The Hermits of Bethlehem, living as a Laura in solitary hermitages around a central chapel, are united in the Heart of Jesus and the Heart of the Church under the protection and example of Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother. The Hermits live in obedience to the Desert Father, who, in imitation of Jesus, serves the brothers and sisters.
The life of the hermit is characterized by assiduous prayer, the daily asceticism of eremitic life, support of one another by silent presence and a weekly opportunity for sharing. The hermit life today, like St. Anthony the Great’s in the third and fourth centuries, is an invitation to the Church and world to take seriously the gospel message and to respond to the gospel with zeal and purity of heart. The gospel calls us to a full response. We are to be perfect, striving for love for God, love for neighbor, orthodoxy of faith. For the hermit this means living in desert silence and solitude for the glory of God and for the salvation of the world. As Anthony said, “Perfection is within our possibility because God dwells in us and gives the grace.”
"Blessed is he who possesses Bethlehem in his heart and in whose heart, Christ is born daily, for what is the meaning if Bethlehem if not 'House of Bread'? Let us too become a house of bread which comes down from Heaven." St. Jerome