Wanted to start a separate thread as not to derail the other one on the pope being gαy, lol.
So in response to Prayerful's distaste for CM, I understand, but their spotlight on the Monks in Wyoming is true. I added some more details to my response:
As much as I dislike CM, I watched their spotlight on the Carmelite Monks in Wyoming. As a former monk from there, I can tell you literally everything Augustine Infererra said in that interview was 100% accurate. I joined them in 2006 and left within a month because the amount of manual labor was absurd. He is not exaggerating, it felt like forced labor. We hardly had any time to pray at all, which is entirely against the spirit and charism of Carmel. Realize I am telling you this 14 years before he joined I was there and it was happening. He joined in 2020, I joined in 2006.
For further clarification I was an aspirant for a year and a half. I visited 3 times before I joined, and this was at their temp monastery in Powell, WY before they bought the new property. None of these criticisms came to light until I walked through the cloister gate because aspirants do silent retreats there and do not participate in anything except the mass.
Everything in that spotlight is true, except when they talk about the skull and flagellation not being Carmelite traditions, they are. That is the only false thing in the whole Spotlight.
It's the first thing I've watched from CM in probably 6 or 7 years because I dislike them that much. But they did a good job on the Carmelite Monks and I felt somewhat vindicated because I left for the same reasons as him.
I know at least 3 other former monks from there who all said the same thing and left for the same reasons. Excessive labor. Weirdness. Lack of prayer. Immoderate affection and lack of modesty amongst other huge red flags.
Another interesting thing, Fr. Daniel Mary told me they were diocesan rite, apparently that's not true. So he lied to me. Interesting how that comes out 16 years later and I learn it from CM.
I remember Fr. Daniel Mary's overemphasis on being buff, they bring this up in the spotlight. Fr. Daniel Mary wanted me to lift everyday before he would admit me. Which I did. FOR A YEAR. He talked about it a lot. Granted a was rather skinny at the time, so he was concerned I wouldn't be able to keep up. Still though, odd thing to ask of an aspirant. Most real monks are super thin anyway cause of all their fasting.
Feel free anyone to DM me, I'm not lying. Fr. Daniel Mary even mentioned me in passing during an EWTN interview about 12-14 years back. I think it was Fr. Pacwa's show. He talks about the monk that broke down. That was me.
They are not who they claim to be.