Below is a list of common questions. Simply click the plus button to view the answer.
What is the current membership?
The Congregation of Montecorona has around sixty members in eight hermitages.
What is the best source of information?
Except for this website, the information about the Camaldolese Hermits of Montecorona is fairly limited. We recommend the books we have published, especially the book Camaldolese Extraordinary.
What is your liturgy?
You can find our weekly psalter for the Liturgy of the Hours here. We do not use music. Our Mass is the new rite in the vernacular.
How many times a day do you gather together in the church?
Six.
Do you accept prayer requests?
Yes. Your prayer intention will be commended to the brethren at the customary time: in the Prior’s announcements in the Saturday evening chapter.
What are the main figures in your tradition?
Our founder, Saint Romuald; our legislator and doctor of the Church, Saint Peter Damian; and our reformer, Blessed Paul Giustiniani.
Why are your communities small?
When Saint Romuald founded Camaldoli, it had 5 members. And Blessed Paul’s first hermitages had 5-7 members. So a house with a handful of monks is in agreement with our tradition.
What is the relationship with the Camaldolese in Big Sur, California?
We are the reformed branch of the Camaldolese tree. The two hermitages belong to two different congregations, whose major superiors meet annually. The congregations also share a common liturgical ordo.
What is specific about your Congregation?
We have only hermitages, with no cenobitical monasteries. We profess the Rule of Benedict, but we do not belong to the Benedictine order.
What are the differences from the Carthusians?
With us, following the Second Vatican Council, both priests and brothers are choir religious and have similar work responsibilities, whereas the Carthusian life divides choral and manual labor roles between the Fathers and the Brothers. In addition, our community size tends to be much smaller and our liturgy simpler.
Do you have a catalog of products?
Yes, please download our catalog here.
Requires free Acrobat Reader.
What is your contact information?
Holy Family Hermitage
Tel: 740-765-4511
I’m a bookstore, can I get a discount?
Bookstores can receive standard 40% discount.
Bookstores are required to pre-pay and all sales are final.
What is your shipping policy?
Shipping is done through USPS and UPS. A tracking number will be provided upon request. Delivery confirmation numbers are used with USPS (not tracking). If you are outside of the US, please first contact us to obtain a shipping quote.
What if I just want to order postcards? What would the shipping rate be?
Postcards are $1 each to ship.