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Below is the architectural designer, Camille Jones' sketch of the proposed Jubilee Guest House scheduled to be open in 2025, God willing. Construction has begun as of June, 2025.
As you drive up Hermitage Lane from Highway 95, the new building will be just to the right where the lane
makes a turn towards the library (to the right of the lane) and the chapel (to the left) in the distance. The build-
ing site already has easy access to electricity and water. The new parking lot across Hermitage Lane from the
site has a storage unit for the furniture and fixtures to be used for the new guest house.
Jubilee House will accommodate five individuals seeking a retreat in silence and solitude at Marymount
Hermitage. The four existing hermitages will still be available for retreatants, but this new house will expand
the capacity for the number of guests. Since the five bedrooms will all have queen size beds, this will be wel-
come new accommodations for married couples, requesting a retreat together. In this case, the building can
house a maximum of ten people. Now, for the first time in our history, Marymount Hermitage will be able to
accept requests for reservations by small parish groups. In this more unusual case, one person will reserve the
use of the whole building in the name of the group. Details available during group reservation and registra-
tion.
Jubilee Guest House, in addition to five bedrooms with full baths, will also have a large kitchen, a large
dining room, a living room, which can be used with niche spaces within the very large room for individual re-
treatants, or the furniture can be arranged for use by an entire group for their shared retreat activities. The two
parlors or offices towards the front of the 4,000 sq. ft. building will serve many purposes, based on the prefer-
ences of individual retreatants, couples or groups. This feature will be explained in more detail in the new bro-
chure. The other features of the new guest house are a laundry room and a patio to the back of the building,
which will face the best view of the surrounding mountains.
Walking Tour: As you enter the guest house from the front door, the kitchen is to the right. Continuing
down that hallway, you enter the wing with the four smaller bedrooms and laundry room. Walking back to the
center of the foyer, the dining room is to your right. If you continue from the front entrance to the left of the building,
here are two parlors, one to the front of the building and one in the middle of the building. Both par-
lors have bathrooms, which are for general, public use for people in the guest house, such as staff and work-
men. At the left end of the center hallway is the Master Bedroom with larger space and additional furniture in
the suite for more long-term retreatants. From the front door straight ahead to the back of the building is the
living room.
What this building does not have is a phone line, a computer, Wi-Fi, the Internet or a TV. The facility is
designed for retreatants, either individuals or couples, who are truly seeking God in silence and solitude for the
sake of prayer. The world and outside communications and images are "on hold" for these sacred days of
grace.
Architect's Visual Tour: The front of the new Jubilee Guest House and driveway are seen below. |
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Above, front and side view of living room. Furniture is architect's rendition. Actual furnishing will be different. |
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Above, two views of kitchen with correct colors. The kitchen will not have a garbage disposal or dishwasher. |
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Above, the dining room, with a large table and buffet, has doors opening to the living room and to the hall-way passing into the kitchen.
View below is of the back of Jubilee Guest House. A door (to the far left) from the back of the living room opens to the large patio for general use. The Master bedroom has a door to a smaller, private patio. |
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These views of the small bedrooms, with full bathrooms, are actually different rooms. Each has an unique room arrangement and view out the window. Laundry room (R) is for the use of retreatants, who are here more long- term, and for the staff of Marymount Hermitage, when guests come and go. |
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The Master bedroom suite is shown to the left below. The bathroom has two sinks, a tub and walk-in shower. The outside door accesses the small, private patio. |
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The front parlor, is multi-functional for special needs and preferences of retreatants and guests. |
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Mission Statement: My life is one of solitude and silence, of withdrawal from the world for the sake of seek-
ing God in faith and prayer. I have discovered after 40 years that, if one withdraws to the desert to pray, peo-
ple will want to join you. Almost since the beginning in 1984, we have had at least 2 hermitages for those who
want to come on retreat. Over the years, we have added hermitages and now there are 5. With the chapel,
library and Holy Family House (where I now live) that constitutes the buildings currently on the campus of
100 acres, which is Marymount Hermitage. It has become clear to me by concrete details and a process of dis-
cernment, that it is time to build the Guest House, which Sister Rebecca Mary and I envisioned from the begin-
ning. The new facility is described above in text and images. The name of the new building is Jubilee Guest
House. The reason is that this will celebrate in a historic and profound way the 40th Anniversary of Mary-
mount Hermitage. The Guest House will support our mission “to receive all who come as Jesus,” which is the
charism of hospitality based on the Rule of St. Benedict. Bishop Peter F. Christensen has set the date of Satur-
day, October 12, 2024 for the public Mass he will offer for us here in Mesa, ID. Please mark your calendars
and know that you are welcome to celebrate this Ruby Jubilee with us. By Sister Mary Beverly, HSM
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