The nuns of St. Joseph’s Barefoot Carmelite Monastery in Prague, the Czech capital, transformed an abandoned farm in the suburbs into a monastery. Part of the new monastery is used by the nuns, and the other part is open to the public.
Barefoot Carmelite Sister Mary (S.Marie, OCD)
“We serve the living God”: we often meditate on these words of the prophet Elijah, the great inspirer of the Order of the Carmelites. However, the period of construction and relocation of the new monastery gave us the opportunity to experience their effectiveness in an uncanny way. In the words of Pope Francis, God calls us to “remote places”, where we are much closer to people than in the centers of metropolises. Every day we feel how God works for us and how, in a place that seems to be “forgotten”, witnesses the contemplative life and invites us to its fullness. We now present to you the often “adventurous” stories we write non-stop…
who are we
We are a community of contemplative prayer life, formed by the International Barefoot Carmelite nuns; our mission is to live a life of complete poverty in prayer for the Church’s intentions and for the salvation of souls. We are the St. Joseph Carmelite Monastery in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. The founder of the community is the 17th-century venerable Sister Maria Eletta di Gesù, from Terni, Vienna, Graz Monasteries were established in Prague and three places.
Steps toward “remote places”
In 2005 we decided to look for a more suitable place to live: in fact, our monastery is close to Prague Castle, and there is only a very small garden in the monastery, because the building was not originally built for nuns; moreover, In this area, the noise has been intensifying. In 2018 we bought an old farmstead in Drasty, a small town near Prague, we moved there in early 2020 and handed over our monastery in Prague to our brother, Barefoot Gal The Priory of Murrow. Thus the wish to build a new spiritual center in Drasti was fulfilled, a part of the new monastery was used by our monks and a part was open to the public.
The initial phases of the Drasti Abbey
Grange land confiscated from the Church during the communist regime was returned just 25 years after the Velvet Revolution. The farm was falling into disrepair, and many people thought it would never be rebuilt. For example, someone once wanted to transform the place where the farm used to be into a large landfill and let it grow with weeds. After obtaining permission to establish a Pontifical Monastery, in order to save money, in 2018 we started the first works in Drasti. At first it was just us nuns, but then we entrusted us to Saint Joseph the Great, the traditional devotion of the community, and he started sending many generous people to help us.
years of intense work
After spending many years in a very closed environment, we resumed our outdoor work with great enthusiasm. Looking back, we experience how God has miraculously strengthened us. During the first few months our main activity was collecting waste and packing it into containers. Then there’s weeding and tree trimming: lawnmowers and chainsaws are essential tools. During this time, some sisters even learned to drive a tractor or an excavator.
Moving from Prague to Drasty
Moving from Prague to Drasty, we did as much as we could on our own with the help of volunteers. After all the preparations, with the help of God and generous people, we completed the relocation from Prague to Drasti (a very symbolic number for us) in 40 days. During this period, we only hired professional movers once to help us move those bulky furniture. We have put in a lot of effort and hardship these days, and all in all, we are united.
Transform the farm
The farm is constantly changing before our eyes. For example, the dilapidated former “farmer’s house” became a cultural monument with the participation of an architectural firm… Now the “visitor’s house” is built for the reception of future guests: it will serve individuals, Accommodations are available for families and groups, including venues for rest and various devotional sessions. We, the nuns, live here at the moment until the construction of the New Priory is fully completed.
monastery building
Construction of the monastery will start in autumn 2021. The building consists of a former granary and three new wings, including a chapel of St. Teresa that is open to the public. At the end of 2022, the main building project in the form of a courtyard house will be completed; now it is entering the stage of interior decoration, and the current problem is the lack of funds. For more information, please visit our website:
life in drasty
Drasti has become our home, where we can live in a more natural way, in contact with nature and in a new intimacy with God the Creator, whose help and protection we experience “literally”. After the completion of the monastery, the environment will be more conducive to prayer. This contemplative prayer leads the nuns to a spiritual life in perfect harmony with God. We have felt His presence strongly, and so have many others… Various People from living backgrounds have come to us, using the little space we have been able to provide them for a while, and they have often told us of the peace and joy they have experienced in this place. Therefore, we hope that one day Drasti will be able to spread the life of prayer around.
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