A hermit's life is special. It is a hidden life of prayer in the silence of solitude where men and women strive for that purity of heart which most clearly mirrors the Heart of Jesus. It is a life of selfless love which for the first time in the history of the Church has been codified in Canon Law. Hermits consecrate themselves to God for the salvation of the world where so many find themselves isolated from each other and from God through sin. Although hermits live in solitude they are not isolated from the common concerns of a suffering humanity. On the contrary, as this Plan of Life reveals, they find themselves very much in the midst of the troubled world giving witness by their lives of solitude and prayer to the absolute primacy of God who alone can satisfy our human longing for truth and love.

About the Author: Eugene L. Romano, the Founder of the Hermits of Bethlehem who put together this Plan of Life, was ordained in 1957 for the Diocese of Paterson where he served as a parish priest and in various other capacities for 18 years before obtaining permission from the Bishop to establish the Hermits of Bethlehem. Within a very few years, the work expanded to include 12 hermitages, a road, a common house, a new enlarged chapel, and St. Joseph's house for guests and family visits. Hundreds of people have been drawn to its isolated setting to share the desert life of the Hermits. On December 8, 1997, Bishop Frank J. Rodimer, Bishop of Paterson, canonically erected the Hermits of Bethlehem from a Public Association of the Christian Faithful to a Laura of Consecrated Hermits of Diocesan Right. This book defines their way of life.