On June 25, 2002, I wrote a personal letter to all our friends, neighbors, relatives and benefactors. (The text of the letter follows this introduction.) It explains the reasons why Sister Rebecca Mary and I, in consultation with our spiritual director, board of advisors and local bishop, decided to proceed with building Holy Family House.

The response was overwhelming. In six months, we raised $92,000 and the house was constructed, paid for and occupied by mid-November. Currently, we are still planning to construct the hallway between the house and the chapel as originally planned.

We have $8,000 towards this goal and it will take another $4,000. We ask for your prayers and support on the last portion of this project. If you'd like to learn more about the status of this project, please request a newsletter .

God bless you!
Sister Mary Beverly, HSM
August 3, 2003

Original Project Goals

Sister Rebecca Mary and I are planning for our old age. We have been in Idaho for 21 years and have been living as hermits here at Mesa for 18 years on 100 acres of land with the buildings widely scattered. The ambiance of our prayer in and for the Church has been deliberately penitential. Walking back and forth to chapel twice or thrice a day, in all kinds of weather, has been a beautiful part of our prayer, sacrifice and solitude. Now with considerations of age and health upon us, we need to plan prudently for the future.

We plan to continue our life of prayer here at Marymount, but we will be living together near chapel. We are proposing to buy a manufactured home and install it next to the chapel. An enclosed hallway will connect the side door of the house to the back door of chapel. We will be able to pray often in chapel during the night and day and what is just as important: we will be able to assist each other in the event of surgery, illness or infirmity due to old age.

In our last newsletter, we featured the basic components of our way of life. The photographs emphasized solitude. This has been a characteristic feature of our unique way of life. From now on, this physical solitude will be mitigated by a new emphasis on the Eucharist and communal aspects of our charism. As Sister Rebecca says, "We feel the time has come to avoid the long walks to chapel several times a day on ice and often in deep snow. We aren't getting any younger! I am already on Social Security. We have both fallen down on the ice a number of times. Thanks to the Lord's good providence, we have not broken any bones, but Sister M. Beverly had a slight concussion from such a fall a few years ago."

One of the primary reasons for coming to chapel is to pray together as a community. This is as much a part of our charism as solitude. Daily we pray Lauds and Vespers together and have three holy hours a week. Of course, when we have a chaplain, we also attend daily Mass. With the Church and the world so in need of prayer and sacrifice, the possibility of being close to chapel and being able to have Eucharistic holy hours in the middle of the night is something we anticipate with joy.

In the past almost 20 years, our eremitical life was modeled on the Desert Fathers in the Egyptian desert. We are one of the only communities of hermits who live truly separated from one another by geographic distance. Now, we are moving to a Carthusian model. The Carthusian hermits live separately, but together, in a Charter house. We will be dwelling together, and except for our communal prayers and activities, we will maintain our individual schedules for prayer and work, meals and recreation. Rather than living as individual hermits we will be living in a convent-style house with easy access to the chapel.

As we vacate our two hermitages, we anticipate upgrading them and using them for retreatants. This will enable us to increase our monthly earned income to supplement what we make in our cottage industries.

Where do you come in? We need your help. This manufactured home will cost $72,000. This will be the total cost for the house, delivery, foundation and utilities. The Most Rev. Michael P. Driscoll, Bishop of Boise, who is our canonical superior, has given us permission to raise the money and purchase the house. We firmly believe this is God's blessing on our project.

Specifically, we are asking if you could donate $30 or more to Holy Family House, as we are calling our new home. We realize that a sacrificial donation of $30 will not even be possible for some of you. Therefore, we are humbly asking that, if you are able to give more, you will be as generous as you can.

We plan to raise $72,000 by August 30, 2002. In other words, soon! Why? Because if we can sign the contract to buy the home in early September, it will be manufactured to our specifications and installed by mid-October. This would enable us to move in before winter begins. In the future, we will save and work toward building the connecting hallway to chapel (see Sister Rebecca Mary's sketch of our new home above). Funds over the amount our stated goal will be used to support us and our continuing prayer ministry in the Diocese of Boise.

If you would like more details about the house or have any questions about this project please Contact us. God bless you and may the peace of Christ stand guard over your hearts and minds always.

With our love and gratitude in the Lord,
Sister M. Beverly, HSM
June 25, 2002