Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,
Since we last wrote both Fall and Winter have passed into eternity and Spring is now beginning to unveil her beautiful face. We received little moisture these past months and fires have raged throughout the southwest consuming both property and lives. As we experience some of the worst drought conditions in a hundred years we ask you to pray that rain will renew our parched land. It is all the more amazing then that nature was so determined to blossom forth on time—rain or not! In many ways aridity reminds us of Lent. So many see it as a time of dryness yet it means ‘Spring” and is the precursor of life. We have only to look at the new members who enter the Church at Easter Vigil to know how true this is.
With the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and with the natural disasters that have shattered so many places and lives these past few months, it may be difficult for many to see the promise of new life. We want what was and feel abandoned by those who promised to help. This is very much how the Jewish people felt during the time of Isaiah. In his commentary for the Seventh Sunday of the Year, given in Scripture in Church, Fr. Martin Hogan writes:
This great prophet of consolation and hope addresses a people who have been burdened with the experience of exile. They were without land, city, temple and king. It must have seemed to them as if God had abandoned his people. Yet, the prophet announces that God is about to display his covenant faithfulness. Choosing to forget the sins of his people, God was about to bring about a new exodus out of Babylon, across the wilderness and back to the land promised to Abraham and his descendants. . . The prophet invites the people to turn their gaze from the past, with its tragedy and its failure, and to look towards the new and glorious future which God has in store for them. . . When we experience life as a trial and a struggle we can become focused on what is negative and we can fail to see what is good or promising in the situation. We pick up very easily one part of the reality and fail to see another part.
When Jesus chose to die on the Cross he did not bypass the sufferings of our human condition. In his agony he was betrayed, deserted by his friends, humiliated, mocked and seemingly abandoned by his Father on the Cross. Yet he believed his Father’s word that there would be a glorious future.
When Jesus died his followers were also shattered. We thought this was the one who wouldbring about the deliverance of Israel. They failed, as they did so often, to understand what Jesus had told them. “See, I am doing a new deed, even now it comes to light; can you not see it?” No, they could not – they were paralyzed with fear and guilt. Then, in the midst of darkness the light did rise. . .the light of Easter morning.
. . .to turn their gaze from the past with its tragedy, failure, loss, anger and frustration and look towards the future. When a person or people have lost so much it seems impossible to see a better future but that is what hope is about and HOPE is the promise of Easter.
It has been six months since our last newsletter and many events both happy and sad have taken place since then. We are happy to report that Sr. Frances came home from rehab on October 17th and is doing quite well. The home health staff provided therapy for several weeks and the nurse and caregiver are still coming. Sr. Ann Marie is doing a very good job helping her with exercises and Sr. Mary with general care.
On October 28th Sr. Agatha became an American citizen, an event duly celebrated with a red, white, and blue party! The day happened to be the 20th anniversary of our move to 20,000 N. County Line Rd. In November, for the Novitiate Feast Day, she and Sr. Maria showed off their new patriotism by singing Over There as part of the entertainment. They also did a good job cheering for the American athletes during the Olympics!
And in October we spent a profoundly beautiful day with Sr. Benedicta Boland, OSB who spoke to us on the Liturgy, specifically on Baptism and the Eucharist. Sr. Benedicta is a member of the Red Plains Monastery whose Prioress is presently Sr. Janice, our Sr. Jeanne Marie’s sister.
On the sadder side, on September 27th Sr. Ann Marie’s father who lives in Rome, NY suffered a stroke which paralyzed his left side. Mr. Hayes is now in a rehab center and is working very hard to regain his health; his spirits are very positive and his progress steady and sure. He will probably be home by Easter. At the end of October Sr. Ruth Miriam’s mother, who lives in California in the Sacramento area, fell and fractured her pelvis in two places. After a hospitalization and a short stay in rehab, she was sent home. She too is doing much better. Please keep all these loved ones in your prayers.
Then on the eve of All Saints, we had our annual visit of a family of saints. Each year the Milots—Mom, Dad, and their daughters—celebrate All Saints Day by dressing up as saints. When they come, they challenge us to guess who they are. Sometimes we are successful, but if their saint is too obscure we fail. This year some of them reenacted the guillotining of the Martyrs of Compiegne, offstage, of course, but with effective sound effects. Two of the girls, Molly and Monica, are twins in their early twenties. They collectively portrayed a young woman who was beheaded. At the beginning of the recitation one of them was standing behind the other concealed inside her cloak. At the moment of the beheading, a veil dropped over the head of the one reciting and simultaneously the head of the other appeared under her arm! We were in stitches and amazed at their creativity!
Just before Christmas, on December 20th, Our Lord called Sr. Donna’s mother home to himself. Cherie had suffered long with Alzheimer’s and was in a nursing home with a very good Alzheimer’s unit here in Oklahoma City where Sr. Donna was able to look after her. Her health had been steadily declining but her death was still quite sudden, even to the staff. Cherie was a beautiful woman, an artist who loved flowers and was very active in the Garden Club in Tulsa. Although not a Catholic she was very perceptive to the working of the Holy Spirit in her daughter and appreciated her vocation. Sr. Donna and her two older brothers, David and Dennis, had worked together through the years to care for their mother. Though greatly saddened, they all felt a deep peace that their mother was at last free of her sufferings. Her funeral service was in Tulsa where she is buried in the family plot.
Christmas was beautiful with Fr. Franklin Wrigley celebrating our Midnight Mass; for the first time it was at 8:00 p.m. Our Christmas Day Mass was celebrated by Archbishop Beltran and Deacon Paul Albert. These past few years we have been putting up our old outside nativity scene (vintage1940); last year we added a shed to protect it from the wind, snow and rain. On New Year’s Day the winds were very high, gusting up to 60 miles an hour. That afternoon Sr. Mary noticed that the small angel had blown off the stable and went out to retrieve it. When she didn’t return, Sr. Monica went to check and found her with veil blown off, scapular flying, and hanging on to the shed which was being blown off its moorings! More nuns were quickly called to the scene and, just at that moment, Fr. Hoa happened to come by. Together, battling the ferocious winds, they succeeded in rescuing the figures, disassembling the stable, and getting all safely inside. The only regret was that the three Kings never got the chance to arrive!
January was marvelous! We had five sisters here for the meeting of the Council of the Association of Mary Queen of Carmel and of which our Sr. Donna is a member. The Sisters meet several times a year to prepare for the Initial and Ongoing Formation Seminars and to take care of other business. As usual the Council was busy so we really enjoyed the times we could share together.
The following week was our Community retreat with Archbishop John R. Quinn. He gave us wonderful talks on the Gospel of John and Saint John of the Cross. He is quite knowledgeable on John of the Cross and shared deep insights with us. Most of us were not ready to see the retreat end and, considering his busy schedule, probably harbor an unreasonable expectation of having him again! Archbishop Quinn, if you read this, it is a very overt hint!
In February we were once again blessed to have our crew from Hartshorne here. As luck would have it, the weekend they came was freezing with a biting north wind. The weekends before and after were both warm and balmy! Nine men came and took out the shrubs and railroad ties at the front entrance. They also trimmed bushes, raked leaves and removed dead trees. And, if that weren’t enough, they cooked a delicious fish fry dinner for us on Saturday evening.
It is hard to believe, but this year on March 19th we commemorated the 20th anniversary of the blessing of our Chapel! Fr. Paul Donovan celebrated the Mass for us on this special and festive day and remained with us to help recall the many blessings we have received from God during this time. This year our novena focused on vocations and we ask you to join us in praying for young women and men to open their hearts to the Lord of the harvest!
One morning about a month ago we discovered two young tom turkeys looking into our choir! It has been several years since they have been around and we enjoyed their visit. Of course, their reflected images made them think they had competition so we also enjoyed their getting “puffed up” as the defended their territory!
As we approach Holy Week we ask that God’s richest blessings be with each of you! So much has happened in our world this past year and, although we may not be able yet to see it, we believe it is leading us to a new future–one filled with hope and not with despair! May God’s joy, peace and love fill you and be with you.