Summer Update 2025
Summers are short in these mountains, with the last snowfall arriving in June, and the first of the next winter typically in September! Now it’s not all bad weather from September to June, but the high likelihood of blizzard conditions certainly introduces its own challenges. Construction of the monastery is shaped by this reality, with much of the interior work in the winter, and the exterior work in the summer. The monks also use the long winters to cut and shape the stone for the coming building season.
Throughout this past winter and spring several monks worked diligently to carve the stone for the exterior of the Chapel’s apse (the end where the sanctuary will be).
The monks chose to use granite for the exterior, a particularly hard and durable stone. This strength and durability have historically made it too difficult to achieve the intricate detailing so characteristic of gothic. However modern inventions such as diamond tipped cutting tools and powerful electric motors have made this detailed work possible, but not exactly easy! This incalcitrant material is slower to shape than the softer limestone used for the interior but, by the end of the spring, the monks have finished over 750 pieces all now ready to be set into the walls of the Chapel.
With your help and prayers, we hope during these few short months before winter returns to make great progress on the Chapel. God willing, the roof trusses of the apse will be installed and the stone arches of the vaulted ceiling below, followed by the exterior granite walls.
