About Carmelite Monastery - Carmel of the Infant Jesus · Santa Clara, California
The Carmelite Monastery of San Francisco — Carmel of the Infant Jesus is a cloistered monastery of Discalced Carmelite (OCD) nuns at 1000 Lincoln Street in Santa Clara, California, in the Diocese of San Jose. Since 1917, a small community of contemplative nuns has lived behind enclosure on the eleven-acre grounds of the former Bond Ranch, devoted to a life of prayer, silence, and penance in the spirit of St. Teresa of Avila. Although the nuns are strictly cloistered and do not have a resident pastor, the public is warmly welcomed to attend daily Mass and Sunday Vespers in the chapel, and to walk through the olive groves, rose arbor, and gardens that surround the monastery walls.
- Established
- 1917
- Patron
- Infant Jesus (Carmelite devotion)
- Diocese
- Diocese of San Jose in California
Why belong here
The Carmel of the Infant Jesus offers the rare gift in Silicon Valley of a place set apart: a working cloister where Discalced Carmelite nuns devote their entire lives to contemplative prayer, interceding for the whole Church and for all who ask their prayers. Visitors are invited to attend the daily 7:15 a.m. Mass or the Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass — where the nuns' hidden choir sings behind the grille — and to remain afterward in the open gardens and olive grove for quiet reflection. Although there is no resident pastor, the public is welcome to make use of this oasis of prayer, retreat, and beauty in the heart of Santa Clara.
Mass times at Carmelite Monastery - Carmel of the Infant Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
History of the Carmel of the Infant Jesus
The community was founded in 1908 in San Francisco through the generosity of Alice Phelan Sullivan and was established on a permanent footing in Santa Clara in 1917, when the chapel and residence were built on the former Bond Ranch. Mother Agnes of the Infant Jesus — Alice's daughter Ada, who had entered the Boston Carmel — became the first prioress. The site was chosen in part because of its proximity to the Jesuit-run Santa Clara University, which provided priests for daily Mass and confessions. More than a century later, the monastery still stands as both a California historical landmark and a working Carmelite cloister.
- 1908: First California foundation of Discalced Carmelite nuns established in San Francisco by Alice Phelan Sullivan
- 1913: Noel Sullivan and Senator James D. Phelan purchase the eleven-acre Bond estate in Santa Clara
- 1917: Monastery chapel and residence constructed; Mother Agnes becomes prioress
- 1925: Chapel designs win first place at the Paris International Exposition and the AIA Gold Medal of Excellence
- 1970: Historical marker placed by the Santa Clara Historical and Landmark Commission as Point of Historical Interest No. 2
The Bond Ranch and the Phelan–Sullivan Family
The land has a long, layered history. Judge Hiram Graham Bond bought the eleven-acre estate for $25,000 in 1895 and built a ranch house that became a favorite gathering place for author Jack London, who used the ranch as the opening locale for his novel The Call of the Wild and patterned the dog Buck on Bond's own dog, Marshall. After the 1906 earthquake Bond sold the property; a portion was subdivided as the 'New Park Subdivision' in 1908. The remaining mansion and grounds were purchased in 1913 by U.S. Senator James D. Phelan and his nephew Noel Sullivan and given over to the Discalced Carmelite nuns in memory of their sister and mother, Mrs. Francis J. Sullivan (Alice Phelan Sullivan), the foundress of the California foundation. A memorial chapel at the rear of the monastery houses the tombs of Alice, Mother Agnes, and Noel.
- Judge Hiram Graham Bond — owned the ranch 1895–1909
- Jack London — frequent visitor; inspiration for The Call of the Wild
- Senator James D. Phelan — former San Francisco Mayor and U.S. Senator; co-purchaser of the site
- Alice Phelan Sullivan — foundress of the Carmel of the Infant Jesus
- Mother Agnes of the Infant Jesus (née Ada Sullivan) — first prioress of the Santa Clara Carmel
- Noel Sullivan — brother of Mother Agnes and nephew of Senator Phelan
Architecture and Grounds
The Carmelite Monastery is widely considered the most perfect example of Spanish Renaissance Ecclesiastical architecture in the New World. The complex was designed by Charles D. Maginnis and the firm of Maginnis & Walsh of Boston, the same firm that designed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The dusty pink stucco walls, topped with wrought-iron railings, surround eleven acres at the corner of Lincoln and Benton Streets and may be entered during limited public hours through tall, ornamental wrought-iron gates. Within the public outer garden, visitors find a large olive grove reminiscent of the Garden of Gethsemane, a rose arbor, flower beds, and brick pathways; a converted carriage house and a redwood water tower from the pre-1860 Bond estate also survive on the grounds.
- Architect: Charles D. Maginnis, Maginnis & Walsh (Boston)
- Style: Spanish Renaissance Ecclesiastical
- Awards: First Place, 1925 Paris International Exposition; AIA Gold Medal of Excellence, 1925
- Notable surviving features: olive grove, rose arbor, brick pathways, pre-1860 carriage house and water tower
Mass and Liturgy
Although the nuns live in strict papal enclosure, the chapel is open to the public for daily Mass. The schedule is simple: a 7:15 a.m. Mass Monday through Saturday and a 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday. The nuns themselves attend Mass from a screened area on the left side of the altar, and their hidden choir is famed for its plainchant and polyphony sung behind the grille. The full Liturgy of the Hours is prayed in choir inside the cloister.
- Monday – Saturday: 7:15 AM Mass
- Sunday: 10:30 AM Mass
- Sunday Vespers: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Discalced Carmelite Life (OCD)
The nuns belong to the Order of Discalced Carmelites (Ordo Carmelitarum Discalceatorum, OCD), the reformed branch of the Carmelite family established by St. Teresa of Avila in 16th-century Spain. 'Discalced' means 'shoeless' and refers to the order's revived emphasis on penance and poverty, marked by the wearing of sandals in place of shoes. The community lives a strict papal enclosure — prayer, silence, manual labor, and the daily celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours form the heart of their vocation. As is true of many contemplative communities since the Second Vatican Council, the resident community has aged and today numbers around six professed nuns who live sequestered behind the walls, in sharp contrast to the light-speed pace of the Silicon Valley neighborhood that surrounds them.
- Order: Discalced Carmelites (OCD)
- Reform founded by: St. Teresa of Avila (1562)
- Original Carmelite tradition: hermits on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, given a rule by St. Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem (c. 1206–1214)
- Daily life: Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, silent prayer, penance, and manual labor behind strict papal enclosure
Prayers and Requests
The primary 'ministry' of the Carmel of the Infant Jesus is prayer. The nuns pray continually for the whole Church and for all who ask their intercession. Devotees of the Carmelite tradition — which has a particular devotion to the Infant Jesus, to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and to St. Joseph — frequently write to the monastery requesting prayers. As Discalced Carmelites, the sisters accept this hidden apostolate as their life work, sustained by the charity of the faithful.
- Devotion to the Infant Jesus (the monastery is named Carmel of the Infant Jesus)
- Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Devotion to St. Joseph, patron of the Carmelite order
- Prayer requests may be sent by mail or phone to the prioress
Visiting the Monastery
The monastery is a quiet oasis in the middle of Santa Clara. The public grounds, gardens, and chapel are open Monday through Saturday from 6:30 AM to 4:15 PM and on Sunday from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Visitors are welcome to attend Mass, walk the olive grove and rose arbor, and sit in the gardens. The private quarters of the nuns are separated by an interior wall and are not accessible to the public. There is no formal monastery website; the community is reachable by phone and mail, and a Facebook page exists for the public-facing presence.
- Public hours: Monday–Saturday 6:30 AM – 4:15 PM; Sunday 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Address: 1000 Lincoln Street, Santa Clara, CA 95050-5285
- Phone: (408) 296-8412
- Email: [email protected]
- Corner of Lincoln and Benton Streets, less than a mile from Mission Santa Clara de Asís and Santa Clara University