Dear Friends, Family and Fellow Carmelites,
A new fall season has come to Oklahoma and it is a welcome relief from the wet, wild and hot summer we just experienced. As we mentioned in our last Chronicle the hail storm in May caused severe damage throughout the Oklahoma City area. Our damage was minimal except for the court which was pulverized. We are happy to report that most of the plants have been replaced and the landscaping completed. We are also now enjoying
new garden chairs which replaced old ones that were literally falling apart. Apart from some flooring which needs to be replaced, our monastery is now all spruced up to Chronicle fall 2010celebrate our 25th anniversary. It is hard to believe that twenty five years have passed since we moved here! We have seen our community ebb and flow with the passing and arrival of Sisters and we have been blessed with generous friends and benefactors. We thank you and assure you o our continued prayers, for you have made our life of prayer possible.
While we are mentioning our Silver Jubilee of moving we want to remember Harold Cullen who built this monastery. Harold died this past week and he and his wife, Glenora, were good friends of the community for many years. Harold took great pride in his work and made sure the workers did a good job on this facility. He and Glenora even lived at the cottage during the construction to make sure all the materials would be safe. We will miss him but we know he will continue to watch over us from his new heavenly home.
Speaking of our heavenly home–it is that time of the year when we remember all our loved ones who have been called to claim their citizenship in heaven. While we rejoice with our Sister Monica and other friends who have been called home this year, their absence is still felt. We invite you to share with us the names of those you wish remembered during the month of November. We will be praying for all your departed loved ones throughout the month and in a special novena of Masses. As 1 Corinthians 2:9 says: Eye has not seen or ear heard what God has ready for those who love him.
We mourned the death of Sr. Teresa Ranallo, CST of Villa Teresa on July 9th. Sister fell several months ago and was in an assisted living facility when she took a sudden turn and died. Our Sr. Therese and Sr. Bernadette of Pewaukee were her blood sisters. Sister Teresa served many years as the superior general of the Carmelite Sisters of St. Therese and was a wonderful friend to us. When we first came to Oklahoma in 1939 Mother Teresa and Sister Stephen stayed at the Villa while purchasing property for our first monastery. We know the Sisters at the Villa will miss her.
In our last newsletter we mentioned Brooke Harris who began her live-in on July 5th. We extended our Fourth of July celebration until the fifth so she could arrive and share the day with us. Brooke is from Chickasha, OK and worked as a fire and police dispatcher. She adjusted well to our life and after going home to visit her family she returned as a postulant on October 5th. Sr. Gabriela is thrilled to have a companion with her in the novitiate. They have already been working on their entertainment for October’s Initial Formation Seminar at Marylake and the Novitiate Feastday in November. Please keep both these young women in your prayers.
Archbishop Eusebius Beltran was our celebrant for July 16th. We had a smaller number of people as it was a workday but it was a beautiful day none the less. On Sunday the 18th we had a larger gathering and Fr. John Magdalene was our celebrant for a second Mass celebrating Our Lady of Mount Carmel. That evening we were happy to have our Carmelite Fathers John Magdalene, Luis and Br. Juan Giullermo here for dinner and it was wonderful to visit with the Friars and find out what was happening in the Province. A few days later Father John gave us a conference on Elijah before returning to Marylake. We ask your prayers for Fr. John who was in a bad car accident recently and has multiple injuries. His family is with him now and the Friars at Marylake are keeping us posted on his condition.
June and July seemed to be the months for visits. Sr. Jeanne Marie’s family came for a short visit in June. July 10th Sr. Ruth Miriam’s sister, Debbie and her friend Lisa came to visit. They drive Harley’s and wanted to show off their bikes. The weather had been stormy but they missed severe storms both coming and going for which we thanked God.
Many of the Sisters have recently become interested in guitar and so we made the decision to invest in guitar lessons. One reason–we were spoiled by Sr. Monica whose death left a giant vacuum in our liturgical life. We are definitely taking steps to fill that void. Sr. Ann Marie continues her organ lessons and is making steady progress. She and Sr. Ruth Miriam (guitar) sometimes play together for our daily liturgies.
guitars
We began guitar lessons on July 30th and were pleased to learn of the Catholic background of our teacher, Jim Layton. Having nuns as students did not seem to intimidate him which we appreciated. Jim keeps encouraging us through aching and misplaced fingers and comes once a week to give us lessons in our extern quarters. Sr. Teresa Chau has also begun mandolin lessons.
We hope by next Christmas we might be able to do something for Mass. We have been trying to come up with a name for our group but failed. If you have any ideas for a name we would be happy to hear from you. We can announce it in our next newsletter.
In mid-August a meteorite shower was visible in our area and five of the Nuns took advantage of it by sleeping on the deck. Of course we did hear that some fell asleep before the show began! We had our deck redone a year ago and it is now a much safer surface on which to walk. . . or sleep! August was very hot and we appreciated even the tiny breeze we had some days. Our gardens withered so we did not have much of a harvest this year. Thankfully the month was not as hectic for us since preparations were being made by Srs. Donna and Ruth Miriam for the meeting in September at Sierra Madre, CA.
The Ongoing Formation Seminar in September with Dr. Susan Muto was wonderful. Sister Agatha attended the Seminar along with Sisters Donna and Ruth Miriam. Dr. Muto has such a deep appreciation and understanding of St. Teresa and it is evident in her teaching. All the participants said it was the best Seminar yet. Fr. Adam Gonzales, OCD was our celebrant for the week. Not only did we enjoy Dr. Muto but the Sierra Madre Retreat House was beautiful. We enjoyed spending time with the Alhambra Sisters although our visit was short.
From October through November we have many holidays to which we look forward. On October 1st we celebrated the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux. On the feast of St. Francis, October 4th, Fr. Dan Letourneau blessed our animals. Not only did he bless our dogs and cats but our chickens and fish as well! St. Francis would be proud of him. Our menagerie increased this year. In June we found a small gray kitten in our front yard. We usually try to get strays adopted but this little one wormed her way into our hearts and now resides in the barn. Our oldest cat, Marty has taken over parenting the new arrival as he did for our other cat Nicky. Then, a few weeks ago, we found four chickens in a box outside our gate. It was a first for us and done by someone who must know we have chickens!
Sisters Donna and Ruth Miriam once again participated in the Vocation Fair held in Steubenville, OH. We met one girl from Shawnee, OK who did not know we were almost next door neighbors and wants to visit. This year several other Carmel’s participated as well. We also visited with Eileen Cosby who made her live in with us last year. She is still interested but is paying off her loan from college, so please pray for her.
We celebrated the feast of St. Teresa of Avila on October 15th. We are currently studying her works in preparation for a celebration of her 500th birthday in 2015. Her life has inspired countless people on their journey to God. Next week our Province has its Initial Formation Seminar which will be held at Marylake, the Friar’s Monastery in AR. Sr. Ruth Miriam will take Sr. Gabriela and Brooke and they look forward not only to the talks but also to meeting other young men and women currently in formation. The Seminar is held once every three years and will be well attended.
We wish all of you a wonderful holiday season. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving and a fruitful Advent as you prepare for the great feast of Christmas.