Hermits around the web – Hermitary
news, sites, and pages of interest about hermits and solitude
Catholic World Report offers a summary article on Catholic hermits titled “Modern-Day Hermits: Answering the Call to Solitude, Prayer” and the byline: “While we might think of hermits as relics of the Church’s medieval past, today there are many who devote their lives entirely to solitary prayer.” The article emphasizes canonical hermits and the traditionalist hermit brothers at Hermits of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Christoval, Texas.
A local Tennessee media source, the Johnson City Press, offers an article about Nick Grindstaff, a famous local hermit who lived near the Appalachian Trail, and whose grave site will receive a new gravestone due to the efforts of local residents. The article describes the hermit, his life, motives, and woes.
From the article:
The epitaph on Grindstaff’s tombstone has a lot to do with preserving his memory. It reads that the hermit “lived alone, suffered alone, died alone.” It is carved in granite along with the name “Uncle Nick Grindstaff” and giving his birth as Dec. 26, 1851 and death on July 22, 1923. The stone is encased in a chimney-like structure made of mountain stones standing more than 6 feet tall. A pamphlet written about Grindstaff by his friends Asa Shoun and R.B. Wilson reports that the gravestone was purchased shortly after Grindstaff’s death. They paid $208.07 for the stone to honor their friend.
Jean Guilhot (1878-1959) was the “Hermit of Deer Island” off Biloxi, Mississippi. Born in France, he traveled to Key West, Florida, and then to Deer Island off the Mississippi coast. His life was a series of hard times, as the SunHerald.com notes in an article titled”‘Hermit of Deer Island’ will get his due at Biloxi Cemetery.” Guilhot’s grave site will be rededicated, with a new marker, and a dramatic recreation of his life presented.
URL: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/07/4856287/hermit-of-deer-island-will-get.html
from a package of Newman’s Own© Organic Hermits (hermit cookies):
“No hermits were harmed, mistreated, pestered or annoyed in the making of these cookies!”
News items about a Maine hermit caught stealing from area camps for 27 years are everywhere on the web. For example, a Guardian report is headlined “Hermit caught after 27 years in Maine woods” with the byline “Christopher Knight, who disappeared aged 19, lived by stealing food and supplies from woodland camps in Maine, say police.” The item notes that Knight did not light fires even in extremely cold winters of Maine in order not to be observed. His camp reveals only a tent, bedding, tarps, propane tanks, and a radio. He is being held for the most recent theft. Doubtless further details of his lifestyle will be forthcoming.
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/11/american-hermit-caught-27-years