Our letter to you during the holy season of Lent will be brief—and only to lend a little encouragement to persevere with prayerful peace in your Lenten observance. May that sorrow of our Savior break our hearts—and convert them, accomplishing all that the Lord wills in each of our souls. Read More….
Beginning another liturgical year is meant to bring us all back to a vivid remembrance of God's purpose and plan of Redemption—and the call to holiness that His redemptive work has won for us. "Now during the season of Advent, our Lord knocks at the door of all men's hearts—at one time so forcibly that they must notice Him, at another, so softly that it requires attention and vigilance to know that Jesus is asking admission. He comes to ask them if they have room for Him, for He wishes to be born in their house.” – Abbot Dom Gueranger
In WEBSITE NEWS we give some good gift ideas for Christmas.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we give answers to some of the questions most frequently asked us by our readers: What do the Sister eat? What do the Sisters read? Do the Sisters use medicine and medicinal herbs like the monasteries of old? Read More….
As September draws to a close, Carmelites all over the world recall with fraternal love and admiration the generous life and holy death of St. Therese of Lisieux, "The Little Flower". But as we know and have remarked in a past newsletter, St. Therese can be misunderstood. The Way of Spiritual Childhood, as she called her "Little Way," has often been mistaken to mean childishness. Another misinterpretation of St. Therese has tried to place her in the defiant age of the mid-twentieth century, and has thus construed odd notions about what she wrote and said about herself. We do our best to describe St. Therese as she was and what really defined her spirituality.
In WEBSITE NEWS we recommend some excellent books on St. Therese.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we have been keeping busy with canning and autumn gardening, as well as vestment repairs. Read More….
The founding Mothers of our Carmel chose the name of our Monastery, Carmelite Monastery of the Sacred Hearts, largely because of their devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. At Fatima, Our Lady promised that if her requests were fulfilled, God would grant the world a time of peace, but there can be little doubt that the solemn requests of Our Lady at Fatima have not been fulfilled. What do Carmelites do when faced with this heartbreaking reality?
In WEBSITE NEWS we have added some new books to our site.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we mention the large fire that destroyed many homes only thirteen miles from us. We also tell he special story of an adoption that was arranged between families of the Carmelite Sisters. Read More….
But before Carmel's yet deeper retreat from the world during these Holy Forty Days, we pass onto you a few lessons the Church offers her children to guide them through this time. "No Lent," the St. Andrew Missal instructs, "is worthy of the name without a personal effort of self-reformation, of leading a life more in accordance with God's commands and an attempt by some kind of voluntary self-denial to make reparation for past negligence.
A wonderful Carmelite Saint who faithfully followed the Savior's example in mortification was St. Teresa Margaret of the Divine Heart.
In WEBSITE NEWS we have expanded our cord rosary options.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we continue our Liturgical sewing work. We also comment on St. Teresa’s words: “God save us from sad-faced saints!” Read More….
"Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come to save us!" This urgent plea, taken from Psalm 79, is the constant prayer of this season of Advent and its liturgy. Although in our days, the ringing of the Angelus bell throughout each day is not as common as in past ages, what better way is there than to meditate on the coming of the Redeemer in this prayer.
In WEBSITE NEWS we give gift suggestions.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we celebrated the first profession of another of novices. Read More….
This is the month of the Holy Rosary: “The Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary. She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, or of the religious communities, or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be solved by the Rosary.” – Sister Lucia
We also answer a longstanding and good question some of our friends and readers have had—and that is about the meaning of the Carmelite Shield.
In WEBSITE NEWS the new calendar is available, and we also recommend some good spiritual reading about St. Therese.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we celebrated another first profession for one of our novices. We have also been busy growing vegetables and doing some small landscape projects. Read More….
United with Our Lady and the Apostles, “steadfast in prayer” with them (Acts 1), we await the coming of the Holy Spirit once again upon earth on Pentecost. We must fervently prepare ourselves for Pentecost, so that the coming of the Holy Spirit will be renewed in us in all its plenitude.
In WEBSITE NEWS we recommend some books about the Holy Spirit as well as sacramental to encourage this devotion.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we share with you the happy news of our novice’s final profession and veiling ceremonies. There is a special and significance attached to the black veil worn by religious. Read More….
Let us offer a few reflections about the season of Lent. Our favorite words from the opening of the Holy Forty Days still ring in our ears and hearts: "Be converted to Me with all your heart!" The beautiful phrase finds its echo in the "great commandment" of charity: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind and with all thy strength." We have just recently celebrated two great feast days, the Feast of St. Joseph and the Feast of the Assumption. Both days contain beautiful and important lessons!
In WEBSITE NEWS we give suggestions for good Lenten reading.
Text In COMMUNITY NEWS we have been completing to large vestment sets, our first to be fully digitized and embroidered by the Sisters right here in the Monastery. The first set, complete with cope, was for Ash Wednesday, the second Solemn set is for Christmas. The Novices are also preparing for the taking of their vows this coming year. Read More….
Secular society, and its heavily commercial influence, pulls people into a worldly, month-long party with pretty much constant revelry and merry-making. Let us attend, then, to the words of our Divine Master Himself, who cautioned those He loves: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be overburdened with self-indulgence and drunkenness and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly, as a snare. For come it will upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. Watch, then, praying at all times…” (Luke 21:34-36)
In WEBSITE NEWS we give several ideas for valuable gifts of Faith.
In COMMUNITY NEWS we share details from the two sisters clothing ceremonies and we also made special banner for the feast of Christ the King. Read More….