Work in progress

Since we arrived at the Hermitage – which was all brambles and diseased trees – we have dreamed of making it a beautiful garden where people could reconcile with themselves and with God through the harmony of creation. The vegetable garden is taking shape more and more and it is beautiful to see how many raspberries the children pick, how many pumpkins of so many different shapes!

The vine around the pergola is growing and this summer it has already started to provide some shade, the small olive trees are starting to produce some olives and we brought the first “EremOlio” of our production from the mill. The great dream that still remains a work in progress is to also create an educational farm in the Arsenale dell’Armonia. After almost two years of work, waiting for the weather to allow us to work and always having a thousand emergencies to deal with, we managed to finish the construction of the stable, a five-star hotel for the animals that will be hosted here, with a classroom equipped for the children.

We have finished the fences and the furniture for the chicken coop, all rigorously handmade in our carpentry workshop at the Arsenale della Pace, the ladders and the houses with curtains sewn by our volunteer seamstresses to encourage egg production. As always, we asked for help and learned from many helpful friends how to do better: so finally, a few weeks ago, we welcomed the first 50 laying hens! Soon Serafino and Clarissa will also arrive, two donkeys who are already adults and used to being with other animals and children who can no longer stay in their stable. We don't do all this for ourselves. We have always had in our hearts that these works can involve many young people and it seemed like a good sign that, just in these days, a school and a parish have asked to collaborate with us.


The Fraternity of Sermig in Pecetto
NP November 2024