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Prayer House
Spiritual Services
PADRE PIO PRAYER HOUSE
Silence is the privileged space in which to find God, and along with a natural environment, surrounded by woods and beautiful mountains, is transformed into an adequate place to pray and contemplate creation; which allows us to make St. Francis’s words our own: “Praised be thou, my Lord”:
These words reflect the desire to encounter God in prayer, and are the aspiration of every Minor Brother who wants to find his God in creation. How many of us that live in a city would not want to have a moment, a space, a place!, where this could be possible.
This is why from our Capuchin vocation, that always calls to the contemplative experience, the brothers, since the year 2000, started the project of a house that had the conditions of a hermitage to encourage these solitude and contemplation spaces.
It all began with a dream that became a reality with the gift of a lot in the woods near San Martín Texmelucan, Puebla, located at the feet of the Iztaccíhuatl mountain, in the town of San Juan Tlale.
From the beginning, the brothers felt this place offered a natural space conductive to prayer and reflection, along with a beautiful view of the mountains, far away from the city’s noise and life. It all began with a project where a large dining hall was built, and that for many years functioned as chapel, dormitory and dining hall. With the passing of time and the help of many people, who through raffles, collections, donations and the work of the brothers, made the “Padre Pio” prayer house what it is today: a dream come true to live the prayer experience with all the necessary facilities to fulfill its objective.
Currently, these facilities are large and adequate; and can accommodate both big and small groups, with simple dormitories (each with its own shower and toilette), a large dining hall with a chimney, study and class rooms, open spaces and trails to walk, and place for brotherly sharing with a bonfire in its particular kiosk or plastered area.
Without a doubt, the last construction, and the crowning of this project for the objectives of the house, was the building of a chapel with a view to the volcano, which is definitely an architectural project, with windows that look to the forest that encourages prayer. It would be easier to see it, to see what we are talking about, but the pictures of the chapel may give you an idea of what we want to share.