CASTLE ROCK – Eight years after purchasing a 65-acre site in Cowlitz County, the Maronite Monks of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are finally home in their new Sacred Heart Monastery.

The monastery was dedicated Oct. 1 by Maronite Bishop Elias Zaidan of Los Angeles in a three-hour liturgy that began with the bishop anointing the front door with holy oil and knocking three times for entrance. Priests from the Seattle and Portland archdioceses and visitors filled the chapel and an area set up outdoors.

Maronite Bishop Elias Zaidan of Los Angeles consecrates the main altar of the monastery chapel with chrism oil. (Courtesy Maronite Monks)

The consecration was “a very involved and very beautiful liturgy,” said Father Anthony Joseph Alles, who said he helped establish the monastery along with Father John Michael Morgan. (They are also called Abouna, Arabic for “Father.”) At the monastery, five Maronite monks are living a prayerful life of service to the church, the clergy and the world, according to their website.

The Maronite Church is one of 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome and the pope. These churches, with origins in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, “have their own distinctive liturgical, legal and organizational systems and are identified by the national or ethnic character of their region of origin. Each is considered fully equal to the Latin tradition within the Church in the United States,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Maronite Bishop Elias Zaidan of Los Angeles consecrates the main altar of the monastery chapel with chrism oil. (Courtesy Maronite Monks)

The chapel at the new monastery is furnished with an array of sacred objects, including items dating back a century or more and others fashioned through the newest technology.

Father Anthony said the altar was crafted in the 1870s for a Carmelite order of nuns in Antwerp, Belgium, the convent closed in the 1970s or 80s and the altar was no longer used. When the monks saw it listed for sale on the internet, they hesitated at the high price. A few months later the price had dropped, and they bought it — just as the worldwide pandemic began.

“Thanks be to God we were able to ship it before there were any lockdowns,” Father Anthony said.

A century-old statue of St. Therese of the Child Jesus was safely transported from Pennsylvania without a scratch, Abbott Jonathan Decker said. The intricate screen rood of wrought iron that separates sections of the chapel was hammered by hand and took about a year to complete, Father Anthony said.

Priests of the Archdiocese of Seattle who attended the ordination included Father Brian Ochs, pastor of St. Rose of Viterbo Parish in Longview, second from left, and Father Michael Barbarossa, parochial vicar at St. Rose, third from left. (Courtesy Maronite Monks)

Other key features in the chapel were created using 3D technology. For instance, the mural of the Sacred Heart behind the altar is a digital print that people often mistake for a painting, Father Anthony said.

“This is how St. Joseph works. Modern technology used for the glory of God,” he said. “We didn’t even know it was possible to put these amazing touches on our chapel.”

The day after the monastery was dedicated, Bishop Elias celebrated the priesthood ordinations of Deacons Daniel Thomas and Raphael Jude Thaddeus.

“God has blessed this monastery with two ordinations,” Abbott Jonathan said.

Newly Ordained Father Daniel Thomas and Father Raphael Jude Thaddeus begin their procession through the church holding the Eucharist in a chalice on their heads as the “crown of the priesthood.” At right is Father Tony Karam, who Bishop Elias has assigned to serve the people of Seattle as a parish priest. (Courtesy Maronite Monks)

Meanwhile, the monks are finishing the move from their house in Beaverton, Oregon, while “preparing their new home for the Lord and for the communion of saints and themselves,” Abbott Jonathan said.

The monastery’s living quarters include room for growth. “The kitchen is very big because, God willing, we’re going to have more monks,” Father Anthony said.

The order lives by donations and the monks are grateful for everyone who helped financially or with their time to bring the project to completion.

“So many hands and hearts … went into the building of this monastery,” Father Anthony said.