It is with great joy we Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles celebrate the Solemnity of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – the patronal feast of our Order – on July 16th. This already beautiful day signifies an additional great joy...
A Jubilee Mass of Thanksgiving 60 Years Sister Mary Colombière of the Sacred Heart, O.C.D. 50 Years Sister Michelle of the Queen of Carmel, O.C.D. Sister Joseph Louise of the Sacred Heart, O.C.D. 25 Years Sister Christina of Rosa Mystica, O.C.D. Sister Ines of Jesus...
We sisters are often asked to explain what our life as consecrated women is like. Each time I am asked to do this, the same question lingers in my mind. How can I explain the in-explainable? Human words can never explain supernatural realities. Vatican II did a...
“Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise.” (Psalm 51:15) These words ring out in the chapel, breaking the silence of the early morning. It is still dark outside and our community of sisters, albeit still a bit bleary-eyed, has gathered to begin the...
Often when I introduce myself, people seem surprised. “I thought Carmelites were cloistered?” Occasionally there is a slight tone of suspicion in their voice, as if maybe we were escapees or something. I am always prompt to clarify things for them. While most...
On the day I received the religious habit, I was 19 years old and only a little more than 10 months in the Community. The experience was a life-changing one as in our early formation we knew that the Reception of the Habit was the beginning of our “spousal...
When a young woman is considering the possibility of entering Religious Life, one of the greatest fears that her parents confront is that their daughter will lose her most unique and beautiful and precious traits. They may wonder, “Will the Nuns brainwash my daughter?...
Originally written for: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2016/03/carmelite-sisters-boundless-and-a-profound-beauty/ It takes courage and perseverance to walk this journey, but it is filled with a peace the world cannot give and a boundless and profound beauty...
Originally written for: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2016/02/carmeilte-sisters-discovering-god-in-our-silence/ God cannot be found in noise and agitation. His true power and love are revealed in what is hardly perceptible, in the gentle breeze that requires...
Sister Faustina, OCD What was it about Jesus that drew the apostles to leave everything and follow Him? Yes, He called them, “Come, follow me,” but what was it that made them so eager to remain with Him to the end? Was it His fascinating miracles? (Walking on water...
Originally written for: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2016/02/carmeilte-sisters-discovering-god-in-our-silence/ In every approved Marian apparition, Our Lady has a specific mission. Each one reveals a determined and specific message—a unique and necessary...
We all have to grow up. Sooner or later, it happens. That moment when we let go of not only our childhood, or adolescence, or high school/college years, we let go of that whole first segment of life – those early years when we loved and were loved, cared for and...
Several years ago a voice was heard bellowing out in an airport waiting area, “Chaste for 45 years!”The surrounding space was electrified as heads turned toward us as I stood facing a non-Christian gentleman who had asked me if we practiced chastity and then posed to...
By: Sister Mary Louise, OCD“Those who allow themselves to be seized by this love cannot help but abandon everything to follow Him.” Saint John Paul II’s words have been a personal inspiration to me all throughout my religious life. My copy of Vita Consecrata has been...
Such joy! A baby is born. So innocent. So pure. So new.“What is the baby’s name?” you ask.In our Catholic tradition, parents are asked to give the name of a saint to their child. That saint becomes the child’s patron and most Catholic families read stories to their...
By: Maryann Gogniat EidemillerExcerpt from OSV Newsweekly No one is officially retired at the retirement center of Colombiere Jesuit Community in Clarkston, Michigan.“There’s no vacation from the vocation,” said Jesuit Father Edward Ifkovits, the rector’s assistant...
By Sister Mary Colombiere, O.C.D.A fast search on Google will show that just about anything that exists needs to be revitalized from Instant Coffee to Skin Care, from Blogs to Cities, from Outdoor Advertizing to Ad Campaigns. Is it any wonder that Religious Life also...
By: Clara Fox Excerpt from Angelus The Tidings OnlineTom Wilson was self-sufficient well into his late 80s, until an allergic reaction to prescribed medications left him in need of an assisted living facility. He initially was moved into a secular, for-profit...
This is the second part of Sister Mary Colombiere’s article on charism. Part One focused on charisms in general while this portion is about the Carmelite charism in particular. Click here to read Part One.Every religious community is unique because it lives...
An excerpt from Moments of Grace…”Wait!” by Sister Marie-AimeeDuring her first year of profession, one of our sisters spent three months teaching 8th grade religion at one of our elementary schools. Delighted with the junior high students’ ability to...
An excerpt from Moments of Grace…”Are You a Real Nun?” by Sister Timothy MarieOur purchases were rung up easily enough. I wrote in the amount on our check and gave it to the sales clerk. That’s when it all began. “But we don’t accept two-signature...
The evening of Sunday, May 31st, found our chapel and plaza at Sacred Heart Retreat House packed with more than 185 sisters representing 26 communities from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. In celebration of this Year of Consecrated Life, friends of our community...
Last year an ad company publicized an advertisement for a job and then conducted real interviews via webcam. Can you imagine reading an ad for a job which required you to be at work 24/7, no breaks, no vacations? A job requiring constant movement, including bending,...
Motherhood is about reverencing, protecting, and nurturing life…So, what exactly is spiritual motherhood? Glad you asked! Let’s look first at some key attributes of natural motherhood. Moms are the first conduits of life; with God working in and through them new...
