The Desert Monk

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The Desert Monk

The Desert Monk offers a quiet window into Benedictine monastic life—rooted in prayer, work, and solitude. Record → Reflect → Edit

Through video, blog, and social media, it shares glimpses of life close to the land and God. About The Desert Monk
The Desert Monk began in the quiet stillness of monastic life during one of the noisiest times in the world—June 2020, at the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic. With the world locked down and many people searching for peace, purpose, or simply something real, I launched a simple YouTube channel on June 24, 2020. The intention was never fame or content creation for its own sake. It was a window—an open door—for others to see what life is like behind the walls of the monastery. In August 2020, the companion page was created to further that quiet mission of presence, authenticity, and spiritual depth. What started as a modest effort to share glimpses of monastic life—chant, silence, sheep, snow, stillness—gradually became a broader platform for exploring simplicity, contemplation, and the deep joy of living a God-centered life. The name The Desert Monk hearkens back to the early Christian desert fathers and mothers: men and women who went into the wilderness not to escape the world, but to find God in its absence. Their lives of prayer, work, and solitude were not escapist but prophetic. This channel and its related media are born of that same spirit. Whether it's tending sheep, repairing fences, reflecting on Scripture, or sharing quiet vignettes from monastic life, every post is shaped by the ancient monastic values of stability, obedience, and conversion of life. Over time, The Desert Monk has grown to include a blog, photo posts, and small updates from daily life—each one grounded in the quiet rhythm of ora et labora (prayer and work). While it may use modern tools like YouTube and Facebook, the goal remains deeply ancient: to witness to the presence of God in all things, and to gently invite others into that awareness.

11/07/2026

That is the Chama river flowing through our Greenhouse here at the Monastery of Christ in the Desert it got that high and left a mess inside. 5- 6AM Oct 23 2026

11/04/2026

this is my favorite time of the year. i am so amazed at the abilities God has given me to build all this. this little oratory / chapel matches in with the surroundings very well, the nature light, the fresh air in the morning.

11/04/2026

well hello there! cooling off here finally. did you bring some grain?

11/03/2026

flooding in the sheep fields

11/03/2026

we are ok here, the river has been high for weeks, this photo is a few weeks old. God's Blessing to you all. a new video will be uploaded soon to youtube, it is just an update video.

10/16/2026

10/06/2026

hello everyone, i am doing well, the hermitage is done, the name of the hermitage is Saint Joseph, i am still working on the chapel. the alter was made from a 120 year old door

08/24/2026

It is Finished, bye for now God's blessing to you all, thanks for 6 years of support and following, et in omnibus glorificetur deus, update: I said ---- "for now" new name coming to the page and a shift in content of sortes, God's blessing --- for thoes that see this update- i will be back in 2027 but look for new "post" on the Monastery of Christ in the Desert page and group page of the same name, just not here or under the desert monk name , but i think you can tell

07/30/2026

workshop nearly done at the new hermitage

07/25/2026

turnip greens and kale from the monastery garden

Address

151 Forset Service Road
Abiquiu, NM
87510

Website

https://thedesertmonkbrdavid.wordpress.com/

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