Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,

During this Lenten season we have heard the story of the prophets and the struggles they endured while trying to do God’s Will. There have doubtless been periods in our lives when we can identify with the prophets and their sense of discouragement and futility. I have done all I can and everything has gone wrong. Even Jesus suffered his own agony in the garden and on the Cross. risenC

If Jesus’ life had ended on the cross, his story might have been a high point in creation. Here was someone who had done everything right, had followed God’s plan for the world in his words and actions, had attempted to contribute to the development of what God had begun in the human creature, had apparently demonstrated how rich and how spiritually profound a human life could be. It was an exemplary life. But Jesus’ life ending on the cross would also have been one of the saddest stories in the history of creation. He who carried out God’s will as none had done before would have died leaving only a memory behind, a memory of rejection and failure, done to death by the fear and narrowness of his fellow human creatures. If Jesus’ life had ended on the cross it would have been one more monument to the triumph of human irresponsibility, to the triumph of human blindness, to the triumph of sin. Everything would be the same as it was before, with Jesus as the great exception proving the rule of futility in human endeavor. But Jesus’ life did not end on the cross. . . The significance of the Resurrection of Jesus lies in what God says in and through it. In bringing Jesus gloriously back from death God is saying that a life like the life of Jesus is too good to end, too important to be overcome by human sinfulness, too significant to be relegated to the realm of memory, too precious to be the one-time exception in the story of creation. By raising the humanity of Jesus from the dead, God is giving a divine sign of approval of the quality and meaning of Jesus’ life. God is saying, in effect, “The life of this man is what human existence is all about—love and friendship and compassion and faithfulness and self-sacrifice, total dedication to the divine plan for creation, total giving of the human self to the work of the Creator even if the short-term result is rejection and death. This is what I want human existence to be and I want it to be so gloriously and forever.” Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk—From the book Believing Catholic

The power of one life to change the world is tremendous and should be a great comfort to us. Few of us may actually “see” the fruit of our good works but God sees and knows the intentions of our hearts. If we have given our best, our supposed “failures” may indeed be great successes.

The year 2007 was a full year for us and this year is proving to be the same. The last week of October we welcomed the Formator’s Committee. The Committee of six is comprised of one Friar from each of the three U.S. Provinces and one Nun from the three Associations. Our Sister Donna represented Mary, Queen of Carmel Association. They met to finalize the plans for the ten day Seminar being held in Wichita, KS this July. This is the first time such a joint training Seminar will be held. The goal of the Seminar is to provide Formators (Novice Masters and Mistresses) with education to help them in serving new members in Formation. The Committee was very focused on their goals and accomplished a great deal while here including a visit to the retreat facility in Wichita. The Seminar in July promises to be an enriching experience for those who attend and is almost filled to capacity.

On November 16th Oklahoma’s Centennial of statehood was celebrated. We had a special dinner and watched the centennial gala on TV. We previously had seen the Grapes of Wrath and listened to The Worst Hard Times which chronicledthe dust bowl years with their unbelievable hardships on those who lived and died in the middle of it. The people of Oklahoma have overcome much and have a right to celebrate their achievements. Two days later we welcomed our Provincial, Fr. Gregory for a short visit and the next day Fr. Steve Watson, a General Definitor of the Order came from Rome. It was wonderful to hear what is happening throughout the world in Carmel.

On December 9th Oklahoma City and Tulsa experienced the worst ice storm in their history and downed power lines and trees made much of the state look like a war zone. We were extremely lucky as we lost only one phase of electricity for three days and only two broken branches. Over a half million homes throughout the state were without power and some places did not get it back until after Christmas. We had an unusual treat this year when a woman came to the turn in mid-December and asked, “What is this place?” It turned out she is a neighbor whose husband is an Assembly of God minister. She asked if she could bring some young adults, who worked with youth, to carol for us which she did. They were a wonderful group, very wholesome, vibrant, and resourceful and only two had ever seen a nun. We had a lovely visit. Our Christmas Midnight Mass (8 PM) was celebrated by Fr. Franklin Wrigley and was well attended. On Christmas Day, Archbishop Eusebius Beltran was our celebrant and later joined us for dinner.

In January Fr. John Magdalene came to give us a beautiful conference on the Baptism of the Lord just in time for the feast. He opened for us the deep meaning and significance of our Lord’s baptism. Later in the month we had our annual retreat, one which allowed the Nuns extra time for prayer and solitude. The last of January the youth choir, 1st – 8th grade, from St. Monica’s Church came to sing for us. They are a very talented group, directed by Patricia Kuper with Marie Connolly accompanying on the piano. For their finale they sang Lead Me, Lord with Patricia and Sr. Donna on their flutes joining Marie in a spirited accompaniment. We enjoyed them immensely.

The first weekend of February Sr. Therese Ranallo’s extended family and friends came from Hartshorne for their annual visit to trim up, clean up, and beautify our grounds in preparation for Spring. They did a great job and we so appreciate their efforts. Part of their gift to us was a delicious fish fry supper on Saturday evening. This year Sister Therese’s blood sisters, Sr Teresa from Villa Teresa and Catherine McCaslin, were able to come and enjoy the feast with us. Sr. Donna, who is a Council member for our Association, flew to Houston mid-February to help prepare for the General Assembly in May. The Assembly meets every three years for a business meeting and election of a new Coordinator and team. Mother Maria from Alhambra has served the Association well and is looking forward to “retirement.” Pray for our Sisters the week of May 19-26 as the new team is selected. In February our Community admitted Sister Agatha Pham to Solemn Profession. Her profession ceremony will be held on April 25th at 10:00 AM. Please pray for Sr. Agatha as she prepares for this important step in her life.

The last of February Sr. Monica, in coming out of the barn, misjudged the height of the door sill, and fell breaking her hip. She did not need a full hip replacement only three pins and considers herself extremely lucky. She is very grateful for the loving care and prayers she is receiving on her road to recovery.

During the past summer we decided to change our roof. When we chose concrete tile for our new monastery back in 1984 it seemed a very wise choice because of its durability and longevity, as well as its attractiveness. Over the years, however, we have experienced persistent leaks which have needed periodical repair and have also involved repair to the inside of the monastery. After much consultation about different roofing materials available and consideration of which material and application would best stand up to the extremes of our weather and our long runs and valleys, we decided on Grand Manor asphalt shingles. With the help of our banker who contacted reputable roofers and helped negotiate with our insurance company, we were able to replace our roof. It was put on in record time and does not appear very different from our original tile for which we are very grateful.

This year we welcome back Fr. John Michael Payne, OCD as our celebrant for the Holy Tridiuum. Our Liturgy will also be enriched by the return of Patrick Lane and Michael Reardon. Patrick will share his musical skills with us while Michael will help to proclaim the Scriptures. Patrick and Michael are here in the Oklahoma City area, presenting the Gospel of John. They will be in our chapel on Easter Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30 PM. Those of you who have attended Michael’s proclamation of the gospel will agree that it is a deeply moving experience. We wish all of you a Blessed Easter!