Carmelite Hermitage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, United States

What it is

A community of Carmelite hermits founded in 1987, living a semi-eremitical life at Lake Elmo, Minnesota, in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It is one of two communities of Carmelite hermits in the United States belonging to the ancient Order of Carmel.

What it needs

Every hermitage is occupied and the community's small private chapel no longer holds it, so men waiting to enter cannot be received. A public chapel designed by Duncan Stroik, seating 44 guests, is under construction (OSV News gave the start as autumn 2022, the prior as 2023); Archbishop Bernard Hebda blessed its cornerstone on 14 September 2025. In May 2025 the prior said about $3 million had been raised and another $2 million to $3 million was needed to complete the chapel substantially, hoped for in 2026; four more hermitages are to follow.

Before you act. The latest published figure for the amount still needed ($2 million to $3 million) dates from May 2025. The chapel was expected to be finished in summer 2025 (OSV News, 2024) and then substantially in 2026 (prior, May 2025); it was still under construction when its cornerstone was blessed in September 2025.

Sources

Last checked 9 November 2026. Responsible body: Carmelite Hermitage of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Brick Legacy Guild).

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