were about the size of a golf ball. For over ten minutes we were pounded by these hailstones. The sound of this storm in our house was incredible. Imagine your house being surrounded by dozens of people with buckets of golf balls, and all of them throwing them at your house at the same time, as fast as they can!! It was very loud! Thank God that the windows withstood the pounding. Sorry, I was so caught up in watching the storm, I forgot to take a picture of them. Our cars received numerous dents. There was no damage to the monastery except for some dents in the copper dome. When you consider our location, that was inevitable.
I've attached a lot of photos with this message. I will have to send another message with more photos after this one. I'll be sending 14 photos in all. The big excitement this week has been the completion of the east bell tower and the beginnings of the chapel walls. When you see the bell tower photo you can get a sense of how beautiful this monastery will be. The Sisters have done a fantastic job designing the building. Workers are nearing completion on the Novitiate and Professed cells. They have a lot of the drywall done in the recreation room, library and offices. Thank you for your continued prayers for the Sisters and the construction crews.
Pax Domine sit semper vobiscum,
Bob
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MAY 3, 2001
MAY 23, 2001
+JMJ
June 9, 2001
SECOND DOME GOES UP!
Praised be Jesus Christ,
Rain, cold, wind & mud. That's been the story for the past several days here in Nebraska. Monday was another red letter day in the construction process. The rain and wind subsided long enough for the small dome to be placed atop the bell tower. The cement floors were poured in the Novice's oratory and in the hermitage and hallway behind the tabernacle location. Nearly all the painting is complete in the refectory, kitchen, & offices. The south wall of the chapel has been started.
Please remember the Sisters, construction crews, contractor, and all those involved in the building process in your prayers. We all know that with a project of this size, many critical decisions need to be made on a daily basis. I've been able to witness the construction process first hand and I can assure you that everyone involved, from the workers on the site to the managers in the offices, have the Sisters best interest in mind and are doing everything they can to make sure the job is done right.
Pax Domine sit semper vobiscum,
Bob & Susan
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JUNE 15, 2001 - The Tornado
JUNE 17, 2001 - Feast of Corpus Christi
+JMJ
Greetings on the Feast of Corpus Christi,
Not much to update since the last message. It was such a beautiful day
on Father's day we went for a walk and couldn't help but take a few
pictures. I didn't think anyone would object to seeing more pictures, so
here they are.
Happy Father's day to all you dads out there,
Bob & Susan