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- Dear Friends of Carmel
- The community: Who becomes a
Sister?
- The spiritual life: My Prayer
Book and the St. Benedict
Crucifix
- The Monastery addition: Update
- Website news
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Dear Friends of Carmel,
It has been too long since we have been in touch with
you! So much has happened in Carmel since our newsletter
in March. Our community has grown by two and we will
receive one more in early September. This last, who is
from a small Caribbean island but studying in Paris,
really will be the last we can squeeze into our existing
monastery until our building
addition is complete. In June, one of our postulants
received the holy habit and on July 16th, the Feast of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, one of our novices professed
final vows and received the black veil. God continues to
make fruitful our consecrated life in these dedicated
vocations. We bless Him for the vocations from foreign
countries, as this makes our community reflect the
universality of the Church!
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THE COMMUNITY: WHO BECOMES A
SISTER?
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Many of you have asked the
question, "Just what kind of person is drawn to
Carmelite life?" Our answer is that God calls and draws
all sorts! Carmel is a world in miniscule, with all
kinds of personalities and all types of talents. Maybe
you would be able to grasp the different kinds of
characters found here by knowing some of what we did
before coming here. One was a nurse, another a teacher;
one studied physical therapy, and quite a few of the
Sisters worked with the elderly; one was (and still is)
a licensed dietitian, while another was an x-ray
technician. One of our younger Sisters opted for Carmel
rather than going to medical school; still another
Sister had her own retail business. We have Sisters who
studied veterinary medicine, psychology and biology
before leaving the college scene to enter Carmel. Many
are artistically inclined, and there are singers in the
group as well. There are three converts to the Catholic
Faith among us. The wonderful thing is to see how Our
Lord blends and uses all these personalities and talents
for His greater honor and glory. And you would be amazed
at how adept He is at that!
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THE SPIRITUAL LIFE: MY PRAYER
BOOK AND THE ST. BENEDICT CRUCIFIX
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We cannot count
the number of times we have been asked to recommend a
good prayerbook. At last, we are able wholeheartedly to
recommend an excellent book of prayers and devotions. It
is Fr. Lasance's My
Prayer Book: Happiness in Goodness. This early
20th century Benziger Brothers publication has long been
out of print. Now available in an attractive reprint of
the original 1908 edition, with its imitation leather
cover, it makes the perfect prayerbook for priests,
seminarians, religious and lay people. Numerous priests
highly recommend it. The book includes valuable
spiritual reflections and counsels given by this holy
and zealous priest, Fr. Francis X. Lasance, who because
of paralysis was crippled most of his life. He fulfilled
his priestly apostolate through compiling books like
this one that have been loved by Catholics for nearly a
century. We are pleased now to offer this book on our
website. |
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Another special
item now found on our website is the St.
Benedict Crucifix. It is a crucifix with the Medal
of St. Benedict at the center. Popes have granted a
plenary indulgence to the combination of these two
sacramentals. They are both signs of divine power and
protection against Satan, especially to the sick and
dying. We offer this special crucifix in the French
wood-inlaid (ebony and rosewood), as well as sterling
silver. This makes a perfect gift for the sick and dying
and priests who make sick calls to them. We send an
explanation leaflet with each
crucifix. |
THE MONASTERY ADDITION:
UPDATE
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Certainly, most of you are
wondering how the building project is coming along.
"Slowly but surely," is our answer! We have still not
broken ground, and there have been the expected -- and
unexpected -- obstacles. But there is good hope that we
will begin building by late August. Funds for the
building are still somewhat short, but we trust that
God's Providence will supply just when the time comes to
be paying the builders. We wish to thank those of you
who have been the very signs of that loving Providence
by contributing. We still need $200,000 to build this
addition, and we are begging for your help so that we
don't have to turn any vocations away. Some of you have
been sending monthly donations, and for this we send our
hearty thanks. As you can well imagine, the expenses
increase as our numbers increase and we can never be
grateful enough for the generous support that assists in
taking care of these needs.
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WEBSITE NEWS
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Thank you for shopping our
website. This is another way of supporting our Carmel.
We are adding many new gift items to the site, so please
keep checking back as the weeks pass. We are sure you
will find some lovely things for Christmas gift-giving,
all with the spiritual accent we all love to keep at
Christmas. Of special note, besides the prayerbook
and crucifixes
mentioned above, are the wood, sterling, and porcelain
rosary
boxes imported from Italy. The quality craftsmanship
of these beautiful boxes is superb and we are pleased to
have found them to offer to you.
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WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN
FUTURE EDITIONS OF OUR NEWSLETTER?
TELL A FRIEND!
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© 2003 Sisters of Carmel. All rights reserved.
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