A Life of Holiness: Carmelite Monks of Wyoming
(July 15th, 2010)
This video is an explanation of the contemplative life of monks made by the Carmelite Monks located in Wyoming. The monks live a life of prayer, solitude, penance, and strict separation from the world. Their lives are completely dedicated to interceding for the Church and the world. St. Thérèse proclaimed the Carmelite vocation as being “love in the heart of the Church.” As the heart circulates blood throughout the whole body, so the Carmelite is called to circulate grace throughout the Church. View video.
Blackberries or Not, Women Keep Coming to the Poor Clares
(December 26th, 2011)
When a young woman knocks on the large wooden door of the Poor Clare Colettines in Rockford,IL to learn more about the sisters’ way of life, she is sometimes put off by what she sees. She might be used to driving a nice car, carrying a Blackberry, and enjoying the pleasure of fine food and drink.
But what she sees are barefoot nuns walking quietly who then share a meal of beans and rice. She may have experienced a world of exciting nights out, of a seemingly endless possibility of relationships. But what she finds here is the solitude of a flickering candle in a plain chapel, and the joyful laughter of friends bound by lifelong vows.
Inspired by Their Foundress
Why, then, are women today attracted to the sisters’ form of life? Maybe because they see the sisters living “according to the form of the Gospel,” as inspired by their foundress, St. Clare — a motivation that has been sending them to their doors for eight hundred years.
Are you interested in learning more about Poor Clare life? If you are seriously considering this vocation, the sisters invite you to come and see if the voice of Christ is calling you to their life. A discernment visit from two to five days may be arranged on an individual basis by contacting Mother Dominica (pictured above), at the Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, IL at 815-963-7369.
Read the article, with photos, about the Rockford Poor Clares on this website, “All Time Is At the Service of God.” Or read about what Pope John Paul II says about the difficulties of accepting Christ’s invitation on the Poor Clares’ Youth Page.
God Reveals the New Name of a Poor Clare Postulant
(December 19th, 2011)
A postulant of the Bethlehem Monastery of Poor Clares in Barhamsville, VA named Kimberly did not know her religious name until she was received as a novice recently. Following an ancient tradition, the Poor Clares choose the name for new members of their community, and reveal it only at the reception ceremony.
On their new blog, Poor Clare Heart Ponderings, they tell the story and say, “We believe that God reveals this new name to Mother Abbess who does not divulge this divine secret until the very end of the ceremony of investiture.”
Taking on the Holy Habit
The Sisters say, “When a young woman takes on our Holy Habit, it signifies that she is ‘putting on Christ,’ taking up her Cross and following in His footsteps in a life of joyful penance. Yes, joyful penance! We deny ourselves, not out of hatred for our selves, but so that we can give our entire selves in love to the Divine Bridegroom who beckons us. Sin and selfishness are in the way of our union with Him, so they must go. It is that devastatingly simple.”
On Dec. 12, the beautiful feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Postulant Kimberly received her habit and was transformed into a Poor Clare novice. Her name is now Sister Marie Elise.
Visit the Poor Clares’ website, or read Sister Marie Elise’s story on their blog, Poor Clare Heart Ponderings.
Spotlight on the Saints: St. John of the Cross —
Mystic Doctor and Carmelite Reformer
(December 14th, 2011)
John was raised in an orphanage in Spain. He longed for solitude and the opportunity to be one with God in prayer. As a young man John worked as a carpenter, a painter and a nurse assistant in a hospital where developed a great love for the poor and the sick. He sometimes felt that he was in the presence of Jesus when he was tending the patients. But, John wanted to become even closer to God. He became a Carmelite friar when he was almost twenty years old.John was disappointed that the Carmelites no longer lived by the strict Rule that they were known for. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun who became a famous saint and Doctor of the Church, told John that she had been given permission to begin convents based on the original Rule. She asked John to join her in this work.
Reforms Not Accepted
Teresa and John’s reforms meet with anger and resistance. Some friars did not like the changes John suggested. They imprisoned John in a dark and dirty cell. It was in those terrible conditions that he wrote some of his most beautiful poetry and mystical writings.
Even though John lived many years ago, from 1541 to 1591, his spiritual legacy is still read today by people who want to grow in their relationship with the Lord. One of John’s most famous sayings is, “In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone.”
Difficulties and Death Do Not Deter Novices
(December 12th, 2011)
Great difficulties did not stop two young women from southern Louisiana from taking the habit as Carmelite novices in Lafayette, LA this past fall.
On Sept. 30 Kalyn Meche received the habit of Our Lady and became Sr. Maria Faustina of Merciful Love. Her interest in the community began long ago. When she was about 10, her family was driving by the Monastery and she saw an extern Sister in the yard. “Daddy, go back. I’d like to talk to that Sister!” From then on, she had a desire and love for Carmel.
Kalyn, however, had to endure many trials and difficulties. When she entered a year ago at age 18, her first months were not easy. But she remained firm in her determination to become a cloistered nun.
Jesus Wants Me
Brittlyn Sonnier, also 18 when she entered, learned about the community through a weekend Veritas Retreat. She had struggled against a vocation for a while, but finally knew that Jesus was calling her. When asked what she expected to find in Carmel, she replied, “I really don’t know. All I know is that Jesus wants me there.”
Brittlyn’s mother was dying of cancer and the girl wondered whether she should stay and help care for four younger children. And yet, her father, mother and siblings encouraged her to go. On Oct. 15, Brittlyn received the habit and became Sr. Teresa of Jesus.
New brochure
Find out more about the Lafayette Discalced Carmelites. Email the sisters and ask for their new brochure, “I Have Chosen this Place to Dwell.”
Rockford Poor Clares Wish Their Former Chaplain Well as New Bishop of Bismarck
(November 18th, 2011)
The Poor Clares of Rockford, IL have had a spiritual bond with the Diocese of Bismarck, N.D., that goes back a few years. That bond increased dramatically Oct. 19, when their former chaplain, Msgr. David D. Kagan, Vicar General of the Rockford Diocese, was announced the bishop-elect of Bismarck.
There is a story behind this. Several years ago the vocation director of the Bismarck diocese asked the sisters for prayers for all of the seminarians. The Poor Clares have been ever mindful of that commitment, and now one of Rockford’s own priests will be their shepherd. The sisters report that it was delightful to spend an hour with Bishop-Elect Kagan in their visiting parlor, learning all about his new diocese. A fellow “worker” at the Chancery, border-collie Dash (whose duty it was to keep the geese off the chancery grounds) will accompany the bishop-elect to North Dakota.
Spiritually Adopting the Diocese
“At least he will enjoy the snow,” comments Msgr. Kagan. There is a wonderful presence of religious men and women in the Bismarck diocese. However, since a cloistered contemplative group is not present there, the Poor Clares are spiritually adopting the Bismarck Diocese along with its new bishop!
The desire of St. Clare — that her sisters support the Mystical Body — is alive in this century.
Read the Poor Clare articles on this website.
For more information, visit the Rockford Poor Clares.
Purity and Penance are the Symbols in Black and White for the New Dominican Sister in Marbury, AL
(November 8th, 2011)
At the Dominican Monastery of St. Jude in Marbury, AL, postulant Sister JulieAnna exchanged the black dress of a postulant for the glowing white habit of a Dominican Novice. In a simple ceremony on September 8, the Nativity of Our Lady, Sister received the habit and a new name. She is now Sister Mary Philomena of the Crucified Christ, O.P.
During the ceremony, Prioress Mother Mary Joseph, O.P., spoke of the symbolism of the Dominican habit. The white garments represent purity, while the black signify penance. The scapular was given to the Order by Our Lady as a mark of her protection. Finally, the rosary hung from the belt also has special symbolic value as the nuns’ “sword” to snatch souls from hell through their life of prayer.
Contemplative Dominicans Founded First
St. Dominic founded the contemplative Dominican Nuns first, before the preaching Friars, because he knew that the active apostolate is only made fruitful by prayer. It is this vision of St. Dominic that Sister Mary Philomena will continue to study and live during the coming two years of her Novitiate.
The Dominican Nuns at Marbury dedicate their hidden lives of prayer and penance to the salvation of souls, especially through the Divine Office chanted in Latin and English, Eucharistic Adoration, Marian Consecration and Perpetual Rosary.
Learn more about the Sisters’ charism at www.StJudeMonastery.org.
Pope Stresses the Need for Silence and Solitude
to Discover Life’s Essentials
(November 4th, 2011)
Endless news, noise and crowds have made people afraid of silence and solitude, which are essential for finding God’s love and love for others, Pope Benedict XVI said during an October 9 visit to the Carthusian monastery in Serra San Bruno in Calabria.
Progress in communications and transportation has made life more comfortable, as well as more “agitated, sometimes frantic,” the Holy Father said, especially in cities, where there is a constant din, even all night.
Immersed in a Virtual World
Young people seem to want to fill every moment with music and video, and there is a growing risk that people are more immersed in a virtual world rather than in reality because of the constant stream of “audiovisual messages that accompany their lives from morning to night,” Benedict noted.
Monasteries remind people of the need for silent reflection, which lets people delve into the apparent emptiness of solitude and experience real fullness, that is, God’s presence and true reality, the Pope reflected.
By spending time alone in quiet prayer, people find life’s essentials and unity with others, he said.
Read complete story at Catholic News Service.
Life of English Cloistered Nuns Captured on Video
(October 7th, 2011)
A former fashion and beauty photographer has released a 90-minute documentary on the life of Benedictine contemplatives.
“Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo” brings viewers within the cloisters of the order’s nine monasteries, starting with the motherhouse in England, and ranging through Oceania and South America.
The order was established in 1903 near Marble Arch, London. It is thus at the site where dozens of English martyrs were killed during the Protestant Reformation.
Michael Luke Davies created the work. He and Mother Xavier McMonagle, the mother-general of the Tyburn Nuns, presented the documentary last Thursday.
“I was moved to tears many times by the beauty of what I was filming,” Davies said. “For me, it exceeded my expectations of what I could film. It was an incredible experience I shall never forget for the rest of my life. The things I have seen and the moments I have shared with these beautiful religious people I will keep with me forever.”
The Tyburn Nuns, Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre are an order of cloistered contemplative Benedictine nuns. The aim of the congregation is to glorify the Most Blessed Trinity, finding practical expression in daily Mass, the choral celebration of the Divine Office, perpetual adoration, and in daily prayer for the Holy Father, the Church, the country and for the entire human family.
Read entire story on Zenit.org
To request copies of the “Tyburn Convent Gloria Deo,” contact Mother Hildegarde by sending an email to admin@tyburnconvent.org.uk, or order online through the website of the Tyburn Nuns.
Two Jubilees and Funeral Mark the Year for Poor Clares of Rockford, IL
(October 3rd, 2011)
For the Poor Clare Colettine Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, IL, this year has been one of experiencing the words of St. Clare: “Great is the grace of our vocation.” The community witnessed the arrival of a postulant, the celebration of a Silver (25 years) and a Golden (50 years) Jubilarian, and the death of another sister.
The entrance of a postulant, which this year occurred on June 12, vividly reminds each sister of the beginning of her own Poor Clare journey. Then, when a sister makes her solemn profession, part of her formula of vows is, “during the whole time of my life.”
A nun celebrating her Jubilee years rejoices to proclaim her thanksgiving for the call of Jesus, a thanksgiving which echoes in the hearts of each and every sister. This year, one sister celebrated her golden jubilee of 50 years, on May 11, and another her silver, of 25 years, on June 19.
Finally, the gaze turns toward the final journey, a journey which this year, on March 16, included military honors for one sister, a veteran who served in the U.S. Army before entering. The promise of “during the whole time of my life” blossomed for her into eternal life!
Read more on the website of the Poor Clares Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery.
Carthusian Monks to Receive Papal Visit
(September 30th, 2011)
As part of Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to the Calabria Region of Italy this month, he will visit the famous Carthusian monastery of San Bruno. The Pope will celebrate vespers and deliver a homily in the church of the Carthusian monastery of Serra San Bruno, after which he will meet the monastic community and visit a cell and the infirmary of the monastery.
Among the monastic religious families, Carthusians live in greater solitude. The monks and the nuns of the Order, while living separately in their own monasteries, share the same rule and follow a unique model in the person of their founder, Saint Bruno (c. 1030–1101).
The Carthusian monk does not live alone, as the monastery is a community. Nevertheless, he will pass the greater part of his life in his cell where he prays, works, takes his meals, and sleeps. During the course of the week, he only leaves three times a days for the Liturgy of the Hours and communal Mass: in the middle of the night, the Night Office, the morning Eucharist and Vespers towards the night.
The Carthusian can be a cloistered monk or a brother, two different ways of living the same vocation of solitude. This solitude is not lived for its own sake, but as a privileged means of attaining intimacy with God.