Tiny everyday miracles: This is the short answer for how a group of monks in Wyoming built a sprawling monastery worthy of awe.

For more than a decade, the Carmelite monks have been hard at work building a 145,000-square-foot French Gothic-style monastery, set on a 2,500-acre cattle ranch.

As images and video of the work had already captivated the faithful online, Return reached out to the group to find out exactly how such a work of art, typically seen at historical sites, is physically possible.

‘The decision immediately was to build this monastery to last for centuries …’

During the initial design phase, it became painfully obvious to the monks that if they took the path of least resistance by acquiring the services of an architect, there would never be any monastery to speak of.

“A number of national contractors presented their bids to build the monastery, and we realized that if we went that route, we would never be able to raise the astronomical funds needed,” Brother Isidore Mary told Return. “Rather than quit, or dumb down the vision, we adapted.”

Spotting that the stonework was by far the largest cost in the build, peak male curiosity took over: “How hard can it be to cut stone?” they asked.

Without any background in fields like computer design or stone carving, the monks went to work applying themselves to each trade.

‘God’s grace has not failed us.’

Brother Isidore cited “a series of millions of little, tiny everyday miracles” that manifested through the acquisition of skills while already “on the job.”

This meant learning software programs to design buildings, digital sculpting, and CNC machine programming; all were self-taught. The monks learned from local subcontractors and professional masons, taking in everything they could as a concrete block core was built in order to secure the structure from seismic activity that comes from being so close to Yellowstone.

The monk explained, “These skills have certainly taken years to acquire, and we are still learning every day. We started construction in 2014 with the simplest buildings, such as the hermitages where the monks live, and as our skills developed, so did the complexity of each building we undertook, until finally we have now set to work on the most challenging part and crown jewel: the chapel itself, the throne room of God.”

RELATED: Wyoming monks use cutting-edge tech to carve epic stone monastery 20 years in the making

Your browser does not support the video tag. Video courtesy Carmelite Gothic

Brother Isidore revealed that the project was completed in poverty, which he even admitted may be surprising to hear given the beauty of the structure. He claimed every dollar was stretched as far as it could go, and the team took extra time and invested in more durable materials to ensure a long-lasting architecture.

“The decision immediately was to build this monastery to last for centuries rather than something to fall apart in 20 years, leaving a problem the next generation of monks would have to face.”

3D monks

The images of monks using 3D design programs and engaging in complex stone-carving techniques has certainly raised questions as to whether or not the use of such advanced machinery is becoming of such religious servants. Brother Isidore said the monks encounter this idea regularly, but it is not consistent with the truth.

“I think it stems from the notion that something traditional must be archaic. The monastery certainly reminds one of something medieval, from the architecture and stonework, to the Latin and Gregorian chant, to the very robes the monks wear,” he explained.

The use of technology is not at odds with monastic life, he went on. “In fact, monks have frequently been pioneers in many of the trades and sciences, in fields as varied as metallurgy and genetics. We find the use of CNC technology and these sophisticated stone-cutting machines quite in keeping with this tradition of innovation and our monastic way of life.”

RELATED: The Land of the Gods

Photo by Carmelite Gothic

Cult of ugliness

The monastery’s construction is mainly funded by donations, domestic and abroad, the monk explained. These, coupled with the monks’ coffee roasting business, have helped fund their modest lifestyle as well.

Mystic Monk Coffee, started in 2007, has a “loyal following [of] coffee drinkers” who have helped contribute to construction costs, but purchases primarily cover daily expenses at the monastery. The business funds food, utilities, medical bills, and education on-site.

Any gaps that are inherent in such a modest income have been overcome by the group’s desire to create an expression of their faith. In line with this, Brother Isidore described a want to battle the apparent “cult of ugliness” that pervades modern culture.

“We have lost the understanding that humans are composite beings, made body and soul in God’s likeness, and that the natural world around us does influence our soul. Beauty is an attribute of God and reflects Him. So shouldn’t the churches we build for Him be beautiful?”

The monks took design elements from Gothic structures across the world, particularly from Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. At the same time, the window tracery was described as Bohemian Gothic, the vaulting is English Gothic, and the spires are inspired by German architecture.

Photo by Carmelite Gothic

When asked about the positives of living and working in such a remote area in Wyoming — about seven miles from the nearest neighbor — Brother Isidore described the architecture and wilderness of God’s creation as the perfect backdrop for the monks’ primary work: a continual act of worship and praising God.

At the same time, though, the mountains of Wyoming “aren’t exactly gentle, and the remoteness and weather certainly introduce many challenges in the construction of the monastery.”

While not many were familiar with Catholic monks, any initial concerns the locals had (reported previously as possible environmental disturbances) have since faded away, the representative said.

Still, other than Wyoming weather, it seems the monks don’t have much, if any, outside interference in their mission.

“The locals saw there was nothing to worry about. I think many don’t even realize this monastery exists.”

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Another member of the Kennedy political dynasty is launching a high-profile campaign, and this time it’s for Congress.

Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s 32-year-old grandson, announced his congressional campaign to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York. Schlossberg originally rose to political stardom on TikTok, where, like many of his relatives, he would criticize and mock Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

‘With control of Congress, there’s nothing we can’t do.’

Schlossberg will be entering a crowded primary race alongside state Assemblyman Micah Lasher and nonprofit CEO Liam Elkind. These candidates are looking to represent New York’s 12th congressional district, which is one of the most Democratic districts in the state and boasts one of the highest incomes per capita in the country.

On his campaign website, the Kennedy heir said he launched his congressional bid because “the best part of the greatest city on earth needs to be heard loud and clear in Washington and deserves a representative who won’t back down.”

RELATED: ‘Pathetic’ Senate Democrats cave, advancing key shutdown vote and prompting intraparty uproar: ‘It’s a surrender’

Disney/Randy Holmes

In his campaign announcement, Schlossberg also emphasized his ambition for Democrats to take back control of the House. Republicans currently hold a historically narrow advantage in the House, partially due to two Democratic vacancies following the deaths of Reps. Sylvester Turner of Texas and Raul Grijalva of Arizona.

“We deserve better, and we can do better,” Schlossberg said. “And it starts with the Democratic Party winning back control of the House of Representatives.”

Notably, Schlossberg is running to replace a Democrat in a deep-blue district, meaning the partisan split in the House will be unaffected by his candidacy.

RELATED: JFK’s grandson trashes RFK Jr. and says he’s ‘excited’ about voting for Biden

Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

“With control of Congress, there’s nothing we can’t do,” Schlossberg said. “Without it, we’re helpless to a third term.”

“My name is Jack Schlossberg, and I’m running for Congress to represent my home: New York’s 12th congressional district, where I was born and raised.”

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While Mark Levin is one of President Trump’s most vocal supporters, he is concerned about America’s fraternizing with Qatar — a country pitched as “one of the great leaders of the Middle East and the world.”

“I say no, Qatar is a very dangerous country,” says Levin.

He reminds us that in 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was brutally beheaded by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al-Qaeda’s chief of operations and the architect of 9/11. It was Qatar who sheltered KSM from the FBI — specifically the father of the country’s current ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Further, these same Qatari family members, Levin says, “are the sugar daddies for Hamas” — funding the terrorist organization for years, hosting its leaders, and acting as its political lifeline.

That hasn’t changed. Even though Qatar has been a key broker alongside the U.S. and Egypt in the tiered ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, it’s still on Team Hamas, Levin says.

Just last month, Sheikh Tamim delivered an address at the opening session of the 54th annual Shura Council.

He was clear about where Qatar’s loyalty lies: “Israel has violated all laws and norms governing relations between nations through its aggressive actions against the mediator and its attempt to assassinate members of a negotiating delegation. We consider this aggression to be state terrorism. And the global response was so powerful that it shocked those responsible. What’s happened in the Gaza Strip in the past two years amounts to genocide — a term that encapsulates all atrocities. It is regrettable that they remain incapable of enforcing its respect when it comes to the tragedy of our brotherly Palestinian people.”

This is a load of lies, says Levin. “The Israelis weren’t trying to take out the negotiators. They were trying to take out the Hamas leaders that [Sheikh Tamim] was protecting.”

“[Qatar] is [America’s] new best friend,” he laments.

“They’ve gotten into the West,” into “all parties, every aspect of our culture, our educational system. … They are behind the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Jihad, Hamas. They supported the Taliban, and they support the destruction of our universities and colleges.”

For Levin, Qatar’s billions and diplomatic handshakes can’t erase its track record. America’s “new best friend” remains a Trojan horse for terrorism and anti-Western ideology.

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Police officers in Florida probably got a little more than they bargained for after responding to a recent call about a disturbance in a home in the 1400 block of Bartell Avenue in Port St. Lucie.

Police said a 15-year-old female was in the middle of the road with a shovel and began to approach the arriving patrol car — and then struck the hood of the vehicle with the shovel.

‘Regardless of age, resorting to intentional damage of people or property in our city will result in an arrest.’

Police posted bodycam video of the incident, which took place around 4:45 p.m. Nov. 3. The teen appeared to strike the police vehicle with the shovel at least four times.

One officer can be heard on the clip remarking, “You kidding me?” as he exited the police vehicle to confront the teen with what appears to be a powered-up Taser.

A second officer can heard ordering the teen to “put the shovel down!”

The video shows the girl immediately tossing the shovel to the street — and apparently issuing some sort of hand gesture to officers, which is redacted in the police bodycam video.

Image source: Port St. Lucie (Fla.) Police Department video screenshot

Police said the girl was arrested and charged with felony criminal mischief and that she caused more than $1,200 in damage to the vehicle’s hood.

“Regardless of age, resorting to intentional damage of people or property in our city will result in an arrest,” police said in a Facebook post, adding that the girl was “taken into custody without incident.”

RELATED: Massive mall brawl: 300 teens descend upon shopping mall, run amok, fight — even with cops. TikTok influencer set ‘meetup.’

The video has received more than 140,000 views. The following is a small sampling of some of the accompanying comments:

“Happy the officers are safe and weren’t also attacked, just the car,” one commenter noted. “They never know what type of crazy they will deal with or how quickly a situation can turn dangerous, every single day.””The amount of value sharing this video adds to our community is astonishing,” another user said. “Thank you for your service.””I pray she receives the help she needs,” another commenter wrote. “Clearly something seems off here.””Exemplary de-escalation!” another user exclaimed.”15…. Where are the parents? What’s her story? Home life, personal life, abused, etc. [?]” another commenter mused. “Yes, she did wrong. Obviously. But [a] 15-year-old kid doesn’t just take a shovel for a good time. At 15, many can’t even control their emotions. Officers handle it without incident, thank God.”

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A Biden-appointed federal judge who recently imposed nationwide restrictions on how U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can make arrests is poised to potentially release hundreds of illegal aliens arrested by federal agents in the Chicago area.

Background

In May 2018, ICE arrested over 100 illegal aliens including numerous convicted criminal noncitizens in the Chicago area as part of Operation Keep Safe.

The National Immigrant Justice Center, an open-borders advocacy organization, swooped in to defend a handful of the illegal aliens who were captured, accusing the first Trump administration of Administrative Procedure Act and 4th Amendment violations.

The legal campaign to challenge the alleged warrantless arrest of the illegal aliens snowballed into a class-action lawsuit involving two additional activist groups and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which worked in a supporting role.

The plaintiffs managed to surmount the government’s attempt to have the case dismissed and in 2022 secured a settlement requiring ICE to follow specific procedures for apprehending illegal aliens without warrants in Illinois and five neighboring states.

The settlement, which ICE policy was augmented to reflect, was set to expire on May 12, 2025.

Biden judge obliges open-borders activists

In March, the NIJC challenged the second Trump administration’s warrantless arrests of dozens of illegal aliens in Illinois, requesting that ICE be held accountable for alleged violations of the 2022 settlement.

RELATED: A historian’s warning: The Democrats have gone full totalitarian

Photo by Anadolu/Getty Images

Despite the NIJC’s pending motion to enforce the settlement, ICE’s principal legal adviser Charles Wall circulated an email in June to all ICE employees indicating that the settlement was terminated and the corresponding policy was rescinded. The agency continued with its campaign to target illegal aliens in a manner unpalatable to the open-borders group, most recently as part of Operation Midway Blitz, which was launched in September.

‘They’ve been uniformly violating the consent decree.’

Amid ICE’s efforts to catch violent criminal noncitizens including rapists and members of the terrorist gang Tren de Aragua, the NIJC went running back to the court on Sept. 26, complaining of additional alleged violations of the consent decree and asking that the agreement be extended for another three years.

On Oct. 7, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cummings, a Biden appointee, ruled that ICE violated the settlement — which was supposedly kept alive past its expiration date by the NIJC’s pending motion to enforce — citing practices such as ICE agents allegedly carrying blank administrative arrest warrants and filling them in after detaining suspects.

Cummings not only granted an extension of the consent decree settlement until Feb. 2, 2026, but ordered ICE to apply the corresponding policy to all agents nationwide.

While attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security have argued that Congress has denied federal courts the ability to grant parole to large groups of illegal aliens in ICE custody, WLS-TV reported that Cummings is contemplating doing just that.

The Biden judge is expected to provide some insight during a hearing on Wednesday into whether he will order ICE to release illegal aliens on interim “alternatives to detention” such as ankle monitor programs or check-in appointments with immigration agents via mobile apps.

Mark Fleming, associate director of litigation at the NIJC, told WLS that the number of illegal aliens arrested in violation of the consent decree is over 3,000 people.

“If they did not have a prior order of removal, in almost all circumstances, they’ve been uniformly violating the consent decree,” said Fleming.

Fleming added, “The bargain was if you violate this, the individual [is] eligible for release.”

While Fleming is clearly hopeful that Cummings will cut the whole lot loose, WLS legal analyst Gil Soffer suggested that “there’s a statute that makes it very difficult for the district court, federal district court, to require the government to take or not take any action in the immigration space.”

Blaze News has reached out to the DHS for comment.

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