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Origins
The Carmelite Order began as a group of
hermits living in the Holy Land in the spirit of the Prophet Elijah,
who later called themselves the Brothers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in
honor of Mary, the perfect model of prayer. In 1562, St. Teresa of
Jesus reformed the order in Avila, Spain. In order to restore the
eremitical spirit, she limited the number of nuns in each monastery,
and intensified the traditional monastic observances that help the
life of prayer: solitude, silence, austerity, and simplicity of life.
Spirit
Most importantly, the Holy Spirit inspired
St. Teresa to give her monasteries an apostolic purpose. In her day,
just after the Council of Trent, the Church was daily losing her
members to Protestantism while at the same time evangelizing the New
World. She realized that we could help best, not by action, but by
offering our life of prayer and penance for missionaries and priests.
St. Therese of Lisieux described the Carmelite vocation within the
Body of Christ as To be love in the heart of the Church, our
Mother. The Second Vatican Council has affirmed that this love
overflows in a hidden apostolic fruitfulness. Thus the Discalced
Carmelite charism can be summed up in the phrase Vacare Deo pro
Ecclesia: to abandon oneself completely to God for the sake of the
Church.
Our Monastery
In our monastery, the ideals of St. Teresa
continue. We live in joyful obedience to the Magisterium, keeping
papal enclosure and wearing the full habit. Our daily Mass and Liturgy
of the Hours are celebrated in English, with frequent use of Latin
hymns. We support ourselves by producing altar breads and artwork. God
has blessed us with sixty acres of woodland, with ponds and gardens
where the sisters can enjoy the beauties of God’s creation, so dear to
the heart of our co-founder St. John of the Cross.
Formation
The period of formation lasts
approximately five years. After a postulancy of 6 to 12 months,
novices receive the holy habit and their religious name. They are
gradually instructed and directed toward the perfection proper to the
religious life, in which they have Jesus Christ as their model. After
the novitiate year, temporary vows of chastity, poverty and obedience
are taken for three years. Finally the sister makes her total
consecration through solemn vows until death. Ongoing formation for
the community is provided by conferences on Thomistic theology and
days of retreat.
For more information, women under 35 may contact:
Rev. Mother Prioress, O.C.D.
Monastery of the Infant Jesus of Prague
3501 Silver Lake Road
Traverse City, Michigan 49684-8949 |
