For greater things you were born
“The soul of each Carmelite raises herself to Christ, who is her heaven,
while her shadow falls in charity upon earth doing good to all people.”
– Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa
The Contemplative
Spirit of Carmel
with Apostolic Works
For greater things you were born
“The soul of each Carmelite raises herself to Christ, who is her heaven,
while her shadow falls in charity upon earth doing good to all people.”
– Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa
Our Sisters are located across the United States!
The Carmelite Sisters are currently promoting a deeper spiritual life among God’s people through healthcare, education and retreats in 12 sites from California to Florida.
BLOGS
Carmelite Musings | You are Good
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. Individually, we’re each going through our own life journey…whatever that looks like. Interpersonal struggles. Struggles with the past. Struggles within the family. Struggles at work. Struggles to pray. Struggles to let down our...
Carmelite Musings | A Truly Random Carmelite Musing
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. Praised be Jesus Christ! Greetings to Alanna (you know who you are) to Rose (you know who you are) and to Sylvie (if you don’t know who you are, you’re in trouble). 🙂 It’s nice to know that someone is actually reading these...
Carmelite Musings | Remembering
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. It seems as if every day something happens that deeply impacts or changes the trajectory of life for at least one person we know. Every day. It could be illness, a change in one’s job, a birth, graduation, getting married, receipt of...
A Letter from Mother Luisita to read during times of Worry and Anxiety
A Letter from Mother Luisita to read during times of Worry and Anxiety Be very united with Our Lord so that your prayer may be continual, and at the same time, full of confidence in God. Be entirely at peace. What we have to do, myself included, is to become saints,...
Carmelite Musings | Resistance
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. No one likes to be told what to do, when to do it, or how to do it. When this happens, something inside of us puts up resistance, it’s almost like an instinctive reflex. Even little ones seem to thrive on saying the word “no”! ...
Carmelite Musings | St. Therese
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. I did not like St. Therese. At all. First off, prior to the convent, I was a bit clueless about saints. Saints did not feel like real people. Their holy cards always looked a bit too “fake”. I also didn’t know saints belonged to...
Carmelite Musings | Special People
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. What makes someone special? Do you see yourself as a special person? Would you look at your parents and siblings and think they are special people? Your neighbors down the street? Your friends from school, your co-workers? The...
Carmelite Musings | Hiking Life: Attaining the Summit
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. While walking along the mountain paths of Wrightwood, thoughts of life and how I approach life kept filtering through my mind. The altitude, the creaking knees, the inclines (and I mean the INCLINES!), the pace, the fresh air, my...
Carmelite Musings | Self-Knowledge
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. It is likely that many of us think we know ourselves pretty well. And why not? We live in our own skins, don’t we? We know our likes and dislikes, we value our own thoughts, opinions and insights, we like the way we see the world and...
Mother Luisita’s Letter: To Read During Times of Discouragement and Depression
My beloved child, So, you are feeling depressed? And sad? I understand that you are feeling as if your soul is troubled. Is it true? I’d like this letter to be as close as possible to a real face-to-face visit with you. Ay, my child, I can’t agree with you! You can’t...
Carmelite Musings | Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. This reflection comes from someone who is not naturally a super optimistic person. Meaning, I tend to see the glass half empty – so when it becomes even emptier, I’m not disappointed. On the other hand, when the glass gets full, my...
Carmelite Musings | Grace-Filled Maturity
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. Age. One of my favorite topics. I’m actually teased endlessly in the convent because of this. Let me tell you why. As I grow older (whatever that means) I find it fascinating. People never look their age to me and if I were to...
Carmelite Musings | Proper Perspective
By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. This probably happens to everyone, especially as one grows older, but I find myself regularly marveling at how quickly time passes. And somehow in living each day however we choose to live it, it’s forming us, shaping us into the...
A Reflection on Mary, Mother of the Church
By: Sister Laetitia Therese, O.C.D. The Monday after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. Instituted by Pope Francis in 2019, it seems very fitting for our times. The state of affairs in our world, our country, our Church, our...
Near to Us
By: Sister Anita Mary, O.C.D. Some years ago, we had the privilege of having Bishop Robert Barron at our Motherhouse on the vigil of the Feast of the Assumption. At Mass, he began his homily by describing how Christians tend to think of the feasts of the Assumption...
Have you heard the Call?
A vocation to the consecrated life is a specific call from God to a specific person. It is real. It is compelling. It is an invitation. The same invitation given to the apostles – “Come, follow Me.”
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