Why the new Hermitage seems large, A monk / hermit reflects on place, prayer, and the Chama River.

This is the last video of 2025. I often get asked why the hermitage is so ..... large In this video, I begin at the Chama River, then return to the temporary hermitage — a place of prayer, work, and silence. A monk does not build to fill space. He builds to remain attentive. Thank you for walking this year with me. For ten years plus, I have lived and worked as a Benedictine monk, Catholic monk, — building, praying, tending sheep, and quietly crafting a life of simplicity at the monastery of Christ in the Desert and a monastery in Alabama. But something new is unfolding. In this video, I share a glimpse of autumn at the monastery — the pond, the church, the sheep, and the quiet rhythm of monastic life — leading to something I’ve been discerning for a long time: the beginning of the Hermitage. This is where silence deepens. contemplative life will this be the end of my YouTube channel? not really, prayer and reflecting is needed. Join me as I walk through the monastery grounds and reveal what’s next for The Desert Monk , a small hermitage rising in the desert, built by prayer and calloused hands. Hello, I am Br. David O.S.B., a monk of the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in New Mexico. Follow me on Facebook:   / thedesertmonk   Website: https://thedesertmonkbrdavid.wordpres... Instagram:   / thedesertmonk   --Created playlists-- Shadow the Lamb, or "Lamb Lamb"    • My Roommate has four legs!   Daily Monastic Life    • Getting the Monastery Church ready for Chr...   Weaving Studio    • Monastery Weaving  Studio Upgrades - Catho...   From the Farm    • A Third  Lamb was Born Today - Monastery o...