Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,
This year many of us are waiting for the coming of cooler weather. The calendar may say fall but summer is not willing to give in just yet so we continue waiting. We seem to spend a lot of our lives waiting for something. Something is always just beyond our reach and no amount of willing it makes it come any faster. Death is perhaps one of the only exceptions to this rule. We avoid death; the topic makes us uncomfortable and brings sadness to those who experience it. Jesus was no exception. We read in John 11:35 that on hearing of the death of his friend Lazarus:
“Jesus began to weep.” This shows us the fully human Jesus sharing the grief of Mary and Martha at the death of their brother. Verse 33 describes Jesus as “greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” . . . As we travel through this life we encounter death many times. . . .We all weep – for those who have gone, and for ourselves as we face the prospect of living without persons who have meant so much to us. Grief, pain and death are part of the human condition and the constant reminder of their existence should prompt us to reflection on how to integrate these experiences into our lives in a constructive way. Many of us tend to ignore the last section of the Catechism, “The Christian Hope,” which sets our present state firmly withweepjesusin the context of eternity. Its phrases are powerful: “live with confidence;” “await the coming of Christ in glory;” “God will raise us from death in the fullness of our being …” We are bidden to pray for the dead, “because we still hold them in our love, and because we trust that in God’s presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is.” There is also a salutary reminder of present responsibilities: “…the communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.” (Reflections on Death—Suzette Cayless)
November is the month we remember our departed loved ones and, yes, celebrate their rising from death into the fullness of life. We will be praying for your loved ones throughout the month and in a special novena of Masses. We invite you to share with us the names of those you wish to remember.
These past months have been filled with various events. On March 30th, Friday before Palm Sunday, Sr. Jeanne Marie tripped over a cord in the recreation room and broke her right femur. She has had quite a time these past few months but is now doing well.
Our chapel at Easter was adorned with beautiful lilies and roses thanks to Brother Andrew from St. Gregory’s Abbey in Shawnee. We are always grateful that he shares the fruit of his labors with us . Our “retired” priests have been a blessing to us and their presiding at our Tridiuum services was and is greatly appreciated. Father Franklin Wrigley celebrated Holy Thursday and Good Friday for us, Fr. Marvin Leven the Easter Vigil, and Fr. Larry Gatlin Easter Sunday.
The beginning of May Sisters Donna and Ruth Miriam drove to Detroit for our Association’s On-going Formation Seminar with Fr. Patrick McMahon, O.Carm. Sr. Donna was in charge of transportation and they used our van to great advantage. Father Patrick’s presentation on the Rule was wonderful. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the Carmelite Rule. Blessed Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote a way of life in the early 1200’s for the monks living on Mount Carmel. It is very simple and completely focused on Scripture. The central point is: allegiance to Jesus Christ. The monks were to meditate day and night on the word of God.
On May 16th, Fr. Gregory, our Provincial, and the Council Fathers along with Frs. Jenaro and Henry from Little Flower Parish came for supper and joined us for evening recreation. Fr. Raphael treated us all to a magnificent piano concert after which Fr. Gregory accompanied us all with the guitar as we sang some real oldies and some Spanish songs led by Frs. Ralph and Luis. Fr. John Magdalene crowned the evening with one of his own compositions on the guitar. It was truly a family time!
The last few months have been very wet and the result is a beautiful green landscape. Last year our drought was being likened to the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. Then, it began to rain–and rain—and we broke a hundred year record. The farmers have now lost their wheat crop twice—last year to drought and this year to rain. At one point many of the roads around us were closed due to flooding. In all, forty of the 77 counties in our state have been declared federal disaster areas. It is a humbling reminder in our technological world that there are some things we cannot control!
Our vegetable gardens were quite drenched but managed to produce a nice crop and the orchard also was more productive this year. Sr. Teresa Chau’s chickens are coming up with a nice supply of fresh eggs. Our ever-changing feline population now numbers three: Princess, a delicate white female with a crabby disposition; Marty, a big black and white male with a magnificent black tail; and Nicky, a half-grown Manx kitten, all black. Nicky has found in Marty a wonderful playmate and mentor and their antics provide us with endless entertainment.
This summer Justin Wilcox, a great nephew of our Sr. Therese, came to work for us. Justin is in his third year at UCO and needed summer work. Happily he has extended his stay and is now working part time. Justin got married at the beginning of September and his wife is finishing her schooling as a teacher. Speaking of weddings, Sr. Donna’s Dad got married on September 22nd and one of Sr. Teresa Chau’s nieces will be married the last weekend of October.
In July we said good-bye to Dave and Kerry Goeckner. After much prayer Dave felt he was called to return to education and is now the principal of a private Catholic school in Cottonwood, ID. Kerry is also teaching at the school and in their “spare” time they are remodeling Dave’s old bachelor pad. We were very blessed to have them here for a year and pray that God will bless them abundantly—especially with children which they await with open arms. Also in July Sr. Donna was one of the representatives of our Association at the Carmelite Institute’s Seminar in Providence, RI. She said the speakers on the Rule were wonderful and she enjoyed rekindling old friendships and meeting Carmelites from around the United States.
On the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Archbishop Eusebius Beltran was our celebrant for the Eucharist. It was a joyous celebration followed by an equally enjoyable dinner. He especially asked our prayers for the Cause of Canonization of Fr. Stanley Rother which began on October 5th. Father Rother was martyred on July 28, 1981 in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, our Oklahoma mission, and is revered by the Indians he served. After learning his body would be returned to the United States, the people asked that his heart be left with them. It is now enshrined in the church and is a place of veneration. His life is documented in the book, The Shepherd Cannot Run.
The first week-end of August we once again participated in the Vocation Retreat for High School Girls held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Summer Camp. The symbol of the “dream catcher” was used to help the girls envision their future. Please keep these young women in prayer as they continue to discern.
October will be a full month for us. Our Friars in Little Rock are giving a workshop to those in our Province who are in initial formation. This year the topic of Community will be discussed and promises to be a fruitful and enjoyable experience. At the end of October the planning team for the Formator’s Workshop will once again be meeting here.
On November 16th Oklahoma will celebrate its Centennial! Our state is relatively young but ricokflaghin culture and history. Sr. Donna, a native of Tulsa, is making sure that we all know that we belong to the land and the land we belong to is grand! We plan to celebrate the state’s birthday as well!
We wish you a blessed Thanksgiving and thank God for you and your wonderful support of our life of prayer.