Category: 2013

Advent and the Christmas Gift

Advent and the Christmas Gift

Advent once again, and we recall the beautiful lessons it teaches us - the preparation for the renewal of the First Coming of our Lord in hiddenness and mercy, and the preparation for His Second and Final Coming in judgment. In this Advent letter, we tell you about Stephene, a customer who became a friend and shared with us a Christmas poem she wrote about having a gift to give to Our Lord Himself on His birthday.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we share are story of trying to stain some stores in freezing weather as well as preparations for Christmas. Read More….

Prayerful Remembrance of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Prayerful Remembrance of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

It is a prayerful month, as we answer the call of Holy Mother Church to pray for the Faithful Departed, “that they may be released from their sins,” as the Book of Machabees expresses it. Carmelites have ever been devoted to praying for the souls in Purgatory, as the history of the Order documents, especially from the time of our Holy Mother St. Teresa. “Marvelous is the mercy of God to have provided sinners with a Purgatory – a place of purification in unchangeable eternity; a robing room for those whose wedding garments are earth-soiled; a period when God Himself, jealous for the beauty of His bride, finishes the life-work which the negligent soul has left undone.” – Divine Crucible

In WEBSITE NEWS we are still constructing our new website, and with Advent coming soon, we recommend some good spiritual reading to help prepare for Christmas.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we share with you pictures from the funeral and requiem vestment sets we just completed. The weeping willow design was based on an old vestment that we have. Read More….

Fires and Floods

Fires and Floods

The events of this long, difficult summer have kept us from writing a newsletter sooner! Our sincere thanks to all who have emailed and written with concern to ask about our safety during the June forest fires and the heavy rains and floods of September. Sadly, many who have not faith, question how a loving God could allow such devastation to take place. And even those who do have faith very often do not understand why we suffer. Why are we left to our loneliness and loss? Has God forgotten us, our troubles, our need? On the contrary, the God of heaven and earth - our sovereign, strong, living God - sends and permits trouble and sorrow for the very purpose of making us know our need and to draw us from the superficial things of life. "Suffering, when accepted in the right spirit, enhances the understanding: it reveals the secret nature of things and shows everything as it is.

In WEBSITE NEWS we are still working on the new website, and have added a woodcarved image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to our site. We decided to embroider the tiny scapulars for this image ourselves!

In COMMUNITY NEWS the Black Forest Fire only a few miles from us encouraged us to do some mitigation on our own property. We were able to have a procession to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Read More….

The Coming of the Holy Ghost

The Coming of the Holy Ghost

Let us remember what our holy Faith teaches us about this Person of the Holy Trinity, Whose name we use often in our prayers, but perhaps with little reflection. In the Nicene Creed, we proclaim, “And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life; Who proceeds from the Father and the Son; Who together with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, Who spoke through the Prophets.” St. Augustine gloried in what the Holy Spirit is to the Church, saying that: “What the soul is to the body of man, the Holy Ghost is to the Body of Christ, which the Church is. What the soul does in all the members of one body, this the Holy Spirit does throughout the Church…” This indwelling of the Holy Spirit in souls is often forgotten or ignored—even by devout souls.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we share pictures with you from our last vestment project, a solemn set for Pentecost with details embroidery. Read More….

A Prayerful Lent

A Prayerful Lent

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….