I am not dying, I am entering into life. If God answers my requests, my heaven will be spent on earth up until the end of the world… Yes, I want to spend my heaven doing good on earth. St. Therese

CARMEL CHRONICLE / OKLAHOMA Fall 2004

Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,

We are sending our Fall newsletter a little early because we announced in our last one that on Sunday October 3 rd, Leonardo Defillipis would perform St. Francis: Troubadour of God’s Peace in our Chapel. Unfortunately, Leonardo will not be able to come because his movie, Therese, will be released on October 1 st. He regretted having to cancel but he hopes to re-schedule for October 2005. Therese, his first feature length film, will premiere both in New York, NY and San Antonio, TX on September 30 th. If you are interested in seeing the movie, please visit their website at www.theresemovie.com to find a theater near you; if your area is not listed, you can ask that it be shown there by clicking the See Therese button.

While you are online, please visit our new website at www.qns.com/~dcn. Our first steps into space–cyberspace that is–have been small ones. Our site is simple but hopefully it conveys who we are. Sr. Ruth Miriam designed the site and a friend of the community made it a reality! We pray that this will be a means of attracting vocations to our community. Please pray that God will open the hearts of many young women to answer his call to service in the Church.

The coming months are rich for us Carmelites as we celebrate the feasts of Saint Therese on October 1 st, St.Teresa on October 15 th, and Saint John of the Cross on December 14 th—all doctors of the Church! Through their teachings on prayer, these three saints have helped millions to have a closer relationship with God. What makes this all the more remarkable is that two of these were cloistered women! Many people find the cloistered life an enigma, yet this “enigma” has produced individuals whose works have touched many lives. Our Masses on these feast days will be at 8:00 A.M.

Our summer months were unusually cool and wet. The latter was appreciated as we were in drought conditions and the rain filled our lake to capacity after being dry for over a year. The flower and vegetable gardens have thrived, yielding an abundance of beautiful flowers and delicious fresh vegetables. The tomatoes were slow in coming, but are now bearing well. We realize how lucky we have been regarding our weather when we see the havoc wreaked by the hurricanes in the south and east. Our prayers are with all those who have been affected by the devastating weather; especially the people of Florida who have suffered three hurricanes in the past month.

This year we had a double celebration for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel! The first was on July 16 th, the feast day itself, when Fr. Marvin Leven was our celebrant. He shared with us his own moving experience of Mary as mother. Our celebration was extended to Sunday, July 18 th when Archbishop Eusebius Beltran was our celebrant. His beautiful homily based on the scriptural readings was very much appreciated by all present. Afterwards he joined us for a wonderful visit at dinner. All your intentions were remembered on Our Lady’s feast days and during our Novena which followed and we continue to remember them daily in our prayers. We ask Mary to keep you in her motherly care and draw you ever closer to her Divine Son.

Since last year, Srs. Monica, Donna and Ruth Miriam have been working with Sisters from four other communities here in Oklahoma City to find ways of fostering religious vocations. The Sisters are planning a joint booth at the 2004 Region 10 Youth Conference being held here in Oklahoma City November 19-21. Then on December 5 th, the second Sunday of Advent, there will be an evening of reflection/discernment for young adult women (age 18 to 35) on the topic, Have you found your way in following God.

 The first project the Sisters undertook was a weekend retreat for high school girls last August under the auspices of the Archdiocesan Vocation Office. It proved an enriching experience for the girls who attended. This summer was no exception. The weekend was held on August 6-8. This year we had twice the number of girls sign up for the retreat. The theme was Journey with Christ. To symbolize this journey the girls selected a walking stick on Friday night and carried it with them during the rest of the weekend. They sanded, oiled and waxed their sticks, making them into objects of beauty. On Saturday evening Archbishop Beltran celebrated the Vigil Mass and gave a wonderful homily on St. Katherine Drexel. Afterwards he blessed the sticks for the girls and joined us for supper. Later that evening the Sisters shared their own journey to religious life. The topics of friendship and prayer were explored and some of the first year participants helped with the music and prayer services. The girls found the Sunday morning prayer based on lectio divina to be particularly helpful and the Sisters were amazed at the depth of their sharing. They are enthusiastic about returning next year and asked to help with planning the retreat. Please keep them in your prayers.

On August 8 th, Srs. Monica and Ruth Miriam traveled to San Rafael, CA for a Music Workshop planned and hosted by the Carmel of Marinwood. Michael Mello was the presenter and shared his joy of music. The singing was something to savor, especially when accompanied by the organ, piano, violin, cello, drums and glockenspiel! In addition to sharing music prepared by the participating Carmels, they learned a number of new pieces and brought home a collection of new music. Instruction on the computer music program, Finale, was also given. It is a wonderful program which even allows one to scan sheet music into the computer without having to enter the notes manually. Music notation can be also entered via a MIDI keyboard or computer keyboard. The pleasant weather, the beautiful natural setting, the warmth of the Community and the wonderful company of all the participants made the week a wonderful memorable experience!

After the workshop, Sr. Ruth Miriam’s mother and step-father came to pick them up and take them to Sacramento for a short visit. Due to road construction, her parents chose a back road to Sacramento through the Napa Valley. There were miles upon miles of vineyards as many wineries now make their home there. There were also a number of dairy farms which Sr. Monica especially enjoyed since her family once owned one. Sr. Ruth Miriam was able to attend the workshop despite an injured knee. She had arthroscopic surgery the last of April but her knee did not recover and a second MRI revealed that the cartilage had re-torn. Sister had surgery again on August 23 rd and is now in physical therapy. This second time seems the charm because she feels a significant difference and she asks your prayers that her healing may continue.

A knee was not the only thing repaired recently—the shingles on our barn roof needed to be replaced. Sr. Mary called a roofing company and their estimate caused her to gulp! She asked our workmen if they could do the job and they said they thought they might be able to. . . and they did—a very good job! They are amazingly skilled in a number of areas for which we are grateful.

You know the expression, “It’s Greek to me.” Well, that it was for us when our cooks whipped up a Greek menu in honor of the Olympics. We discovered that the Greeks like lemons, honey, cheese and olives; we also discovered a fondness for several of the recipes which have now reappeared on our regular menu.

The latter part of August Sr. Donna’s brothers, Dennis from Houston and David and his wife Ellyn and son Jonathan from Pennsylvania came for a visit. In the past David and his family had to divide their time between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. However, Sr. Donna’s parents now live in the Oklahoma City area and they are able to spend more time together. We enjoyed having them here for a visit even though it was short.

During the last week of August we also welcomed a recently ordained priest, Fr. Vincent, from Spain. Father belongs to a new order of priests called Servants of the Third World who work with the very poor. Mark Desser, who joined the order last year and whose family is from this area, came with Fr. Vincent to help promote the community. The community began in Italy and its novitiate is in Spain. They have a close association with Carmelites and that is one reason Fr. Vincent asked to celebrate Mass while they were here. On several occasions Fr. Vincent and Mark were joined by Mark’s father and mother. Please pray for all priests and seminarians throughout our country and world.

Sr. Teresa Chau had a mystery on her hands a few weeks ago. She had a persimmon tree that needed its branches tied because the fruit was weighing it down. She tied the tree and the next day the branches were down and the ties gone. After several more tries and failures she asked if anyone knew why her ties kept disappearing. The Nuns said they would keep an eye out to see who the culprit might be. A few days later a squirrel was seen carefully untying the strings, stuffing them in his mouth and scurrying away. After the third try and failure, Sr. Teresa decided to let the tree hang loose!

Our animal population grew by two this past week when Fr. Hoa Nguyen brought us a pair of Bantam chickens. They were appropriately named, Bantam of the Opera (he) and Christine! We hope to hear the pitter patter of little feet in the future. At present we think Christine is too young to settle down and lay eggs! Srs. Teresa Chau and Maria built a coop and our couple are adapting to their new home. Their first morning here we discovered the quality of Bantam of the Opera’s voice when he had a crowing match with a neighbor’s rooster, but overall, they have settled into the monastic routine.

During the month of November we will be remembering all those who have died and we invite you to send us the names of your departed friends and loved ones. As her death approached St. Therese said:

“I am not dying I am entering into life. . .I’m happy to die . . .because I shall be much more useful than I am now to the souls who are dear to me. . . .” During her final months on earth, St. Therese unfolded a new mystery of life after life. With bold confidence she embraced the words and experience of the Risen life of Jesus. In so doing, she opened up a deeper understanding of the blessing of Resurrection and the communion of saints. Her wisdom invites us to trust that those who have gone before us, walk with us daily, in love and support. Based on Pearls of Wisdom by M. Susan Lautenbach We ask your prayers for those who will be elected in November that they be persons of integrity and serve the needs of all people. As we approach the great seasons of Advent and Christmas, we ask that you also join us in praying for world peace. May these holy seasons fill you with a renewed sense of hope and the fullness of God’s love.

With Love and prayers,