The Monastery has several buildings including a dormitory built in 1929. There is a grave yard, community garden, and the Friar's Nook gift shop on the grounds.
" The History of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, U.S.A.
The Beginnings:
The Diocese of Altoona, in western Pennsylvania, was formed in 1902 with the Most Rev. Eugene A. Garvey as the first Bishop. In the process of organizing his diocese, in order to care for all the members of his flock, the Bishop was anxious to establish an adequate number of parishes. The region had experienced an influx of immigrants of various nationalities newly arrived from their fatherlands. Among these were very many families from Italy. It was the pastoral care and service to this particular group of immigrants which eventually led to the establishment of the American Province of the Immaculate Conception.
Soon after the establishment of the first Commissariate of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance at Loretto in 1908, Bishop Garvey appealed to the Commissary Provincial, Very Rev. Jerome Zazzara to help him to care for these immigrants from Italy. There were at the time, two parishes for Italian Catholics; one at Altoona and the other at Johnstown. At the Monastery in Loretto there were two Italian priests: Fr. Jerome and Fr. Anthony Balestieri, who was serving the Commissariate as Novice Master. Fr. Jerome was very sympathetic to the bishop’s appeal and to the pastoral needs of his compatriots. He went to Altoona in 1908 to arrange for the foundation of a Friary there. Throughout 1908, Fr. Anthony, because of his duties as Novice Master, could only go at intervals to make a similar arrangement for a house of the Order in Johnstown. At the bishop’s request, Fr. Anthony was relieved of his duties in Loretto to take up full-time work and residence in Johnstown where he remained from 1909 until his death in 1942.
Again, in 1918, the Bishop came to the Franciscans seeking a priest to take over the parish of our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Barnesboro. The Very Rev. Fr. Francis Smyth assumed the responsibility for this parish. His having studied in Rome and being fluent in Italian made him the ideal man for this task.
In the meantime, two more friar-priests, Fr. Zachary Girolami and Andrew DeSanto, came from the Italian provinces to join their American confreres in the pastoral work among the Italian immigrants.
The Commissariate (1920 – 1925)
For many years the idea of establishing a separate Commissariate dedicated to parish work was discussed and the circumstances were making it increasingly more feasible. Finally, it was decided to petition the authorities of the General Curia for such an establishment. However, due to the outbreak of war in Europe, the Minister General had returned to his native land and was unable to return to Rome and so the request was tabled until his return … which was not to be until four years later in 1919! A little before all this came about, a golden opportunity had presented itself. About 1918, a tract of land about 3 miles south of Hollidaysburg was up for sale. It seemed an ideal spot for a house of formation for candidates of the Province. The friars took an option on the property and awaited the approval of Rome.
When word came that the Father General had returned to the Motherhouse, the petition for a Commissariate was formally presented to the General Curia. With the approval of the Curia of the Province of the Sacred Heart at Loretto, the Sacred Congregation of Religious on January 22, 1920 granted the necessary authorization. The Commissariate was established the following March 15, 1920 with the execution of the Congregation’s decree by the Minister General, Most. Rev. Pius Dujmovic. It was dedicated to Our Lady under her glorious title of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Jerome Zazzara was named the first, and as it turned out, the only Commissary Provincial. The headquarters of this new unit of the Order was located at the Friary of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Altoona. The following are the names of those listed as members of the new Commissariate:
Friars Jerome Zazzara, Anthony Balestieri, Zachary Girolami, Francis Smyth, Hugh Smyth, Benignus Gallagher, Christopher Murphy, Patrick Joyce, Bernard Weakland, Justinian Clear and Alban Gormley.
Now the negotiations for the purchase of the Hollidaysburg land could be completed. It was taken over by the friars and dedicated to the great Franciscan preacher, St. Bernardine of Siena. The old homestead on the farm property became known simply as The Priory. The houses of the new Commissariate now numbered four, namely: St. Bernardine’s Monastery in Hollidaysburg, the Parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Altoona, that of St. Anthony of Padua in Johnstown, and the Parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Barnesboro. In 1925, the Parish of St. Anthony in Windber was entrusted to the care of the friars of the Commissariate. From this small seed, planted by a small group of friars with a vision, would come a Province of the Order reaching far and wide over this country and even to missions in foreign lands."
Franciscans