Carmel of Mary


A Carmelite Community near Wahpeton, North Dakota


“Come, and see...”
[picture of chapel]

Jesus' invitation echoes down the ages as He lovingly invites young women to “Come, and see” -- to come and stay with Him for the short “day” of this life on earth. One who accepts His gracious overtures to be totally His in Carmel will be able to respond: “I have found Him Whom my soul loves. I will hold Him fast and not let Him go.” Song of Songs 3:4

What is His dwelling place like at Carmel of Mary? What do the Sisters do all day? What is life in Carmel like? These typical questions have simple answers. Come along the corridors of an ordinary day in Carmel and see what Jesus holds out to you in a Carmelite vocation.

Contents:

A TYPICAL DAY IN CARMEL:

[image of Sisters chanting the Divine Office]

Long before dawn the Sisters rise with alacrity, dress quickly, and assemble in the Chapel to chant Lauds, the Morning Prayer of the Church. An hour of mental prayer follows--a Sister's very special tête-à-tête with her Divine Lover. This Hour is her spiritual “generator” to charge the day with love and generosity.

Holy Mass is the summit of the day, the center, the pole of gravitation, the sun around which the day's prayer and work revolve. Holy Communion is the Carmelite's love-feast with her Divine Bridegroom. Here she fans the flame of her love for it is her love for Christ which makes her “tick.” Here she comes to know personally His great love for her. Receiving Christ's all, she learns the nature and extent of her response: nothing less than her all. This gift of self is the basis of her prayer, penance, and her perennial joy. Any difficulties she may encounter are swallowed up like a drop of water in the ocean.

Seven times during the day and at midnight the Sisters return to the Chapel to chant the Divine Praises. Prayer is primary, it is their apostolate, and it has no boundaries in space or time. The Divine Office is chanted in Gregorian chant-in English on ordinary days, in Latin on the most solemn feasts.

Vespers (Evening Prayer) at 4:30 are followed by another hour of mental prayer. Such intense application to prayer is nourished by time for spiritual reading and for the study of Holy Scripture and Theology.

A Carmelite's essential role in the Church is prayer--living in the presence of God all day. To foster and sustain this recollection each Sister has a Holy Hour and makes personal visits to the Blessed Sacrament throughout the day. Silence and solitude are essential accompaniments.

The frequency, the centrality, the importance given to the hours of prayer show its pivotal position. It is interrupted with little periods of work, not vice-versa. Carmel's is a life of prayer.

MANUAL LABOR

[image of a Sister in the kitchen]

Typical kinds of work include supplying altar breads for surrounding parishes; sacristy work and making vigil lights; the correspondence of the monastery in which prayer requests are given a personal reply (both to God and to the writer); the care of the grounds, gardens, orchard and flower beds; printing stationery, envelopes, greeting cards; carpentry work for those with the “knack”; as well as the usual daily needs of any Community--cooking, baking, making and repairing the brown Carmelite Habits.

ARTS, CRAFTS, AND RECREATION

[image of a Sister at the printing press]

Since silence is strictly observed throughout the day, an hour of recreation is held daily. What do the Sisters do during recreation? Mainly laugh! Joy in Community is like the fragrance of perfume. It diffuses itself, is instantly detected, and readily envelops all who come within its ambit. Joy is like the ripples on a lake, circles of lilting happiness moving in ever wider rings. Happiness and sharing are the heart of Community recreation. In the summer an added hour of recreation at noon enables the Sisters to work together in light gardening which lends itself to Community effort and enjoyment. During winter the Sisters have free time instead, in which they engage in art and craft work.

“WHETHER YOU EAT OR DRINK DO ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD...”

A simple breakfast of bread and coffee starts the day. Dinner at noon and a light supper usually consist of food grown and preserved by the Sisters which, though plain, is well balanced. Fast and abstinence are “second nature” to a Carmelite. Reading at table during mealtime nourishes the spirit.

PAPAL ENCLOSURE

Papal enclosure is strictly observed. This means that the Sisters remain within the precincts of the monastery grounds, leaving ordinarily only for medical reasons. Just as an inventor, a research scientist, a composer needs the silence of apartness from the busy world, so the contemplative needs silence and solitude in order to give herself to her sublime calling.

FAMILY VISITS

A Sister's family may visit for an afternoon every six weeks and may write as often as they wish. Families who live a great distance away and cannot come that frequently may visit for several days at a time. A Carmelite's family always remains dear to her.

ORIGINS

Carmel's roots were planted on Mount Carmel in Palestine in the time of Elijah the Prophet, 900 years before Christ. (cf. Books of Kings, O.T.) Elijah was filled with zeal for the glory of God and for living in His presence. His followers imitated him and dwelt in caves on the mountain as hermits. When the Saracens invaded Palestine, murdering and scattering many hermits, they fled to the safety of Europe and established the Carmelite Order there.

Pious women were formally affiliated with the Order in Holland in 1453. Carmelite monasteries then branched out to other countries of Europe, Sicily, Malta, and the United States.

BEACONS

Carmel's most brilliant pathway, leading the Sisters to The Way, Who is Christ, is devotion to Our Blessed Mother. In 1251 Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock and gave the Order the brown Scapular. Simple in form, powerful in effect, it keeps the eyes of Our Mother on her Carmelite Family, and the eyes of her sons and daughters on their heavenly Mother with the desire to imitate her virtues.

Carmel's calendar is lit up with brilliant beacons: Saint Therese of the Child Jesus who entered Carmel at the age of fifteen “to save souls, and especially to pray for priests”; Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, who died at the age of 26 in 1906, was beatified in 1984 and whose exemplary holiness consisted in a deep immersion into the mystery of the Blessed Trinity; Bl. Titus Brandsma, a martyr who died in the prison camp of Dachau in 1942, and who had a heart of gold, a will afire with consuming love for God; St. Theresa of the Andes, a fervent Carmelite novice who died at the age of 20 and was canonized in 1993. These modern saints, in addition to many from past times, prove that holiness is the pearl of great price which they found buried in the field of Carmel.

A TYPICAL CANDIDATE

[image of singing practice]

What kind of girl is called to Carmel? Basic requirements are that she...

ABOVE ALL: she must have a love for prayer, for Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and for Our Lady; a strong desire to give all, to love and be loved by Our Lord, and to want this for others, too.

One who is drawn to this way of life is required to visit the monastery and spend a few days outside the enclosure, following the schedule of prayer and learning Carmel's way of life by speaking with some of the Sisters. Various tests are taken to help discern one's fitness for the contemplative live.

A TYPICAL “CALL”

[image of novice training]

One Sister related the story of her call to Carmel:

“From the time I was a little girl I was fascinated by nurses and doctors. I desired to be a doctor, but wanted to be a missionary, too. So I thought of the Medical Missionary Sisters. But I also wanted to teach the Faith, instruct converts. Eventually I realized that only by prayer could I reach all the apostolates I wanted. “When I saw a picture of Mount Carmel in Palestine, it confirmed an inner inspiration which had been drawing me to Carmel. I corresponded with different Orders, but it wasn't until I visited Carmel that I was captivated. That was where I belonged.”

Another Sister explains how she received her vocation: “As far back as I can remember I wanted to be a Sister. Then in the 8th grade we studied the various States of Life and during the classes on the married vocation Our Lord “proposed” to me! An inner inspiration said: ‘Be a contemplative.’ My reaction was ‘Oh, not me! Such a thought won't last two weeks.’ But not only did the thought not go away-- by the end of two weeks it had become a firm conviction. Then I learned of the Carmelite Order and directed my steps toward Carmel.”

Candidates to Carmel and Carmelite Nuns are as varied as the flowers in Spring. There is no set mold for either. If you feel an inclination to prayer, a desire to save souls, to offer your life totally to Our Lord, then listen for His gentle invitation, follow His inspirations, and seek to know and follow His Will. In His Will is your peace.

STEPS ALONG THE WAY

[1. Image of candidate] [2. Image of postulant]

1. A candidate is a postulant for 6 - 12 months, and wears a blue veil. During this initial period of formation the postulant learns the basic elements of her new way of life, through instructions, study, and experience.

2. After the postulancy, the candidate becomes a novice, receives her religious name, and is given a copy of the Holy Rule of Carmel and the Constitutions. During this year of intense preparation for vows, the novice enters more deeply into Carmel's life of prayer, studies the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and prepares to give herself totally to give herself totally to Our Lord.

[3. Image of bride about to take simple vows] [4. Image of junior professed Sister before solemn vows] [Image of newly professed Sister signing document of profession]

3. Following the novitiate, which lasts from 12 - 18 months, the novice makes her Profession of Simple Vows for three years. She enters the sanctuary dressed as a bride of Christ, then is clothed in the complete Habit of Carmel. During the time of temporary vows she remains in the novitiate and continues her studies and formation.

4. If the junior professed Sister is ready for solemn vows at the end of three years, she makes solemn vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, under perpetual enclosure, UNTIL DEATH. (Or she can renew her simple vows for another year if she so desires.)

After pronouncing her solemn vows the newly professed signs her hand-written document of her profession on the altar, offering her entire life as a total gift of love to Our Lord.

“Master, where do You dwell?”

Jesus replied: “Come, and see.”

“And they stayed with Him all that day.”

Saint John 1:38-39

A DAY IN CARMEL

5:15 - Rise
5:30 - Lauds (morning prayer)
6:00 - Mental Prayer
7:00 - Holy Mass
8:00 - Breakfast
8:30 - Novitiate class
9:00 - Terce
Spiritual Reading
Manual labor
11:23 - Sext, Examen
11:45 - Dinner
12:45 - None
Free time, for art, craft, etc.
or recreation
2:00 - Manual labor
2:00 - Manual labor
4:00 - Novitiate class
4:30 - Vespers
5:00 - Mental Prayer
6:00 - Supper
7.00 - Recreation
7:55 - Compline
9:00 - Retire
12:00 - Office of Readings (midnight)
[image of Carmelite Heraldry] ZELO ZELATUS SUM PRO DOMINO DEO EXERCITUUM
For more information, please write to:

Cloistered Carmelite Nuns
Carmel of Mary
17765 78th St. S.E.
Wahpeton, North Dakota 58075
(701)642-2360
CarmelofMary@carmelnet.org
Design by Dane Weber, 1998. dane@weber.com