Walking with Grace into 2021 We are counting our blessings as we close out 2020. Regardless of circumstances, we always have the choice to count our blessings, to be grateful. It’s a life perspective that starts to then shift how we receive and give to others. This...
Blessings Blessings by Carmelite Sisters | Mercy Rushes In https://carmelitesistersocd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/BLESSINGS.wav We invite you to listen to our rendition of Blessings, from our CD, Mercy Rushes In. Singing is praying twice and as close out 2020, let...
“The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.” John 1:9 Many of our sisters love to hike in the San Gabriel Mountains and there is one particular hike that we take in the summer or early fall which spans the entire day. One year we took...
by Sister Meredith, O.C.D. About ten years ago during Advent, I heard this hymn for the first time, “Rorate Caeli”, and although I had no clue about its meaning, something stirred within me. I felt all my emotions move with the somber, yet hopeful chant as the notes...
By Sister Laetitia Therese, O.C.D. It was December 12. I had recently become absolutely convinced that Our Lord was calling me to religious life, but as I drove to school that morning, I prayed about my family. What was going to happen to them? Didn’t they need me...
By Sister Meredith, O.C.D. “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” Before I came to faith in Jesus Christ, it seemed on the surface, I had it all together. I had a promising...
The Real “Stuff” of Holinessby Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. In my book, time is an elusive thing. So is the memory. Both are hard to tangibly grasp. Both can seem restrictive. Neither is guaranteed. Both also offer a boatload of opportunity. Time and memory are two...
by Sister Isabelle, O.C.D. Lift high the Cross!!! There we can see what it looks like to love even unto death. There we can see what God is to the core – PURE LOVE. As we watch the firefighters work day and night to save our lives, we can see His love incarnate once...
By Sister Mary Louise, O.C.D. Back to school. Usually that phrase brings to mind a set of familiar routines and predictable procedures. For much of America and even the world, that is not the case this year. Whether you are heading back to in-person or distance...
By: Sister Mary Colombiere The devotion of the Brown Scapular originates in the history of Our Lady of Mount Carmel when Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock in the 1200s presenting to him the scapular and promised: “This is a privilege for you and your...
As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day, our sisters share their remembrances of what their own mother’s taught them. We’d like to share their blessings with...
by: Sister Isabelle, O.C.D. On May 1st, about one week before Mother’s Day, our Archbishop Jose Gomez re-consecrated our country to Mary. With deep filial love he called to mind her promise at Fatima, that in the end, her Immaculate Heart will triumph. There she also...
by: Sister Isabelle, O.C.D. Has it crossed your mind that what we are experiencing these days is similar to what it was like to live during a World War? The “greatest” generation of those who lived through the Second World War has much to speak to us of the unity,...
What Kind of Rice Is That?!By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D. I signed up to make creamy chicken soup with wild rice for our sisters’ Easter Sunday lunch. To show how clueless I am in the kitchen, I figured the rice comes in a box and the chicken comes already cooked...
By Sister Isabelle, OCD Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in YOU! These are the last words that our religious family says together each night as we kneel before Jesus in the Tabernacle. Kneeling with Mary at the foot of the Cross, with our arms outstretched...
Praying for priests is central to our vocation as Carmelites. On Holy Thursday, the day we commemorate the Institution of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood, we hold our priests in prayer in a special way. Praying with the words of St. Therese: “This is the...
By Sr. Isabelle “You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy…Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” (John 16:20- 22) Jesus is calling us to a deep level of courage as we walk with Him this...
My beloved child, May the peace of God dwell within your soul! How have you been, my child? It should always be easy to write to a mother. It is done spontaneously, understanding that everything will be well-received by a mother because the child empties his/her soul...
There are no words to adequately express the depth of appreciation in our hearts for our priests – “Alter Christus.” To be another Christ is “to lay down your life for your friends” – a total gift of selfless love in serving the flock of...
Heroism is all around us. We see and experience it every day. It becomes more evident during times of great challenge. At this time, we THANK in a very special way, ALL our first responders, including our own sisters who serve in healthcare. We applaud you. We are...
Yesterday I was on the phone with one of our dear friends who is wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. She is experiencing great loss at being unable to even make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament during these days of quarantine. After we spoke, my...
By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D. “Behold the handmaid of the Lord.” These words hold within them a depth of mystery one can hardly fathom. We all know that any celebration of Mary is first and foremost a celebration of her Son, Jesus. The feast of the Annunciation is...
Have you ever been in awe of how St. Paul and the early Christians could be singing songs of praise from prison (Acts 16:5)? Or how Daniel, after hearing that he was not to worship His God on pain of death, went to his home and facing Jerusalem, “…prayed, giving...
ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIAWe have had the blessing of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being celebrated at our Motherhouse. What a gift! What an interesting experience this has been. During one of our homilies by Father Donald Kinney, O.C.D., it was noted that this time may...
By: Sister Jeannine Marie, O.C.D. “Silence is golden, golden…” The lyrics of the popular song by the Four Seasons may not have had silence or solitude in mind but the small phase is still true. Silence is not just an absence of words, it is a preparation to open one’s...
