Tag: St. Teresa of Avila

St. Teresa and the Holy Souls

St. Teresa and the Holy Souls

Today (October 15th) is a great day! It is the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, a beautiful feast day for the Church and especially for all Carmelites. Happy Feast day to all of you! So much could be said about our great patron, Our Holy Mother! But in this brief letter, we will confine ourselves to focusing on the one great characteristic of her life: prayer. Her writings on prayer, which offer much instruction and counsel to those who want to learn to converse with God, are among the most renowned among all the Saints and Doctors of the Church. Five centuries after her death, souls are still benefiting from this great teacher of the spiritual life.Read More….

“With Zeal I Have Been Zealous for the Lord God of Hosts”

“With Zeal I Have Been Zealous for the Lord God of Hosts”

On the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, we remember briefly the history of this ancient devotion. The Feast of St. Elias is also this month. Why is it his quote, “with zeal I have been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts,” the motto of Carmel? What exactly is zeal? Have we lost the meaning of this important virtue in our days, where passion and fervor for one’s belief is looked upon as fanaticism? We trace this characteristic of Carmel throughout the Order’s history, starting with St. Elias and ending with St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, who in her all-consuming passion for the glory God became “Patron of the Missions,” despite being a cloistered Carmelite Nun: “How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him.” (3 Kings 18:21).

In WEBSITE NEWS we have added resin statues to our selection of statues, a more economical option than the wood-carved ones. In honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel we also study the history and meaning behind the brown scapular, an extension of our habit!

In COMMUNITY NEWS we give an update on the new puppy in Carmel, who (it seems) has captured the hearts of our readers! Vestment work, gardening, and battling infestations of wasps and hornets…we have been keeping busy in Carmel! Read More….

Defending God

Defending God

“In our time more than ever before, the greatest asset of those disposed toward evil is the cowardice and weakness of good men, and all the vigor of Satan's reign is due to the easygoing weakness of Catholics.” – St. Pius X As we see the world marching on its obstinate path away from God, we take heart in the example of souls who did believe, did hope and indeed loved! And were instruments of good and grace to transform the world, not only in their own time, but in centuries to come. These were the souls who found strength in understanding deeply their own weakness - and God's mighty strength. St. Teresa and St. Therese are two familiar names, but we also remember Blessed Nuno Alvarez, who was a knight become Carmelite, and St. Joan of Arc, who battled for the reign of Christ the King.

During this month of the rosary, in WEBSITE NEWS we remember other types of prayer beads called Chaplets.

These past few months have been full of projects – maintenance projects, landscaping projects, repair projects – and in COMMUNITY NEWS we share pictures of just a few of them. We also answer a question asked by many of our readers, “what are Carmelite recreations like?” Read More….

The 5th Centenary of St. Teresa of Avila

The 5th Centenary of St. Teresa of Avila

A few centuries ago, this feast day was instituted to celebrate the victory of one of the greatest Christian battles in history, the battle of Lepanto. This year also marks the 5th Centenary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila, a cause to celebrate for all Carmelites! St. Therese, and the Holy Angels and also remembered during this month of October.

In WEBSITE NEWS we’ve added two new chaplets to our website, the chaplet of St. Raphael (known as the healer and also “the matchmaker” and patron of those seeking a spouse) and the chaplet of St. Peregrine (patron saint of cancer sufferers).

In COMMUNITY NEWS we celebrate the final profession of one of our Sisters. Keeping up with canning and gardening is a challenge at this time of year! Read More….

St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross

One of the special saints celebrated during these days is our own holy Father, St. John of the Cross. We know he enjoys a perfectly miserable reputation among many Catholics: gloomy, strict, distant, and cold. Let us see if we can dispel at least a few of the mistaken notions and fears about this great Saint, who was essentially a very gentle person, yet very intense.

In WEBSITE NEWS we share ideas for Christmas gifts, including some new music selections. Also of interest is the biography of St. Theophane Venard, a favorite Saint of Saint of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we have been busy preparing for a bake sale and finishing the St. Catherine vestment. Read More….

Our Lady of the Rosary

Our Lady of the Rosary

October celebrates and honors in a special way Our Blessed Mother under this title—and the prayer and sacramental we call the rosary. We share with you thoughts from a special talk we received on the Feast Day about the words in the final prayer of the rosary “imitate what they contain (the mysteries of the rosary), and obtain what they promise.”

In WEBSITE NEWS we share with you details and photographs about how we make our rosaries.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we strive to fulfill St. Teresa’s request that the Carmelite life be dedicated to prayer and sacrifice, especially for priests, as we celebrate her feast day. Read More….

The Two Teresas

The Two Teresas

October also brings us to the celebration of the feasts of the “Two Teresas”: Our Holy Mother St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Our Mother, and Our dear Sister in heaven.

In WEBSITE NEWS we already begin to prepare for Christmas and once again give a book review from the Sisters.

In COMMUNITY NEWS, so very many of you ask how our new vocations are doing, and they are indeed well and facing with alacrity and enthusiasm the varied challenges of a new life. From a variety of different background, they are all learning together the different Carmelite customs and duties. Read More….

October Feast Days

October Feast Days

October in the month of the rosary. It also contains the Feast days of two great Carmelite Saints, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese the Little Flower. We briefly remember who these great Saints of God were and what they did in their lives.

In WEBSITE NEWS we are still continuing to improve our website as fast as time allows. An addition of a Rosary Gallery is popular for people who do not want to build their own, and we have added more children’s books as well. We also introduce our new Stations of the Cross Crucifix, imported from Germany.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we are still busy improving the grounds, planting new trees, and enjoying our annual eight day retreats! Read More….

The Holy Souls and St. Teresa of Avila

The Holy Souls and St. Teresa of Avila

Don’t forget that November is dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. Our Holy Mother St. Teresa of Avila had many experiences with a soul in Purgatory, and documented the experience in her writings: “The Lord told me that the young man's salvation had been in great jeopardy, but that he had received mercy for the service he had rendered to the Blessed Mother in giving that house to be a monastery of her order; however, that he would not leave purgatory until the first Mass was said there-- that then he would leave. I was so conscious of the grievous afflictions of this soul that even though I wanted to make a foundation in Toledo, I set it aside and hastened as much as I could to found a house in Valladolid...” (Foundations, Chapter 10).

Please be sure to visit our website, which now has a “build your own custom rosary” feature. We have also added Pardon Crucifixes to our selection. Read More….