Sister Cecilia Marie

Where did you grow up (City, State):

Miami and Gainesville, Florida

Where do you currently serve

At Santa Teresita Cottages as a nurse

Words of Gratitude

From the very start of my journey to Carmel, Our Lord has assured me with His words, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”  My heart is filled with deep gratitude and joy that He has called me to follow Him in this way of life FOREVER!

What first drew you to this Religious family?

The grace of God!  The sisters taught at St. Thomas the Apostle school in Miami, FL, which is where we attended school as children and was our parish.  When I finally came to accept that I might have a vocation to the religious life, the only Community I could think of was “the Carmelites”.  Being with them was like being with family.  It just felt right.

What have your learned during your years in Carmel?

SO many things!  It’s hard to name just one!  One of the most important things I’ve learned throughout my years in Carmel is how to love myself and who God created me to be.  I struggled for a long time to accept myself, my faults, my personality, etc., etc.!  St. Teresa of Avila said, “Self-knowledge is my daily bread.”  Though this “daily bread” has been difficult and challenging at times, it has come with a deep awareness that I am loved and delighted in by God and that I am wanted, seen and known.

As you think of your final profession, what comes to mind?

To be honest, just a sense of “awe”.  It’s a great mystery to be called to be totally and completely His in the religious life, and it was one that I fought for a long time. As I come to Final Profession, I am filled with awe and deep gratitude, that God would call me to belong to Him forever and to belong to the Carmelite family.

Which vow speaks to you the most and why?

Obedience, hands down!  Through the vow of obedience, I surrender to God the most precious gift He has given me=my will. To me, it touches the most deeply on the spousal reality between the soul and God. Jesus has laid down his life for me, His bride. Though very difficult at times, my laying down of my will is a way to lay my life down in bridal surrender to His Love, which is His will. In this way, “the two become one” and this is what our life is really all about-union with God!

What specific aspects about Carmel speak to your heart?

Silence, solitude and the indwelling of the Trinity. The soul is a “fountain-sealed”, a “garden locked” – ultimately reserved only for God in all its richness. Like the wardrobe in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there is a whole world to my interior life that waits to be explored and discovered with the Lord in ever deeper intimacy and encounter in prayer. It’s a very exciting adventure!