Who comes to the Hermitage?

• Individuals who are in transition in their lives and discerning the next step in their journeys;
• Those searching to deepen their faith life with extra quiet time.
• Religious women and men, lay and ordained ministers, rabbis, people in healing professions, educators, writers, and others who need time away from their very busy lives of service.
• Persons who feel something is missing—or are experiencing emptiness—and want to explore ways to live a more caring and fulfilling life.
• Persons who like to meditate in peace.
• Artists who are looking for a time of creativity without interruptions.
• People who do not know what they are looking for but know they need more silence and space to discover what they are seeking.

Why go to a hermitage or make a private retreat?

The desire to find a quiet place to prayer, often in the desert, is a long tradition. Moses went up Mount Sinai, Elijah heard the voice of God in the silence of a mountain, John the Baptist and Jesus went to the desert to pray. St. Anthony the Great lived in the desert of Egypt.

The hermitage at Holy Cross provides a place of quiet and some isolation in the desert, with a view of the Organ Mountains. Individuals come to listen to the voice of God, to relax and help discern the direction of their lives, and to nurture the inner call to solitude. Some also come for meditation or for creative expression. Occasionally a couple comes together to deepen their shared faith as well.

Give yourself time to be still. To “be” more than to “do.” St. Francis of Assisi often took extended times of prayer alone, to guide his active ministry.

Consider spending a few days to let your-self be at peace, and feel the richness of a hermitage experience.

“Come away to a deserted place.” Mark 6:31