GOD will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.”

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

Revelation 21:3-6

CARMEL CHRONICLE / OKLAHOMA

Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,

As we begin our newsletter, it is fitting that we pause to reflect not only on the catastrophic events of this past year but those who died in them as well. Our world has experienced such loss of life–the tsunami; hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Stan; the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; the earthquake in Pakistan and India. Life changed in an instant for so many people. One unknown woman wrote the following after 9/11 but it is also appropriate here:

Any time there is a tragedy, a sudden unexpected death I am once again reminded that life is so fragile. It also reminds me to focus on the present, to let the hurts and disappointments of the past slip away, and let go of the concerns and fears of the future. Because of the magnitude of this event, the need for self reflection was even greater, as we were reminded that life is so precious. Goals, plans, purchases which were once important the week prior to the event now seem trivial by comparison. As with so many others, I look at and have re-evaluated my personal priorities.

Life is fragile and we must cherish the time we have with those we love. Although the loss of family and friends does leave a painful void in our lives, the bond of love is never broken by death. As people of the resurrection we know that we shall be reunited with loved ones in heaven where there shall be no more death or mourning. Once again we will be remembering your departed loved ones in our prayers all during the month of November and in a special novena of Masses.

In our last Chronicle we told you about Sr. Maria making her oath of citizenship on June 24 th. That evening we had a red, white and blue celebration for her although the fireworks had to wait until the Fourth of July! And they were beautiful ones thanks to Sr. Donna’s dad and her nephew, Dustin. We actually had a panoramic view of sparkling color because the towns around us were having their various displays as well. On October 28 th, our Sr. Agatha will also be sworn in as an American citizen and another red, white and blue party is in the offing.

The last weekend of June Sr. Jeanne Marie’s family was in town for the Golden Jubilee of her blood sister, Sr. Janice Futrell, OSB. Sr. Janice is the prioress of the Benedictine Monastery here in Piedmont. Her two brothers, Fr. John, SJ, and Jim along with his wife JoAnne and several of their children and grandchildren made Sister’s Jubilee a joyous occasion! After the Jubilee Mass at Red Plains Monastery, Sr. Janice and the family came here in the evening. We enjoyed visiting with them and being able to join in Sister’s celebration.

Unfortunately, later that evening Sr. Frances had a bad fall! At first she didn’t feel that anything was broken but a week later started complaining about pain in her left shoulder. An x-ray revealed it was fractured and her arm out of joint. The doctors put her shoulder back into place three times but it would not stay. Their conclusion was that it had been slowly working out of joint for a long time: Sr. Frances, because of her arthritic knees, had been leaning so heavily on her arms while using her walker. Her arm was put into a sling which she had to wear for six weeks while the fracture healed. She has been at a skilled nursing facility where she was able to receive physical therapy as well. By the time you receive this she will be back home with us again. Please keep her in your prayers for continued healing.

We celebrated the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on both Saturday and Sunday this year! On Saturday, the actual day, Fr. Paul Donovan was our celebrant and we enjoyed a beautiful day. The next day our Mass was presided over by Archbishop Eusebius Beltran. It was wonderful to see so many of our friends again at the Mass. The Archbishop joined us for dinner and we enjoyed the chance to visit with him.

The month of July was extremely hot throughout much of the U.S. The Western States and the Northeast seemed to be sweltering for the longest period and we prayed for all of you who live in those areas. Our hottest day was Saturday, July 23 rd. We recall it so clearly because it was the day our truck caught on fire! Nam and Su, our friends, were taking items to the recycling center when Su noticed through the rear view mirror a blue flame coming from the bed of the truck. By the time he pulled to the side of the road the flame turned into a blazing fire. Nam call 911 on his cell phone and several people stopped to help and used their own fire extinguishers on the blaze. The fire truck arrived about ten minutes later and got the fire completely out. We learned later that the bed liner in the truck probably prevented the gas tank from exploding! The truck has now been repaired and once again looks like new.

For the gardeners this has been the year of zinnias! They have been blooming in abundance with their vibrant red, pink, orange, yellow and lavender colors and are still blooming. We have been enjoying good fresh vegetables too from our own gardens and those of our friends. On the wildlife scene, Sr. Donna was making her hour of prayer up in the sunroom early one morning when she saw a good-sized bobcat strolling along the sidewalk on the south side of the monastery. We had heard of bobcats in our area but this was the first one any of us had seen. And on the domestic scene, a big young white and orange male cat showed up on our doorstep recently. We have named him Barney because he lives in the barn; he is a true “people” cat and has turned out to be quite a mouser.

Srs. Monica, Donna and Ruth Miriam participated again in the vocation retreat for high school girls held at the archdiocesan camp the first week of August. This year we had 18 girls participate and the theme was, As Clay in the Hands of the Potter. Several of the girls seem very interested in religious life and we ask you to keep them in your prayers.

On August 14 th our Archdiocese celebrated its 100 th anniversary. Catholics from around the state gathered at the Cox Center in downtown Oklahoma City for the Centenary Mass and the festivities that preceded it. A short video presentation was given prior to the Mass which showed the rich history of the Oklahoma diocese and the tireless missionary spirit of the first Catholics in this state. The diocese is rich in cultural diversity. Several Hispanic groups marched from their parishes to the Center, singing hymns, and the Afro-American choir from Corpus Christi sang before the Mass. Native Americans in traditional dress led the entrance procession, followed by the Knights of Columbus and of Peter Claver. The Knights and Ladies of Malta came next, then the deacons, priests, bishops and archbishops. During Mass, the Our Father, was signed by young women using Native American Sign Language. Two Vietnamese Church groups did an exquisite dance with lighted candles at the time of the offertory procession. The young women and girls were both beautiful and colorful in their traditional dresses. The readings at the Mass and the Prayers of the Faithful were given in various languages including English, Spanish, Czech, Korean and Comanche.

As Hurricane Katrina approached New Orleans we became concerned about our Friars studying at Notre Dame Seminary and our Carmelite Nuns in Covington on the north side of Lake Ponchatrain. We learned that the Friars sought shelter at the Nuns’ guest house. While all escaped bodily harm, there was extensive damage to the monastery chapel roof and some to the guest quarters roof from the many downed trees and driving rain. After the storm the Friars went on to Marylake (their novitiate house in Little Rock, AR) and the Nuns took in some elderly Benedictine Sisters. Thankfully our Nuns had a generator that went on working despite having a tree fall on it and they had clean well water to drink. Our Nuns in Jackson, MS also had damage to the trees on their property. The Benedictine Abbey in Covington has agreed to open their doors to the diocesan seminarians displaced because of Katrina and will provide educational facilities as well until Notre Dame is open again. Our Friars will attend classes at the Abbey but will stay at the guest quarters of our Nuns who are just down the road from the Abbey.

The destructive power of Katrina made people take notice and as Rita lumbered toward Houston, Sr. Teresa Chau’s family asked to stay in our cottage as the storm approached. They were on the clogged roads for hours trying to make their way here and decided to return as soon as the storm passed in order to avoid the massive traffic jam they encountered on coming here. While many things went wrong in the wake of both storms, it was heartening to see the response of ordinary people. Despite the bad things we hear so often, there are still millions of wonderful people who are willing to go the extra mile to help their neighbors in need!

We are now beginning to feel and see the first signs of Fall; the temperature is dropping and the trees are starting to display a slight hint of color. With the festive celebrations of St. Therese and St. Teresa having come and gone, our thoughts are turned toward Thanksgiving and the upcoming Advent season. With all that has happened this year, it is indeed time to count our blessings. Advent with its promise of new life will also have a deeper meaning for many Americans. As November nears we want to assure you that your departed loved ones will be in our special prayers.

With love and prayers,