Dear Friends, Family, and Fellow Carmelites,

As we begin this Chronicle we would be remiss not to mention the havoc Mother Nature has wreaked these past few months. States all around us have been battered by tornadoes and flooding and Oklahoma has not escaped. In December we had a blizzard over Christmas followed by an ice storm on New Year’s Eve. On May 10th our state experienced a string of 24 tornados with some being EF-3 and EF-4 in strength. Thankfully only two people died and fifty-six counties have been declared disaster areas. People were still cleaning up from the tornados when on May 16th a major hail storm hammered the Oklahoma City area. There was a great deal of damage throughout the city due to softball size hail. We started ringing our bells which have been blessed against storms and escaped with smaller hail. Our flowers around the property were shredded but we had no broken windows.

There was some roof damage and some of the roof and pan vents may need to be replaced but we were lucky as our neighbors once again are replacing their roofs for the third time in three years. On May 19th another string of tornadoes hit our area.
People were still repairing damages from both the tornados and hail when on June 14th a record rainfall deluged Oklahoma City and the surrounding areas. While the official total was 7+ inches in 24 hours, some areas received over 10 inches of rain. Streets and some interstates were closed as they became raging rivers and washed away everything in their path. There were numerous water rescues and it was a miracle that no one drowned. Unfortunately homes in several areas were destroyed by the torrential rain and it has been devastating for those who lost everything. We know one of the families affected and they are grateful that no one was home when the flood came . . . material possessions can be replaced–people cannot. We ask your prayers for those who have been touched by these storms and we keep in our prayers all those throughout the U.S. who have suffered loss of life and property as well.

Not knowing what the future held was something Our Lady also knew. She was just a teenager when God broke into her life and asked her to be the Mother of God. She was no one special, just a poor, powerless and unmarried girl. Yet God used her very poverty to manifest His greatness. What were her expectations—to give birth to Jesus in a dirty smelly stable—to watch her son die on a cross? No, she desired what every mother wishes for her child. Yet, she and Joseph were continually being asked to bend to the unexpected. She had to explain how she became pregnant; she gave birth in a stable away from home and she had to flee with Joseph to another country in order to save her child’s life. In all this, what does Scripture say, ‘She pondered all these things in her heart.’ She did not say, ‘Why me?’ or ‘What have I done to deserve this?’ She did not see what happened to her as a punishment; rather she accepted the messiness of living: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me as you have said.’ How many of us can say that when all our plans for life are shattered? Can we give meaning to the suffering in our life? We need to remember that while Mary stood at the foot of the Cross she also witnessed the Resurrection!

We want to invite you to join us for one of our celebrations for Our Lady of Mount Carmel this year. On Friday July 16th, Archbishop Eusebius Beltran will celebrate the Eucharist and on Sunday we will have another celebration with Fr. John Magdalene, OCD as celebrant. We also invite you to send us your petitions for our novena which will start on July 15th and continue through July 23rd (Our Lady of Grace).

Our Easter was more subdued this year due to our Sr. Monica’s death. Our dear friend Marie Connolly provided the music for us. She is playing every Sunday for us and we appreciate her generosity. We muddle through the weekdays. Sr. Ann Marie is trying to learn the organ and Sr. Ruth Miriam has pulled out her guitar but we miss Sr. Monica. Our Easter Tridiuum was celebrated by Father Gerard MacAulay who did a wonderful job. We are so lucky to have our retired priests to celebrate Mass for us.

Speaking of whom, we have lost two of these wonderful priests during the last few months. Fr. Franklin Wrigley died in March and Fr. Cletus Bash in May. Fr. Wrigley had a great sense of humor and attended Sr. Monica’s funeral in February. We could hear him saying to Monica upon his arrival in heaven, ‘You had a beautiful funeral, too bad you missed it!’ We will remember the simple faith of Fr. Bash and rejoice that he is now reunited with his loves ones. Both were devoted to their priesthood and will have a high place in heaven. It was fitting that God took them home during the year of the priest.
Sr. Monica died during Lent and Easter brought new birth as our postulant was clothed on April 14th and is now Sr. Gabriela Guadalupe of the Pascal Mystery. Sister is from Little Flower Church and was happy that Fr. Juan, a novice and two postulants could join us for the Clothing Ceremony. Fr. Luis and Fr. Ralph were unable to join us but Fr. Luis had blessed her habit previously. We decorated the refectory as best we could for a fiesta and had a delicious meal of chicken burritos, refried beans and rice. She had a beautiful heart shaped Tres Leche cake decorated with strawberries for dessert. Please pray for her as she begins her novitiate. Another young woman, Brooke Harris, will begin her live-in with us on July 5th.
A week after the Clothing the Council for our Association began arriving for the Tri-Council meeting. Our Provincial, Fr. Gregory Ross, OCD was hosting the meeting here in Oklahoma City and our Association Council decided to take advantage of the time to have their annual meeting beforehand. We enjoyed seeing Mother Maria and Sisters Ancilla, Sean and Margaret Mary again.
The Tri-Council meets every three years and consists of the Councils from the three Provinces of Friars and three Associations of Nuns in North America. This year the English speaking Definitor for the Carmelite Order, Fr. John Grennan, OCD also attended the meeting. On Wednesday April 28th we invited the Friars and Nuns here for Vespers, Mass and a German meal. We decorated the tables in red & white checkered tablecloths, played polka music in the background and had a lot of fun! After the meal we returned to the chapel and Michael Reardon proclaimed the Beatitudes with Patrick Lane accompanying him on the organ. It was wonderful to meet the Nuns and Friars. While at their meeting, the Tri-Council learned that Fr. Saverio Cannistra, the Father General, will be coming to the United States in March 2011. The Friars will be meeting with him at Holy Hill in Wisconsin and the Nuns will meet him here in Oklahoma City. Needless to say we are busy making arrangements for this meeting!

As mentioned earlier May was a wild weather month for Oklahoma and a busy one for us. The Easter season was officially drawing to a close as we celebrated the Solemnities of Ascension and Pentecost. We also welcomed Fr. Adam Gonzales, OCD who arrived on May 18th in preparation for the Carmelite Directors of Formation Program in Wichita, Kansas. The day after he arrived we had another 16 tornados in the area so he got to experience Oklahoma weather first hand. A few members of the Planning Committee also arrived early: Sr. Ancilla (CA.), Sr. Celeste (Ontario BC), and Srs. Elizabeth Marie and Mary (PA). We think all were breathing a sigh of relief knowing this was the last year of a three year cycle. Their hard work showed in the quality of the speakers chosen and how smoothly everything went. We want to thank all those who have been part of the Planning Committee over the past years for their hard work. Srs. Donna, Ruth Miriam and Ann Marie attended the Seminar and were amazed at how quickly the two weeks passed. The speakers were excellent and we have lots of information to make our own. Fr. Adam returned here after the Seminar for two days of well deserved R&R before returning to CA. He was our celebrant for Corpus Christi and later in the day he officiated at Benediction.

In May we also held our community elections which were delayed due to Sr. Monica’s death. Sr. Donna was reelected Prioress, Sr. Mary is First Councilor and Sr. Ruth Miriam is Second Councilor. Please keep them in prayer during the next three years.
We are happy to report that the bluebird house Br. Kevin gave us was recently occupied and the first babies have now flown away. The Sisters enjoyed watching them from the windows and we thank Br. Kevin again for giving us the birdhouse.
We look forward to receiving your petitions this year . . . there is so much for which to pray. We especially remember all those who are suffering from the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. So many people have lost their livelihoods and there will be such a loss of marine life. We are praying it does not become the Dead Sea of America. We wish all of you a blessed feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and a wonderful summer.