About Us

“In the Heart of the Church, I will be Love.”
St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles

We are women in love with the Gospel, called together by God to a communal life of prayer and service.

Our life and zeal are drawn from the prayer that fills our days, standing in the Presence of the Living God. Contemplative prayer is both the goal of our lives and the source of all our works. Called to a life of total consecration to God through vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience, we respond to God’s invitation to live a life of radical discipleship.

Faithful to the Magesterium of the Catholic Church, our life is structured according to the ancient tradition of the Discalced Carmelite Order, which imitates the prayer life of Mary, our Lady of Mount Carmel. The love we experience in God’s presence impels us to serve, making known to the world the personal love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Our charism, which blends the contemplative nature of Carmel with active apostolic works in service of the Church, is the unwavering bedrock of our life. This unique charism was a gift of the Holy Spirit to our foundress, Mother Luisita, whose cause for beatification is well underway. Since our founding in 1921, our Sisters have served the Church through our apostolic works of education, spiritual retreats, and healthcare.

Rooted in Prayer

There is a love worth living for.

Our lives as Sisters are rooted in prayer – from morning to night, we return again and again to the source and summit of our faith, as we encounter God in the Blessed Sacrament.

In the Eucharist, we come into direct contact with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His Heart is the embodiment of God’s love for the world. He is on fire with love, drawing souls to God and interceding for them at the right hand of the Father.

Carmelite spirituality seeks to encounter this Heart, to be enflamed with His love so we can set the world on fire.

We are called in a particular way to pray for priests, and to offer our lives in prayer that all might encounter God’s personal, healing love.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue

Rooted in Prayer

There is a love worth living for.

Our lives as Sisters are rooted in prayer – from morning to night, we return again and again to the source and summit of our faith, as we encounter God in the Blessed Sacrament.

In the Eucharist, we come into direct contact with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His Heart is the embodiment of God’s love for the world. He is on fire with love, drawing souls to God and interceding for them at the right hand of the Father.

Carmelite spirituality seeks to encounter this Heart, to be enflamed ourselves with His love so we can set the world on fire.

We are called in a particular way to pray for priests, and to offer our lives in prayer that all might encounter God’s personal, healing love.

Love in Action

Love is never stagnant

Ever since Elijah encountered the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, the Carmelite Saints have always been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts.

Anyone who embarks seriously in a life of discipleship of Jesus Christ discovers a growing need within the heart to give oneself in love.

For those consecrated to God in the religious life, this return of love to God is expressed in our service of one another in community, and freely given to all those we encounter in our apostolic service.

Whether our Sisters are serving students in the classroom, accompanying retreatants to grow in their faith, or walking alongside the families we serve in healthcare, our goal is always to bring them closer to God.

Sister welcoming couple at an event

Love in Action

Love is never stagnant

Ever since Elijah encountered the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, the Carmelite Saints have always been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts.

Anyone who embarks seriously in a life of discipleship of Jesus Christ discovers a growing need within the heart to give oneself in love.

For those consecrated to God in the religious life, this return of love to God is expressed in our service of one another in community, and freely given to all those we encounter in our apostolic service.

Whether our Sisters are serving students in the classroom, accompanying retreatants to grow in their faith, or walking alongside the families we serve in healthcare, our goal is always to bring them closer to God.

Our Religious Family

Drawn together by Love.

The family is at the center of God’s plan for the world, meant to be a place of fruitful love and belonging.

Throughout the history of the Church, there have been men and women who have experienced God’s call to follow Him more closely in the religious life. This gift of a religious vocation is a call to belong to God alone, in a life of love that brings a spiritual fruitfulness to all of God’s children.

As Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, we have been called to become part of this particular religious family. As we journey together through the blessings, joys and sufferings and struggles of life, there is deep joy as we become more and more authentically ourselves individually and as a community.

Community photo of Sisters in chapel

Our Religious Family

Drawn together by Love.

The family is at the center of God’s plan for the world, meant to be a place of fruitful love and belonging.

Throughout the history of the Church, there have been men and women who have experienced God’s call to follow Him more closely in the religious life. This gift of a religious vocation is a call to belong to God alone, in a life of love that brings a spiritual fruitfulness to all of God’s children.

As Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, we have been called to become part of this particular religious family. As we journey together through the blessings, joys and sufferings and struggles of life, there is deep joy as we become more and more authentically ourselves individually and as a community.

“May your life in that little corner of the earth be as a bonfire of love,
consuming itself in the love of God and zeal for souls.”
Venerable Mother Luisita

Our Core Values

These four foundational elements are integral to who we are as daughters of the Church, in the Carmelite spirit and through the specific charism of our Foundress, Venerable Mother Luisita.

Joyful

Joyful

To delight in life as it is. Seeing God’s hand at work in the everyday movements of life, in the lives of those we are blessed to live and serve with, in the opportunities, and the graces received and are continuing to receive. All of this brings deep joy.

Authentic

Authentic

To possess and express your genuine self. As we do so at the deepest levels of who we are, made in His image and likeness, and continue to grow into the person God has called us to be as His daughters, as sisters, as spouse, as spiritual mothers, we become more and more our fully authentic selves.

Totally Given

Totally Given

Trusting in Divine Providence – Abiding in God’s Providence and being docile to His will was a hallmark of our Foundress, Mother Luisita. This was evident in how she responded to life’s challenges. Her steadfast “yes” to the Lord, wholeheartedly trusting in Him is part of her legacy to us, her daughters.

Family Spirit

Family Spirit

Sister among sisters giving and receiving love. We are sisters in Christ, sisters in Carmel. This is our family. And as a family, we journey through life’s ups and downs together, side-by-side, growing, receiving, giving, supporting, falling and getting back up.

Joyful

To delight in life as it is. Seeing God’s hand at work in the everyday movements of life, in the lives of those we are blessed to live and serve with, in the opportunities, and the graces received and are continuing to receive. All of this brings deep joy.

Authentic

To possess and express your genuine self. As we do so at the deepest levels of who we are, made in His image and likeness, and continue to grow into the person God has called us to be as His daughters, as sisters, as spouse, as spiritual mothers, we become more and more our fully authentic selves.

Totally Given

Trusting in Divine Providence – Abiding in God’s Providence and being docile to His will was a hallmark of our Foundress, Mother Luisita. This was evident in how she responded to life’s challenges. Her steadfast “yes” to the Lord, wholeheartedly trusting in Him is part of her legacy to us, her daughters.

Family Spirit

Sister among sisters giving and receiving love. We are sisters in Christ, sisters in Carmel. This is our family. And as a family, we journey through life’s ups and downs together, side-by-side, growing, receiving, giving, supporting, falling and getting back up.

Our History

During the virulent religious persecutions in 1920s Mexico, Mother Luisita remained a beacon of light and hope. She established and administered schools, hospitals, and orphanages and remained undaunted in her work despite the scrutiny of the government. The escalating violence ultimately drove Mother Luisita from her homeland and the people she had so lovingly served. In 1927, leaving everything behind and dressed in disguise, Mother Luisita together with two companion sisters embarked on a perilous journey to seek refuge in the United States. It was against this dramatic background that a new religious community was established in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The very persecution which sought to destroy her work only helped spread it to the United States – loving apostolic service that continues strong nearly a century later, seeking to make known the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Mother Luisita Icon

A Religious Family is Born

Sister in church Icon

Establishment as a Pontifical Institute

Carmelite Sisters Shield

The Charism Continues

Sister on Train Icon

Persecution & A New Home

90 Year Anniversary Shield and Banner Icon

90 Years of Prayer & Service

A Religious Family is Born

Sister on Train Icon

Persecution & A New Home

Sister in church Icon

Establishment as a Pontifical Institute

90 Year Anniversary Shield and Banner Icon

90 Years of Prayer & Service

Carmelite Sisters Shield

The Charism Continues

Our Sisters Today