Wyoming’s monastery in the Bighorn Basin is being built in the Gothic style of the medieval monasteries of Europe. The blocks of stone are designed on a computer and carved by a robot rather than by hand, saving decades of work and millions of dollars.

Wyoming’s Carmelite monastery began in 2007 with $400 and a dream to build a Gothic-style monastery in the mountains of the Bighorn Basin.

The style known for dramatic arches, stained glass windows, ribbed vaults, spires, and elaborate stone carvings would traditionally require a century or more of work from teams of highly skilled stone artisans.

Today, it is estimated that the monastery’s church, located along Meeteetse Creek, will be finished in another six years.

This shortened timeline is because of the modern technology used by these previously unskilled, simple men of faith living simple lives with an accelerated and a maxed-out focus with do-it-yourself determination.

The monastery’s chapel has recently been completed, and prayer vigils and masses are now held there each day and night.

The next step — already progressing quickly — is building the church stone by stone with the help of cranes and computers.

“When we first went to build the monastery, we got quotes from professional stonemasons,” Brother Paul Marie told Cowboy State Daily during a visit to the site this week. “The cost was just astronomic, and so we decided to do it ourselves.”

At a fraction of the cost and by using modern tools — such as computer-aided design software, a high-tech stone-cutting machine and 3D modeling technology — the monks program and cut intricate designs into the stone.

They blend stark, sharp medieval design with these modern tools, carving limestone from Kansas with millimeter precision.

“He will create a 3D model of an intricate flower, or even a gargoyle, using a touchscreen and stylist,” Paul Marie said. “The CNC (computer numerical control) machines, basically huge robots, are then programed to carve the stone from his design.”

This innovation has allowed them to build the monastery in only 20 years rather than 150 years.

Since building the monastery includes raising money and awareness of their project, one way they decided to raise money was through a line of coffee they named Mystic Monk Coffee.

Paul Marie grew up in Australia drinking instant coffee and so was surprised when it was determined that he had an aptitude for roasting coffee beans.

He said that in the early days, the coffee would help pay for the stone needed to build, and now sales help cover their food and electricity bills.

The monks do all the roasting, packaging, marketing and shipping of Mystic Monk Coffee. In addition, the monks pray for all their customers.

Another way to fund the monastery and help defray costs is through the monastery’s herd of Angus cattle.

The cowboy monks wear a modified habit called an extraordinary work habit that includes the traditional scapular, but can be tucked in while working.

Their approved modified uniform includes brown jeans, cowboy boots and a cowboy hat.

Originally, the Carmelite monks ran Black Angus but discovered that they did not do well in the high mountains and have been modifying until now when they are running a smaller Angus….

From Cowboy State Daily