By: Sister Mary Colombiere, O.C.D. Does God smile? Have you ever seen a little child look up to its mother and smile? Such a scene captures the relationship between mother and child – the expression of motherhood. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once remarked, “Every time...

By: Sister Mary Scholastica A handful of times in my life, I KNEW with deep conviction that certain things would come to pass.  I can’t explain it.  I just knew.  My vocation to the Carmelite Sisters was one of these “Aha!” God-moments.  I knew in an instant I had a...

By: Sister Timothy Marie, O.C.D.  “Spiritual motherhood, what in the world is that?” Spiritual motherhood is a topic that more people are becoming aware of within the Catholic Church. Around the United States, retreats and conferences include this subject and new...

By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D. Living in the Presence of God can be a daunting task in this busy hectic world we live in. The top of the ocean may be swarming with rough and crashing waves but if we go a little deeper we will find the tranquil calm. It is similar...

By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D. “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Our light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” Isaiah 10:1 Today the Church celebrates the great feast of the Epiphany, our God manifesting Himself to the world. Is this important? Well, we...

By: Sister Timothy Marie, O.C.D. Each culture has its treasure trove of beloved saints and well-loved prayers. And, being of Irish descent myself, allow me to ring in the New Year of 2020 with a traditional, Irish prayer. I think you may have already heard it, perhaps...

By: Sister Timothy Marie, O.C.D. JOY is a special word.  It’s not quite the same as happiness. Definitely not the same as pleasure. There is something profoundly deep hidden within the word “joy”. I wonder why, and I also wonder if other people have felt this subtle...

By: Sister Mary Colombiere As the earth lay sleeping in the chilly throes of death, a light breaks forth and in the silence of that night, the Word leapt down from heaven Thus opens the season of Advent preparing us for the revelation of God-with-us, which will become...

By Sister Mary Colombière, O.C.D. “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."2 Timothy 3:12 “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.”Tertullian These first verses may not sound very inviting, but do not stop reading! Beginning...

By: Sister Timothy Marie, O.C.D. So you ask me outright: “What are you willing to die for?” Well, that’s one question I’ve never been asked before! This will take some thought before I can answer. Do you mean to die for as in DIE? Die for something like a person or a...

By: Sister Mary Colombiere, O.C.D. How often as a child did you hear the words, “Do you wanna play?” One of childhood’s favorite games was ‘Hide and Seek’. Which did you prefer? To be the one to hide and look for a place that you thought would not be discovered? Or to...

By: Sister Timothy Marie, O.C.D. Sacrifice is defined as something that you give up, or as a loss, usually for the sake of a better cause. The word sacrifice originally had a religious meaning, coming from the Latin sacra and facere meaning "to perform sacred rites.”...