Monastery of the Risen Christ

It's official...Highway 1 is open once again and the Hermitage can once again welcome guests to stay at our retreat facilities! Sadly, the Hermitage continues t...o be closed to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic; only registered guests are allowed on property at this time. The air has been clear and sky beautiful for several days now, and the fire has been turned away from the Hermitage and is on it's way OUT. You may view our availability calendar and make a reservation for a refreshing retreat by clicking on this link: www.contemplation.com/reservations (we have some openings in October but rooms really begin to become available in November). And please note: we are taking this pandemic and the safety of our guests and monks very seriously. When you book a room you will receive a checklist of the precautions we are taking and the precautions we’d like you to take before arriving (and during your stay here). When arriving you will notice signs, personal protective equipment and extra measures we are taking to clean and disinfect. A retreat here is the ultimate definition of social distance and yet closeness to God.

Dear friends, Our mandatory evacuation order (at New Camaldoli Hermitage, Big Sur) was lifted on September 15, and the brothers came home on September 16, which happened to be the feast of Saint Cyprian. In spite of everything, the timing was perfect, because the refrigeration repairman also came on the 16th, and we are slowly getting up and running. Still to come, a repair on the broken water main to the retreat house and a pretty damaged section of a portion of the new road..., for which cost the US Forest Service has committed to reimbursing us. My list of thanks goes on and on: to Fr. Zacchaeus and Brother David who stayed behind with me and kept singing our liturgies and celebrating the Eucharist and cooking up meals; to our incredible staff, particularly Michael Richards, our genius head of maintenance, and all who stayed behind and helped in so many waysfrom ember watches and guides for the fire fighters all the way to Wade calmly making coffee every morning and quietly working away in the cloister garden and feeding left-behind cats with ashes falling around his head; to the absolutely amazing firefighters from the US Forest Service, the Vandenburg Hotshots and CalFire, the teams flown in from LA, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico, who endured battling the blazes in record breaking heat and saved all our structures, not to mention our lives; and of course to all of you who have kept following us through this ordeal with your thoughts and prayers and generous donations. All this of course in the midst of us still observing the protocols for the Coronavirus is going to make this a memorable year. But we are prisoners of hope. Many grateful blessings from us to you, and prayers that all may be safe and sheltered, joyful and free. In the name of Jesus, Cyprian, OSB Cam.

An update from Fr. Cyprian at New Camaldoli Hermitage... Today is the day that the fire crews are throwing fire on the ground." They will start from the dump and try to make it to the Fence Loop Trail . If all goes well they will light up the rest and burn down to Highway 1. They are expecting 20 mph winds tonight out of the northwest, so they think that this is the window to do the back burn, while things are dry and the marine layer doesn't dampen the fuel. Fr. Cyprian f...ound it fascinating to hear the directions that they were giving between crews from various places, and noting the chain of command, explaining what fires to put out and what to leave (extinguish the top of trees but leave the bottom burn). The fire crews told Fr. Cyprian that today is the most serious day. But if they can button this fire up today the rest will be clean up (which could take a couple of weeks). The three monks and the small number of staff still onsite continue to stay on "ember watch", something that needs to be done around the clock. Please say a prayer for everyone’s safety, especially the fire fighters. It is brutally hot here today; Fr. Cyprian asked the fire fighters I guess you guys get used to it? carrying backpacks with three layers of clothing. They said, You never get used to it.

Here are some images of the fire fighting action last week. The Hermitage continues to be closed to all during this situation. Highway 1 is closed from Willow ...Creek in the south to Julia Pfeiffer Park in the north. We don't really know when we (or the highway) will open, but we are hoping for mid to late September. If you'd like to keep up on the daily progress of the firefighting efforts you can visit the USFS incident page at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7018 . . {Photos: Rich Veum]

Sunday 8/30 noon PT At the end of last week, the Dolan Fire burned through retardant lines and began to move toward Cone Peak (about 3 miles directly northeast ...of the monastic enclosure at New Camaldoli). Fire crews have been scouting for other options to secure the southward movement of the fire. Additionally, as was shared earlier, burning debris from the fires above the Hermitage started fires in Limekiln Canyon. The area had been previously prepped for the potential incursion of fire and firefighters remain in the area. Fire crews are starting back burns on one of the fire roads above the road leading to the lake (the lake is about mile higher on the ridge above the enclosure). The monks and staff have been directed to stay off of all the roads on the propery for the time being while the fire crews do this. There are fire hoses running all the way down the driveway and even up the Fence Loop Trail, and the monks can hear a lot of activity up on the hill. So it is clear that the fire crews are prepared for any eventuality. Firefighters have managed to build a big U shape of fire breaks around the Hermitage, Lucia, and Morning Glory Ranch (located on Highway 1 about 1 mile north of the turnoff for New Camaldoli) to the highway. The Los Padres National Forest office stated in this morning’s fire update (Sunday 8/30) that Good progress was made on the containment line around the Hermitage last overnight. Fr. Cyprian writes We still don’t feel like we are in any danger.

Update from 8 pm PT The fire crews are not expecting full containment of the fire until September 16th; right now containment is estimated at 18-20%. So it's un...clear when those who have been evacuated from New Camaldoli will be able to return. It's possible that return might be allowed before full containment is achieved. The monks and staff have been asked to continue the overnight ember watch for at least another two days. Firefighters think that the danger of the fire jumping their lines and damaging the Hermitage structures is medium to low. Even though the monks and staff don’t see much smoke (perhaps because of the southerly wind) the fire crews are still going after the fire on the Hermitage property, above and to the north of the cloister. A lot depends on the wind. The ocean is covered with a think layer of cloud right now and it’s very cool. Fr. Cyprian wrote "We still feel safe. I’ve been telling people that we are surrounded by fire fightersand angels."