Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,

Once again the first part of this year has evaporated and we are in June. We have had much happen over these past few months and now look forward to the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Our novena will be from July 15th through July 23rd which is the Feast of Our Lady of Grace. We invite you to send us your petitionsand share in our novena of prayer.

Mary was a woman whose ‘yes’ changed the course of history and helps us to focus on our own response to God. Mary in her life had free choice, like us – it is she that made the decision to say ‘yes’ to God. Out of this ‘yes’, comes a birth which is also a birth-giving, an act of liberation and response that changes, renews and transforms. This is a model for our relationship and our partnership with God. Like Mary, we are partners and co-creators, for as Mary’s faith makes God’s entrance into history possible, so we turn to God, wait on God, struggle with God and by God’s grace respond with our ‘yes’. Our response to God is at the heart of what it means to be the Church. Renewal, hope, change, growth, love, worship and transformation depend upon our entering into the mystery and pleasure of God as Mary did. How little we hear and see of this dependence, this ‘yes’. How hard it is for us to stand still and wait and watch. How difficult we find it to discover the presence of God and bring ourselves and others into that presence. What poverty we live in if our Church is not a place where our hearts are open to God and our lives are transformed by worship. We hope and pray that we will continue to welcome all people, that our ‘yes’ can help us to be free from the control that we exercise over others, through our stereotypes and prejudices – that people, wholly dependent on God – can feel healed, accepted, loved, transformed and liberated. Based on a sermon Rev. James Woodward

roof
Since last August our monastery has been undergoing a makeover and the finishing touches are now being applied. The chapel is completed. It has been painted, the windows of the cupola and its flat roof replaced and the outside crosses repainted. Our roof has been replaced (again) and the skylights as well. We mentioned in a previous newsletter how we replaced our roof in January ’08 only to have it damaged by hail in March. While other homes in our area were getting new roofs we waited and waited for the insurance company. The delay turned out to be providential.
roof
Our claim was approved in the fall and in November we were battered by another hail storm which caused further damage to the roof. Our neighbor’s homes were damaged again as well and soon signs from various roofing companies appeared and new roofs were being installed along County Line Rd. The roller coaster weather in December delayed our roof installation. One storm with high winds caused some of the window scaffolding and tar paper to blow off the roof and rain damaged some of our newly varnished choir benches which had to be re-stained. Once the roof was completed we were able to attach the gutters and connect them to the new drainage system around the house.
The chapel presented some interesting challenges due to the height of the cupola. (The ceiling is about 50 feet above the sanctuary floor.) Our doors were not wide enough to allow a hydraulic lift large enough to reach the top of the cupola so scaffolding was constructed in order to reach it. Watching the men swiftly climb up and down the scaffolding reminded us of the story of Jacob who watched as angels ascended and descended to and from heaven on a ladder.
scaffoldingmass
In addition to the interior work we have also done some exterior projects. Several sidewalks have been repaired and one installed near the Pergola where a statue of St. Joseph stands. An inspection of the bricks around our monastery and pillars along the fence found a number of broken and cracked bricks which needed to be replaced. The masons were amazing in how they cut out and replaced the damaged bricks. Our grotto also needed some attention since some of the stones had become dislodged. Some new sections of irrigation system have been installed and some existing ones repaired. Most notable of all, our inner court is getting a real makeover. Several trees needed to be removed as they were either damaged or diseased; this made for a more open space. In areas where grass has been difficult to grow an attractive ground cover will be planted and then bordered with brick. The statues are being cleaned and refinished and a couple of areas with benches for quiet prayer have been created. We have been here for almost twenty-five years and hope our repairs will last for another twenty-five!

paint
Our weather was mild for Christmas so we had wonderful crowds for both our ‘midnight’ Mass (8:00 p.m.) and 10:30 a.m. Mass. Two weeks later in January we experienced some of the arctic blast that crippled the eastern states. It was only a few years ago that a bad ice storm caused week-long power outages in Oklahoma City. As we have lost power in the past we decided to have a generator installed to help us maintain our electricity during these ‘off’ times. It is connected to our natural gas and will automatically turn on if the electricity fails. If the natural gas should fail it has another backup and will switch to propane. We can now rest easier in the event of severe weather.
The weather remained erratic through the late winter and early spring. One week we had an ice storm and the next week a tornado. May is when the tornado season ‘officially’ begins and we hope these ‘out of season’ tornadoes are not the harbinger of future events. This year on May 3rd, we remembered those who died ten years ago in the worst series of tornadoes Oklahoma ever had. Buildings have been replaced but the scars still remain for many who survived the storms.

In May, Srs. Donna, Ruth Miriam and Ann Marie were in Seattle for the Directors of Formation Program. They were awed by the tall straight trees and the vibrant colors of the plants. All three of the Sisters enjoyed the Program. The speakers were excellent and the view from the retreat center was breathtaking. (See below)

vista

Once again the Planning Committee did an excellent job in planning the Program. It was also wonderful to see and share with the Sisters and Friars from the various Associations and Provinces. There is a real richness in meeting each other and sharing our deepest values. We were also grateful to the Seattle Carmel for opening their home to us and inviting us for dinner. That was quite an endeavor and we appreciate their generosity. Next year for the third year of the program we will return to Wichita in Kansas.

The respite was a short one for Sr. Donna as she left for Pennsylvania for the meeting of the CCA, one of our sister associations, on June 3rd. The Coordinators of several Associations and Federations were invited by CCA to be present as they celebrated their 40th Anniversary. Sr. Donna’s family lives near the meeting site so she was also able to spend a few days with them and had a very enjoyable visit.

This summer we have two young women in their 20’s staying with us as they discern their call to contemplative life. Gabriela lives here and is from Little Flower Church. Eileen is from Minnesota and is currently a senior at the Franciscan College in Steubenville, OH. We met her at the vocation fair in October of last year. We are happy that the two will be able to meet one another and share their desires for religious life. In August we hope to once again attend the vocation weekend for young girls sponsored by the various religious communities of the archdiocese. While we often plant the seed, this year we also saw the fruit as we met Gabriela at the summer camp two years ago.

On Holy Trinity Sunday our newly ordained priest, Fr. Long Pham, celebrated one of his first Masses in our Chapel. Besides his family, his spiritual director Fr. Thomas Pierre, OSB of the Benedictine Abbey in Covington, LA was with him. Both priests have a Carmelite connection. Father Pierre says Mass for our Nuns in Covington and Fr. Pham has a sister who is a Carmelite Nun in San Antonio. The family brought breakfast and we had a good time sharing their joy and company.

Recently Sr. Mary and Nam, our workman, witnessed a real ‘cat and mouse’ drama. They were in the greenhouse and Nicky, one of our kitties, kept pawing at the end of a piece of iron covering the water pipcates. Sr. Mary lifted up the end and out of the other end shot a little mouse which did not get far before being snatched up by Nicky. Outside he released the mouse and started ‘playing’ with it. Instead of trying to run away, the mouse turned to face Nicky and started to fight mousethe cat with its little front feet. When Nicky persisted in his play, the little mouse rose to its full stature and started ‘boxing’ in earnest. At this point Sr. Mary intervened and granted the mouse a ‘reprieve.’ Nam found a bucket, scooped up the little fellow, and released it out in the field so it could live to fight another day. We are not sure Nicky agreed with the referee’s decision!

We wish you all a good summer. Love and prayers