We’ve been blessed with an abundance of new vocations in El Salvador and we are hard at work building Casa Profeta Elias in Nazareth (Huizcar), El Salvador, our new formation house.
The new building will contain common areas for the community to gather (chapel, dining room, recreation room) and a large library for the use of the entire community as well as visitors.
Each member of the community will have a single bedroom which contains a private bathroom and a study area in addition to the bed and clothes storage area. There will be a total of 15 bedrooms which will accommodate the professed students of the community and any Carmelites from outside El Salvador who want to study or live with the community.
The center of the house provides a private, enclosed cloister area with a fount. Demarcated by the rooms of the house, the cloister garden recalls the style of Carmelite house dating from the Manutuan reform, which focuses on creating physical space to promote the contemplative nature of the Carmelite.
Serving Area Youth
Our new formation house will have a basketball court for use by the Carmelite students and will serve the youth of the area as well. Such physical activity is essential in communities like Nazareth. These communities are badly in need of safe, dedicated areas for healthy activities where young people can gather.
Protecting Our Environment
Protection of the environment is very important in the work of the PCMM Province of the Carmelites. In accordance with that commitment, the new house will collect rain water for reuse for watering the plants and animals at the finca (farm). Waste water will be processed onsite in order to provide protection for the environment as well.
Costs
The total cost of the new formation house construction project is $511,035 US. Materials are projected to cost $313,632. We are projecting labor on the bedrooms will cost $104,708 ($6,981 per room). Labor costs for the chapel, community room, kitchen and dining room are forecasted at $31,950. The work for building the basketball court is $8,840. The labor to build the library is estimated to be $16,035. The fountain in the courtyard will be $2,710. Electrical work will cost $33,160.
If you would like to help support this project, please visit our donations page. The Carmelites thank you for your prayers and gifts to make this vital ministry possible in El Salvador.
