The belltower permacrete is complete and the ground is graded for the plaza.

Southwest picture of the common center and chapel.

Chapter Room Ceiling with Cross Beams

Dining Room Fireplace Progress

Gift shop shelving at the entry near the porter's desk.

Cement plaza area poured.

Railing up dining room steps.

 January 27, 2010

 We have the front chapel doors installed and the stone facing is done!

Chapel entry taken from inside the chapel.  The room to the left is the
parlor and to the right is the vesting room.

Close up of stone work and statue niche in front of the chapel.

The glass rail in front of the loft is installed.

The detailing for the belltower is being installed.

 The stonework continues.  It will wrap around the dining room porch.

Kitchen stove

Baking station range.  The protective sheets covering the stainless
steel haven't been removed yet.

Work has begun on the water feature for the interior cloister garden.
The green hose is outlining the pond area.

January 16, 2010

 Detailing in chapel south wall.

Chapel interior after permacrete and painting is complete.  We hope to worship here soon and very soon!

New dining room upper windows have been completed and will get a fresh
coat of paint.

The doors and window are in and drywall in place in the new dining room.

The railing for the chapel loft is complete.  A glass panel will complete the rail.

The north side of the chapel has part of the roof up and the second coat
of permacrete has been applied.

The front of the chapel has a full coat of permacrete.

The chapel interior is getting its styrofoam mouldings applied and coated
with permacrete.

The chapter room is taking shape.

Interior walls.

The library allows lots of natural light because of the new skylights.

Pillars are added to the south side of the building outside the dining room.

Cloister walkway and roof are progressing nicely.

Fireplace between kitchen and dining room started.

Hearth installed.

Windows on the dining room fitted.

Styrofome embelishments around the door.

Chapel face gets its first coat of permacrete.

Wood for roof in place.

Porch view from front.

Top in place with tar paper.

Rock lining the cinderblock below the porch.

Roofing over dining room porch nearly ready to start.

Pillars with first coat of permacrete and decorative color in center.
Stones for chapel in foreground.

Roofing insulation.  A sheet of plywood followed by a layer of the pictured
foam and plywood are applied to the roof.

Shot looking from the cloister walk towards the chapel.

The belltower cupola has been placed.

South side of the common center upper portion has received it's
second coat of permacrete (this one is textured) and painted)

The chapel loft is 3/4 done - this is a view of the loft ceiling.

Front of common center receives its first coat of permacrete.

Chapel interior ceiling is complete and the belltower sheeting is nearly done.

November 6, 2009

Porch cover outside the dining room.

Front view of the porch cover over dining room.

The ceiling of the chapel is complete!

 The styrofoam at the bottom of the pillar gets a coat of permacrete.

Chapel ceiling - more than half done!

We had a freeze last night so the workers had to wait until later in
the day to get on the wood.  The side panel was put into place using
the Sky Trak.

The south side of the chapel.

Moldings from styrofoam are fitted around the lower third of the pillars.
They will be covered in permacrete.

Closer view of column forms.

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November 4, 2009

 

Chapel ceiling underway!

Interior view of chapel ceiling

 Common center, looking from greenhouse area

 First coat of permacrete is applied to the building and cinderblock.

Beginning for fireplace in dining room.

Front porch looking outward

Close up of permacrete.  Styrofoam insulation is showing at the bottom
(whiter area).

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October 28, 2009

The belltower is being fitted with sheeting.

The finishing touches are being put on the cupola.  There is still a hole
on top so it can be lifted up and set on top of the belltower.

The sheeting on the arches is nearly complete.

Beginning sheeting of the exterior of the library (behind cloister walk)

Upper support beam in the chapel is complete.

Stove hood arrived.

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mid-October 2009 

 

An exciting day at Little Portion.  The Sky Trak (orange machine on left)
lifts the tresses from the group to an upright position.

A crane lifts the truss up over the top of the chapel and sets it in place.

Next second truss being put into place (shown from inside the chapel).

Almost all trusses up into position.

All chapel trusses in place.

Sheeting for the cloister walk is nearly complete and the porches
have been covered.

The cloister walk ceiling taken at an intersection.

The dining room ceiling is complete.  Note the upper windows to allow
additional light.

Exterior shot of the dining room windows.

The east side of the building being prepared for permacrete.

The structure for the arches at the front of the building completed
and are being fit with sheeting.

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September 25, 2009

 

Arches being formed in the cloister walk

Steps up to dining room poured

Pine ceiling in dining room started

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 September 23, 2009

Overhead view of chapel (foreground), dining room (upper right side)
and cloister walk.

 

Belltower is lifted up on a crane and set on it's pad.

Chapel floor being poured

Chapel view from belltower

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September 22, 2009

The stairs to the dining room are being poured tomorrow.  The pyramid
shaped item on the porch is the top of the bell tower which we hope
will be placed tomorrow.

---

 

September 21, 2009

 

We've been getting several inches of rain the last few weeks which
slowed the progress on the exterior and exposed interior areas.  Work
is being done on the inner walls structure and electric wiring.

Your can see the arches of the cloister walk taking shape.

The pad for the belltower has been poured and is being prepared

The chapel subfloor has been leveled and covered
with plastic.

The dining room rafters are set in place.

A lot of progress has been made on the east end of the building.

---

September 8, 2009 

 

Today's shot taken on the Sky Trak.

 

Scaffolding has been removed.

 

Exterior from dining room towards chapel.  Posts have been placed
for the covered porch.

The cloister walk is taking shape.

---

 

August 31, 2009

 

Scaffolding coming down.

 

Chapel interior (notice the cement pillars and windows at top.

August 25, 2009

 

A member of the construction crew waves as we anxiously await the
placement of the final block for the chapel front.

The final block is placed.

Thumbs up for the segment completed.

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August 22, 2009

 

Chapel and Common Center - northeast view 

 

Common Center - north view.  Notice the branch at the top of the chapel
peak.  It is a tradition of construction workers to  put a "tree" at the
buildings highest peak. 

 

Common Center - western side

 

Common Center - southern side

---

August 18, 2009

 

Taken from the new dining room.  Far left by ladder is the chapter room,
left with scaffolding is the chapel, cloister garden is in the center, the
classroom is direcdtly behind the garden, library and archives is on one
side of the cloister garden and kitchen is to the right.

Pantry and kitchen in foreground, wellness rooms, and offices in rear.

Chapel is growing higher! 

Cloister walk with library in the rear.

 

The dining room cement floor has been poured.

The new dining room will overlook the prayer garden.

Interior view taken from the chapter room.

Overview of monastery from northwest angle.

---

August 12, 2009

 

Trusses over the office area are lifted by a large TeRex.

 

Each truss is maneuvered into place.  The rear is JMT's office.

 

Truss nearly set.  This area is the wellness rooms.

 

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Interior work continues: wall struts are set in place. 

CHAPEL SHOWN FROM FRONT - NOTE THE NICHES PLACED FOR

STATUES.

CLOSE UP OF CHAPEL INNER AND OUTER WALLS 

 

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AUGUST 7, 2009: CHAPEL NORTH SIDE WALLS AND FRONT STARTED

 

CLOSE UP OF CHAPEL'S INNER WALLS (right)

 

---

AUGUST 4, 2009: INNER WALL STEEL BEING SET

 

---

JULY 24, 2009: THE BELLTOWER SKELETON ARRIVED TODAY 

NOTE THE ARCH OVER THE DINING ROOM (right) AND EDGE OF
BELLTOWER LAYING TO THE LEFT (dark metalic structure)

 

CLOSE UP OF THE FRONT PORCH AND DINING ROOM ENTRY

BUILDING SOUTH SIDE

 

BUILDING SOUTHEAST CORNER AND EAST SIDE

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This is a photo of the new monastery walls continuing to rise. This is very exciting for our community! Next week the chapel walls go up. That will be really exciting to see!! The subterranean work, slab, and floors have taken so long that we never thought we would actually see this. But here it comes! All praise to God!

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot

---

NOW IT'S STARTING TO LOOK LIKE A BUILDING! 

SOUTHEST SEGMENT OF THE COMMON CENTER

JULY 14, 2009: SW EDGE OF THE COMMON CENTER GOING UP

 
CEMENT FLOORING HAS BEEN POURED AND STAINED.  THE CENTER
SECTION IS THE CLOISTER WALK.

VIEW FROM THE NEW SOON-TO-BE WELLNESS ROOM.

---

June 30, 2009

 

Peace and Good in Christ!

We had a great Building Meeting today in which we finalized the Chapel furnishings, monastic choir stalls, pews, ambo and altar. It promises to be most beautiful, but elegantly simple. We are having a Chapel consecration with Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock with special friends and dignitaries on December 5, 2009. It promises to be a wonderful celebration! 

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder, and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

---

 

                 Pouring cement in the new dining room area.

                                         Cement flooring being stained.

---

 

New workshop adjacent to the poultry plant (right)

---

Peace and Good in Christ!

On the feast of one of the Hermitage's patrons, St. Romuald , the founder of the Camaldolese Order of monks and hermits, and the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we made the first pour of the concrete slab that will be the floor of the New Monastery. It is exciting!! It is as if we are being "grounded" in these two great realities of the need for solitude and silence, and the need for a heart of great love and compassion for all people. As Evagrius, the great writer of the spirituality of the desert, said, we must be "separated from all, and united to all." And we "renounce all to gain everything."

In Jesus,

John Michael Talbot
Founder and Spiritual Father

The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

---

MAY 29, 2009

Below are the latest photos of John Michael and
crew during our architect's last visit.

You can see the entire perimeter of the building footings, with the
cloister in the middle, and the metal pilings for the pilasters of the chapel walls.

After the subterranean duct and conduit work is finished the footings and
foundations will be completed, then the walls will begin to rise. We are planning
a Chapel Consecration on December 5, 2009, with the blessing of the entire
building in the Spring of 2010.

  

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ARCHITECTURAL RENDERINGS OF THE CHAPEL, MONASTERY AND FLOOR PLAN

CHAPEL (LEFT), OFFICES/CLASSROOMS (REAR), DINING ROOM/KITCHEN (RIGHT)

 RECONSTRUCTION DAY 1: CREW MEETS WITH JMT

CONTRACTOR DAN MINKEL, JOHN MICHAEL AND ARCHITECT ALBERT
SKILES REVIEW PLANS

 

 

 

Peace and Good in Christ! 

Good news! We are finally starting the actual building of our new monastery after the tragic fire of April 28th, 2008. We are very excited to see the structure actually rising from the ashes. It will be a beautiful, but simple building for our growing community. 

Most of the expenses of the building have been covered by our insurance and the generous donations of our friends and domestic community members. But we still need your help.  

I know you have been most generous in the past, and we know that these are difficult economic times for all of us. Some ask why these costs are so high. Actually, they are very conservative.  Our architects and contractors are donating about 1/3 of their services.    

Would you consider donating to help finish this critically important structure for the glory of God, for the smooth function of our community life and for the edification of our guests and visitors? We could use your help with the following projects. They are listed in order of priority: 

Completion of basic structure and landscaping: $300,000

Chapel Choir Stalls for monastic community, and pews for visitors: $40,000 

Dining Room tables and seating with lower cost woods: $5,000 

Chapter (Community Meeting) Room tables and seating (Better Quality): $8,000 

Office Furniture (Used and refurbishes): $7,500 

Parlor and Community Recreation Room Furniture: $10,000 

Wellness Room for our sick and infirm: $ 10,000 

Thank you for prayerfully considering  these  needs. You are truly a dear friend. You are valued deeply and prayed for daily from the monastery. These items are very important to our integrated monastic community life and ministries.  

In Jesus, 

John Michael Talbot
Founder, and Spiritual Father
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage

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