Carmelite Sisters

2009-07-03T13:56:00.001-07:00

The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel had its beginnings in the late 12th Century. Among those who went on crusade to fight for control of the Holy Land, some laid down their arms and took up a life of prayer and penance. One such group of penitents came together near the Spring of Elijah at the foot of Mt. Carmel. They built themselves a common oratory, which they dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. While they shared some things in common, for the most part they lived as hermits, spending their days in solitude, silence, simple work, and prayer.

This early community grew and soon sought formal approval for itself. In 1209 it approached the local bishop, Albert Avogadro, Patriarch of Jerusalem. He composed for them a letter which briefly summed up their way of life. In it he also exhorted them to diligence in work and silence and to vigilance in prayer. This letter is known as the Rule of Carmel.

From these humble beginnings the Order continued to grow, making its way back to Europe where new communities were founded. Having become international in scope, it soon felt the need for not just local but papal approval. Pope Honorius III granted this approval in 1226, renewed by Pope Gregory IX in 1229.

As the Order prospered, it began to assimilate itself to a new movement in religious life, the Mendicant Movement, inaugurated by St. Francis of Assisi. This movement stressed small communities of friars (“brothers”), not large communities of monks. It founded religious houses in towns and cities in order to be nearer to the people and minister to their needs, rather than in remote, rural areas, where on went “to flee the world.” It enjoined its members especially to the work of preaching, teaching, and pastoral care in imitation of the of the itinerant Christ and his small band of Apostles.

Accordingly, the Rule of Carmel was revised to accommodate the Carmelite Order to this new style of religious life. These revisions received papal approval in 1257 by Pope Innocent IV. The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel is regarded, therefore, as one of the Mendicant Orders of the Church. Its roots, though, lay in the life of solitude, silence, penance, and prayer inaugurated by those first hermits living near the Spring of Elijah at the foot of Mt. Carmel. (taken from Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower.)

2009-06-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

Elijah the Prophet

Two great figures in the Bible have inspired Carmelites through their 800-year history. Elijah, the fiery prophet of Carmel, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, have helped the community see how to be contemplative and active; prayerful and prophetic; reflective and apostolic. Elijah and Mary are human models. Just as many of us wonder about the best way to live our lives, they felt paralyzing fear, faced difficult questions, and were hurt deeply because of choices they made.

In the Old Testament, Elijah is a solitary figure found on Mount Carmel, where the Carmelite hermits first settled, Elijah is best known by his challenge to choose one God for Israel -- Yahweh or Baal.

According to the First Book of Kings, chapter 18, Elijah's sacrifice was consumed by fire, which proved to the people that Yahweh was the true God. Undertaking God's work, Elijah started a journey through the desert, but he lost his focus and commitment to the project. Sitting under a bush, he wished to die. But God prodded him to continue his journey to Mount Horeb. There Elijah became aware of God -- not with the usual eye-catching signs of fire and earthquake, but rather as a gentle breeze. Elijah was sent back to his people refreshed.

From Elijah, Carmelites learn to become aware of the presence of God in the unexpected and to be silent enough to hear God's whisper. "God lives in whose presence I stand", says Elijah, and the Carmelites try to follow. (taken from www.carmelites.net)

2009-06-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Mount Carmel is in the Holy Land

Hebrew: הר הכרמל‎

Karem El/Har Ha'Karmel

Name origin: Literally, in Hebrew: God's vineyard/garden

Arabic: الكرمل/جبل مار إلياس‎

Kurmul/Jabal Mar ElyasMountain Range

Name origin: Mount St Elijah in Arabic

Photo shows Mt. Carmel at sunset. From now until the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16th, we will be sharing some of the most interesting history and spirituality of the "Carmelites on Mt. Carmel." Please post your questions!

A little introduction to Mt. Carmel.

The phrase Mount Carmel has been used in three distinct ways:

To refer to the 39 km-long (24-mile long) mountain range, stretching as far in the southeast as Jenin.
To refer to the northwestern 19 km (12 miles) of the mountain range.
To refer to the headland at the northwestern end of the range.

The Carmel range is approximately 6.5 to 8 km (4 to 5 miles) wide, sloping gradually towards the southwest, but forming a steep ridge on the northeastern face, 525.4 m (1,742 ft) high.

The Jezreel Valley lies to the immediate northeast. The range forms a natural barrier in the landscape, just as the Jezreel Valley forms a natural passageway, and consequently the mountain range and the valley has had a large impact on migration and invasions through the Levant over time.

The mountain formation is an admixture of limestone and flint, containing many caves, and covered in several volcanic rocks

The sloped side of the mountain is covered with luxuriant vegetation, including oak, pine, olive, and laurel trees.

Next posting will talk about Mt. Carmel in the Old Testament.

2009-06-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

It will soon be the wonderful feastday of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16th. I would like to share with everyone about her. Keep posted.

2009-06-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

Sacred Heart Novena Day 9

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. I will also destroy in them all disordered movements
10. I will give to priests who are animated by a tender devotion to my Divine Heart the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be effaced.
12.I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence: they will not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 9

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us. -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Promise #12 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 8

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. I will also destroy in them all disordered movements
10. I will give to priests who are animated by a tender devotion to my Divine Heart the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be effaced.
12.I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who communicate on the First Friday in nine consecutive months, the grace of final penitence: they will not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their Sacraments. My Divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 8

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us. -- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Promise #11 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 7

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. I will also destroy in them all disordered movements
10. I will give to priests who are animated by a tender devotion to my Divine Heart the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who promote this devotion shall have their names written in my Heart, never to be effaced.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 7

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Promise #10 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 6

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.
9. I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. I will also destroy in them all disordered movements
10. I will give to priests who are animated by a tender devotion to my Divine Heart the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 6

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Promise #9 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 5

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.
9.I will bless those places wherein the image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored and will imprint My love on the hearts of those who would wear this image on their person. I will also destroy in them all disordered movements

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 5

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Promise #8 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 4

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall rise quickly to great perfection.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 4
O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Promise #7 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 3

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5. I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 3
O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father.... Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

Promise #6 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 2

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5.I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.
6. Sinners shall find in my Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART --DAY 2

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Promise #5 of the Sacred Heart/Novena Day 1

2009-06-09T19:16:00.000-07:00

To answer your question: Put ALL your requests--every one of them--into this Novena. God is INFINITE!
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.
5.I will bestow the blessings of Heaven on all their enterprises.

NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.
-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

2009-06-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Promise #4 of the Sacred Heart
1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. I will be their refuge during life and above all in death.

Tomorow we will start praying the Novena to the Sacred Heart found on the blog sidebar of this website. We join you from our convent. Sister Commentaria

Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

2009-06-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

Say every day for nine days.

Begin June 10 and end June 18, 2009

O my Jesus, You have said: "Truly, I say to you, ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you." Behold I knock, I seek and ask for the grace of...... (here name your request.)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in You.

II. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you." Behold, in your name, I ask the Father for the grace of....... (here name your request)

Our Father...Hail Mary....Glory Be To the Father....Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

III. O my Jesus, you have said: "Truly I say to you, heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away." Encouraged by your infallible words I now ask for the grace of..... (here name your request)

Our Father....Hail Mary....Glory Be to the Father...Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you.

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for whom it is impossible not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace which we ask of you, through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, your tender Mother and ours.

Say the Hail, Holy Queen and add: St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, pray for us.

-- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Promise #3 of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary

2009-06-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

Here is the Third Promise of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary.

1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.
2. I will give peace in their families and will unite families that are divided.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.

The good Lord knows so many of us are experiencing troubles of one kind or another -- physical infirmities, financial woes, family problems, relational issues with others. This Third Promise promises God's consolation and comfort, His nearness to us, not when the trials and troubles are OVER, but DURING them in the HERE AND NOW of daily life.

I'd like to answer Maria's question from yesterday. Google "Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus" and you will find many websites. Or "St. Margaret Mary." There are also many good books. Sr. Commentaria

Promise #2 of the Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary

2009-06-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Promise 1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

Promise 2. I will give peace in their families & will unite families that are divided.

The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 19, 2009 will be here in only 12 Days.

Have you had your home blessed together with the Enthronment to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? We will have some information about this Enthronement during the next 12 days on THIS BLOG. "

A Blessed Feast of the Holy Trinity today to all!" --Sr. Commentaria

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart (and Novena)

2009-06-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

The 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart (and Novena)

To All Our Friends,

The practice of nine-day novenas actually began during the 9 days between the Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven and the Feast of Pentecost. The apostles and Our Blessed Mother waited in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The term, NOVENA, comes from the Latin word meaning "NINE." Today there are many novenas prayed by Catholics. We Sisters invite you to join with us in praying the nine day novena before the Feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday, June 19, 2009.

We will begin our novena on this coming Wednesday, June 10th, and will continue until Thursday, June 18, 2009. Beginning today we will put one of the 12 promises of the Sacred Heart on this blog. ALL of them are so timely. We invite your comments. Sister Commentaria

The Twelve Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
(taken from the writings of St. Margaret Mary)

Promise 1. I will give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.

Our Blog Is Now OPEN! Welcome to All! -- Sister Commentaria

2009-05-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Dear everyone who has had the patience to return to this Blog after some time of inactivity. The Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart are back online!

First of all, just because our blogging presence has been diminished for a while, our prayers for all of you our friends and bloggers have continued full force.

So why has it been so long for the blog to get back up? We want to let everyone know that we have been participating in the slow process of learning how to manage a website. And we have grown. That means we have several websites to learn to update.

Our first website that is pretty near done (for now) is our www.carmelitesistersocd.com which you have already found because you are reading this blog.

However, please note if you were re-directed to this website from our old one (no longer in use) www.carmel-msh.org. Now you know our new one -- just say our name CARMELITE SISTERS and add OCD to it (which are our initials -- which stand for Order of Discalced Carmelites.

Our new RETREAT WEBSITES will be up soon, followed by our HEALTHCARE WEBSITES, and our new and improved CHILD CARE CENTER WEBSITES. Praise God.

Father Adrian, thank you for your faithfulnes in checking out our website progress even when there has been little progress! We look forward to your comment regarding our concluding question. We look forward to seeing you again!

I hope everyone has a chance to look at and take some time to meditate upon our new Carmelite Shield. It has been adapted by us to show our charism. It is right here on our www.carmelitesistersocd.com newwebsite. Go to WHO WE ARE and click on SHIELD. A lot of prayer has accompanied the design.

For everyone who is accustomed to watching our PHOTO JAM SLIDE SHOWS , we want you all to know that PHOTOJAM doesn't seem to be at its best--technical problems, etc-- so we are going to be showing you PHOTOS and use a different, new slide show format. Although it won't have PHOTOJAM "creativity" it will give everyone good photos and a professional presentation.

I would like to end this first blog with a question and we'll be waiting for your responses. Here it is: DO YOU THINK HARD ECOMONIC TIMES BRING PEOPLE CLOSER TO GOD OR DRIVE THEM FURTHER AWAY OR DO THEY NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE AT ALL?

You may ask -- Who is the Carmelite Sister now starting up the Carmeltite Sisters BLOG? Stay with us long enough and you may be able to figure that out! For now you can just call me Sister Commentaria. Good bye for now and Praised be Jesus Christ!

Closing Reflections - Sister Mary Scholastica

2008-07-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

Praised be Jesus Christ! It is with much gratitude that I write these closing reflections. The heart is so full, I'm not quite sure where to begin.

Just to share...I don't usually like to travel, and I've never really had a desire to go to a particular place, on a pilgrimage or anything of that sort. Even past world youth days, I enjoyed hearing about it but never really desired to attend. Sometime in April or May of this year (can't quite remember the time frame) the Lord put a very strong desire in my heart to attend WYD in Australia. Not only was there a strong desire, but simultaneous to this, there was a sense of knowing that somehow I would be going. I can't tell you how or why, I just knew. When Sister Joseph Louise mentioned to me in passing one day that I had a very important letter in my mailbox - even before retrieving it, I knew it was something connected to WYD. And indeed it was. It was a letter requesting that I and another sister represent our community for this wondrous event. In the privacy of our office, I did a bit of jumping up and down. :) Even some holy hollering. :)

Skipping ahead...when one of the Nashville Dominicans approached me in Australia and spoke about the possibility of my receiving Holy Communion from our Holy Father, I was indeed surprised and grateful beyond words, but there was with it, the same sense of knowing...knowing that somehow I would see this pope whom I so love...and gratitude that the Lord chose to plan it in this way.

Why do I mention all this? Simply because it encompasses my WYD experience. It speaks so clearly of God's unfailing love and generosity, His lavishness, His attention to every detail, His fidelity. The Lord is God. Sometimes I forget this. The Lord is by my side, my Helper, my Guide, my Friend, my Beloved. Sometimes I forget this too. It's the human element that draws us many times to be self-sufficient and selfish. Nothing to beat oneself over the head with because in a certain sense it's part of the human experience. But my coming to Sydney was our Lord asking me in a particular way to abide in His love and to experience it in a particular way. He brought me out all this way to show me how much it is that He loves me. This may sound a bit funny to state it so...but it's something that we each in our own way have to be deeply convicted of. We have to know God loves us. We have to know and believe that if it were only me, He would still have died on the cross. Conviction in this love is what will inspire and draw us to be whole-hearted in our own unique individual response. When one is loved and knows it, one cannot help but want to reciprocate that love. Thank you for reading and for letting me share my blessings with you.

Sister Mary Scholastica

Final Reflections on WYD from Sister Grace Helena

2008-07-23T02:38:00.000-07:00

Praised be Jesus Christ! World Youth Day has come to a close and I cannot help but reflect on the great grace of realizing how every soul really longs for truth. This may seem elementary to many because if we are made in the image and likeness of God, of course, we long for ultimate Truth, which is our Creator. In day-to-day living, though, our activities and responsibilities, many times, hinder us from reflecting on the truth that each soul is infinitely loved by God and that actual grace is working at every millisecond of each person's life to be drawn to know Him and desire Him. I have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in a new way through my opportunity to participate in WYD. This power was revealed to me to be very gentle and unassuming.

I had always pictured the "power of the Holy Spirit" as something very forceful and strong. My encounters with those who attended WYD (old and young alike), those who observed from afar, those who were skeptical at first, those who are of other faiths - have helped me to understand in a new way that the Holy Spirit is gentle and He allows each individual to grow at their own pace...and grapple, if necessary, to understand truth - just as Jacob wrestled with the angel all night. No person is left in the dust, so to speak - God is active in every soul, it is simply a matter of consent on the person's part to open their heart to His inspirations - and even then it does not happen like a Saint Paul conversion being thrown off his horse - no, the Spirit works in slow, gentle, and quiet movements of the soul for most common folk. I witnessed this gentle opening of people's souls to His inspirations - many did not even realize that this was what was happening and yet by either their questions, their thoughts shared, and their willingness to listen to others' thoughts - one could see that the Holy Spirit was living and active, and working with souls where they were at.

I have been told that this WYD held the great gift of very accessible adoration throughout the city. The youth were able to kneel before our Lord in almost every venue and could find Him in many places anytime of the day or night through the week - what a tremendous outpouring of grace! And what is prayer before our Lord but an encounter with the living God Who transforms us and molds us and teaches us to pray for one another as He intercedes for us daily before the Father. Having a half a million youth praying for our world, our Church, and one another must have resounded in heaven and made the angels both weep for joy and rejoice - and how it must have worked in the hearts of the people of Australia and around the world! Hearts were opened because of prayer - how powerful is prayer when we ask sincerely before our Heavenly Father.

The gift of having our Holy Father so close to us is beyond words. There is a grace with the Office of Peter that transcends boundaries of faith - people of different faiths shared how happy they were to have Pope Benedict visit Sydney. There was a tug in my heart when I heard that his plane left for Rome. I thank our Lord for the gift of my faith, to have had an opportunity to be a witness of His love, and to be transformed (God-willing) by my encounter with others who are living witnesses of their faith.

As Sister Mary Scholastica and I close our reflections,ending our World Youth Day journaling in the blogging world I hold each of you in my heart. My prayer for each person who has walked this journey with us and those who have been touched in other ways through this grace-filled time is that you will be drawn more deeply into the truth that you are uniquely loved by God and that He desires your friendship as though you were the only person on earth. May the Holy Spirit be our beacon of light and burn brightly in our souls so that we truly will be His witnesses before the world and give testimony to the power of His love and mercy in our lives.
With much love and gratitude...
Sister Grace Helena

Day 17...The Last Day at the Cathedral

2008-07-21T23:41:00.000-07:00

I pray this day was filled with many blessings and graces for each of you. Praised be Jesus Christ! Today was our last day of "official" work at Saint Mary's Cathedral. I was surprised at how many pilgrims were still coming through. The morning was a bit slow, but by the time we left, around 2:00 PM, there were at least 1000 people who had gone through and a group of about 2000 had reserved a time slot shortly after we left!

Today was very low key, which I am grateful for. The Australians continue to tell us how much they loved having us here. Many have tears in their eyes and ask us to stay. I am very edified by the simplicity of their gratitude, their openness, and their inhibition to speak with us about the impact this last week has had on them. Sometimes, it seems, pride keeps us from showing and expressing gratitude...these people are so gracious and desire truth...and have taught me much about humility. These past two and half weeks have showered Australia and us with torrents of graces. May we give as much as we have received (...and more).

God bless each of you. I have loved Australia and my time here...but, I am looking forward to being home. I miss you all very much.
Sister Grace Helena

Praised be Jesus Christ! I ditto what SGH has written above. AND I also look very much to returning home. Praying for all of you!
Sister Mary Scholastica

Day 16 - General Audience with our Holy Father

2008-07-21T02:23:00.000-07:00

Praised be Jesus Christ! Today our Holy Father left Australia to head home for Rome. We had the tremendous gift of attending a general audience with him this morning (it was for all volunteers and staff - all 8,000+ of us). SGH and I left the college early in hopes of getting there before the bulk of the crowd. Our efforts were duly rewarded. And even in this, the good Lord watched over us. We missed a bus and got a bit turned around as to which direction we were supposed to go which happened to be providential as another volunteer flagged us down as we were about to turn a corner and gave us a ride to the Domain where the event was held. Otherwise we would not have gotten the spots that we did. We were close enough to see the emblem on his stole - which means we were quite close. I took photos to share with you. What a beautiful pope we have!

I cannot begin to tell you what it was like to be so close to Peter (meaning PBXVI). To pray with him, to be blessed by him, to be with him. And just so you know...all the blessings we received from him this week were received for all of you. Please God, may it bear fruit.

After our morning audience SGH and I headed back to St. Mary's Cathedral as we were on duty. Both of us were manning different stations connected to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati - Sister by his relics, and I passing out booklets on him in the front section. We were probably busier today than most other days, praise God! We also had an opportunity to meet his niece who was actually leaving Australia today to return home to Turin. A blessing. The days have been quite full and sometimes long - and though our time here has been abundantly grace-filled, I do look forward to returning home.

Sisters, the following send their greetings: Fr. Bob Lombardo, Fr. James Adams, Fr. John Montejano, and I know there are many more but my mind draws a blank.

We miss Pope Benedict but rejoice in the blessings afforded us with his presence. God bless and good night.
Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ! Happy Belated Feastday, Sister Maria Elia! I am sorry we did not greet you on your day... actually, your day for us was a day early for you...anyways, I prayed for you and hope your day was filled with every blessing from our Lord!

A quick reflection about the closing Mass at Randwick Racetrack...

I do not know how many priests con-celebrated, but there were many. We had met many throughout the week who were having difficulty getting accredited in order to participate in the Mass. This means that they needed to go through a screening process, and for whatever reason there were many difficulties for many priests. We assured them all of our prayers. Today, the day after the closing Mass, we providentially saw two of these priests and they said their accreditation came through at the last minute - many more priests said the same thing. I asked a priest I met today at the cathedral how he felt to be so close to the Holy Father and to con-celebrate Mass with him. His response was that it was the best experience of his life so far, he said it was an honor and gave him new energy to go back home. Another priest told me that the sacrifice of having to wait to the last minute - the 'not knowing for sure' - was difficult for him, but that he realized our Lord was asking this sacrifice of him for graces that were needed this week. As I spoke with them, I thought: Men of faith and prayer - men willing to be molded and led by the Holy Spirit. How much we need to pray for our priests!

As most of you probably saw, the Mass was beautiful. Pope Benedict spoke so eloquently. The young people were really listening. The opportunity to to be in the same place with our Holy Father has been such a gift. I know Sister and I keep saying this, but when you are near him there is an undeniable grace.

This morning there was a special meeting with the Holy Father for all the volunteers. We were a part of the volunteer work force! We woke up very early and tried to get to the place of "Meeting" before the other 8000 volunteers showed up. Well, we were about the 1001st and 1002nd volunteers to beat every one else to the front lines :) We actually found a very good spot very close, as you will see from the pictures Sister took. She was able to get some great pictures of our Holy Father. To be soooo close to him that you could actually see his smile and his reactions as people spoke, this was very special. It felt a little lonely when he left the stage, knowing that he was on his way to the airport. How deeply bonded we are in the Mystical Body of Christ.

On our bus ride back to the college after working at the cathedral a young woman thanked us for being here and shared how joyful our presence made Sydney. She was speaking of all the pilgrims and the WYD events. She did not participate in the WYD, but her sincerity and genuine gratitude was resonant of so many, many other Austalians and Sydneysiders (as those who live in Sydney are called). Today, there was a bittersweet feeling amongst many as the Holy Father returned home. We miss him already.

Have a blessed day. With many prayers for you.
Sister Grace Helena

Day 15...The Vigil and Closing Mass

2008-07-20T00:50:00.001-07:00

Praised be Jesus Christ Sisters! Made it home from the closing Mass! What a week to remember. Last night's vigil as you probably already know was beautiful. I almost don't want to go into a blow by blow account simply because I'm still processing it myself and am also a bit under the weather. I'm sure SGH will do a nice job explaining it all to you.

All I can share was that it was an immense gift to be in the presence of our Holy Father(even from afar) and words cannot express what it is like to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with Pope - Christ's Vicar on earth. God bless and good night.
Sister Mary Scholastica

Praised be Jesus Christ! We have just returned from the pilgrimage Vigil and Mass with our Holy Father. The whole event was blessed. First of all I wanted to share that the Saturday Mass in which Sister Mary Scholastica received Holy Communion from our Holy Father was really heavenly! I was not sure if I could get in due to the special invitations necessary, in fact, I was told I could not. At 8:15 AM I decided to venture across to a nearby park where the American Bishops were celebrating Mass for the American pilgrims when I saw a small group of Sisters who were on their way to the cathedral. They, too, had been told they could not get in, but heard that there was a good chance we could - so I turned around and went back. We were able to get in without a problem. What a special moment to see Pope Benedict as he was processing down the aisle. I was not seated where I could see him during the Mass, but it just was not important. There was a sense of gift - freely given to uplift and plant deeply in the soul that this moment in time was eternal - just as our destiny is. Nothing seemed to matter but being present to each moment of the Mass. There were monitors throughout the cathedral so that all the faithful could see what was happening throughout the Mass. The consecration of the altar was beautiful! I have never seen a dedication of an altar or church before. The prayers were powerful and inspiring, as they can be connected with our own consecration and total gift of self.

After the morning Mass, SMS and I packed and began our pilgrim walk with four other Sisters. It was blessed and quite "pain-free", as pilgrimages go :) We prayed along the way, as well as visited with pilgrims. When we arrived at Randwick Racetrack, it was already packed - the trek to find our assigned area took as long as the pilgrimage walk, itself! By the time we found it, almost all the CMSWR Sisters were there. We squeezed in and, as WYD Vigil camp outs go, began to make friends very quickly, as you are in very tight quarters - the young people were very respectful and went out of their way to offer us water, a pillow (!), vigil candles -good young people! SMS and I had the late evening/morning shift at different Adoration tents. I was assigned to the tent with the Sisters of Charity. It was truly lovely. At 10:00 PM, when my shift began, I found the tent packed to the gills. It started to loosen up around 12:30 AM. Adoration and Confessions were going on throughout the whole night - and the priests remained busy. God's grace is strong. I was there until about 1:15 AM, then made it back to our campsite by 2:15 AM.

The Holy Father drove around the race track before beginning Mass - we were able to see him really well - the driver drove a lot slower this time :) Our Holy Father's smile is so endearing... I am going to write this in two installments...to be continued tomorrow....tomorrow we will write about the Mass.

A quick reflection...have you ever been in a place with a half a million people and heard the silence? That's what happened during Holy Communion and through many parts of the Mass - there was such reverence. There is deep faith - it needs to be nurtured in our young people, that's all. We are blessed. God bless you. With much love in our Lord,
Sister Grace Helena

Day 14...Holy Mass with the Holy Father

2008-07-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Praised be Jesus Christ! We wanted to share a little bit with you before we headed off for the pilgrim walk - for the evening vigil at Randwick park as we wouldn't be returning home until the afternoon the following day. We are on duty at the Cathedral right after the Sunday colsing Mass for WYD.

SGH and I headed towards St. Mary's Cathedral bright and early this morning at 5am. By the time we got there quite a few seminarians had already formed a line. At this point SGH and I were placed in seperate lines. Jumping ahead...I was seated 5 pews behind the con-celebrating priests which means I was quite close to the altar. About 9:15ish, our Holy Father processed into the Cathedral - preceded by "Viva el Papa" which is why we knew he was coming. If I wanted to - I could have stretched over (really stretched)and touched him which is how close I was as he was coming down the main aisle. What a beautiful pope we have!! Holy Mass was heaven on earth - words can't quite describe what it is like to attend Mass when the Vicar of Christ is the main celebrant. The ritual, the music...everything simply lifted your heart and mind from this earth to that which is above. Receiving holy communion from our Holy Father was a beautiful grace. We lined up in single file and went up onto the sanctuary where they had a kneeler in place for us to kneel and receive communion from his Holiness. All the way up and in my thanksgiving afterwards, I prayed for you Mother and sisters and knew you to be there with me. I don't think I can adequately describe the blessings of this mornings Mass and so will stop here and will hope to do so better later.

I write on behalf of SGH and myself. God bless you dear Sisters! Pope Benedict, we love you! SMScholastica