MOUNT CARMEL
CLOISTERED CONVENT
CONTEMPLATIVE LIFE
Contemplative life mainly refers to the religious who dedicates there life fully to the contemplation of the things of God. Those religious families which dedicate themselves exclusively to prayer, sacrifice and solitude, excluding any external apostolic activity, are contemplative families in the canonical sense of the word. Generally they live in a monastery or convent with the intention of remaining in that house, the rest of his/her life except in the case of new foundation or send out to help a needy community by the superiors; thus permanency is a characteristic of their religious profession.
CLOISTER
Get to Know Us
The word adjective of the 'cloistered' means 'to be secluded from the world'. And 'cloister life' is refers to the monastic life of a monk or nun.
There are three different types of cloister recognized by the Church: papal cloister, constitutional cloister, and monastic cloister,
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLOISTERS
Beginning of a call..
St. John of the Cross, While commenting on the first stanza of 'spiritual canticle' draws out a picture of a person who has wounded by the love of God. There few examples he gives to the reader, to show how this wounding is happening in a soul. These examples can be a help to anyone who considers a religious vocation and understand the work of God within their soul.
Here we shortly pointing his examples in two dimensions, namely, positive and negative.Positive in the sense the person becomes aware of the innumerable blessings God has shower upon her life and the negative in the sense she becomes aware of the past life as not well spent.
Positive examples:
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Person becomes aware of their immense indebtedness to God for having created them solely for Himself and He redeemed her solely for Himself she owes Him every response of love.
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Persons kows too of the thousand other benefits by which they has been obligated to God from before the time of their birth and that a good part of thier life vanished.
Negative examples:
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Persons grows aware of their obligations and observed life is short
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The path to life eternal is narrow
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The just man Scarcely saved
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the things of the world vain and decietful that all comes to an end and fails like a falling water
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The time is uncertain
Signs of a call to the Teresian soil..
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An attraction to live a life of prayer, understood as intimate friendship with Christ.
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A love for Mary, mother and model of contemplative life in Carmel.
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A growing appreciation of being in solitude so as to be with God alone.
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A willingness to listen to the Word of God and let it shape your life.
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A love for the Church and the willingness to make personal sacrifices so as to bring men and women to Christ.
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Love for the Church, both in her mystery and her human face.
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A sense of being drawn to a life of silence and solitude, which is not an escape from the world, but a penetration into the mystery of Christ.
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A capacity to live in community.
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A desire for the simplicity and frugality of the monastic life style.
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A growing love for Carmel and Carmelite spirituality.
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An appreciation for the inner freedom which comes from the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
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A willingness to share generously and joyously in the life and endeavors of a small sisterly community, united in their love for Christ and one another.
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An openness to be formed of life is one in which a deeply solitary communion with God.
“Here in Carmel, there is nothing, nothing but God. He is all, He suffices, and one lives for Him alone and for His glory… this life of prayer and contemplation, interceding always for His people before the Face of God…”
~ Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity, O.C.D.
ASPIRANCY
A TIME OF DISCERNING YOUR ASPIRATIONS..
To follow a call that demands a complete surrender of self to God is more difficult in its earlier stage. Church considering the strength of the youth proposed a new way of Aspirancy period for the contemplative women religious. Formarly we had a 3 month community experience in which the aspiring canditate enter into the cloister and follow community activities and was allowed to back to home and make a final decision. Now according to the new directives, candidates can live outside the monastery, even in their home but need to have a series of contacts with the mother prioress of the monastery. There will be a fixed period for them to come inside and live with the community. At the end of this period, the candidate will be free to go back home and choose the right path as God inspires her.
ASPIRANCY
We have one year aspirancy which consist of a series of contacts with the candidate in which they can spent the time outside the monastery for a while as well as inside the cloister for community experience.
1 YEAR
POSTULANCY
ENTERING INTO THE MONASTIC LIFE EXPERIENCE..
POSTULANCY
Postulancy lasts 1 year,
in which postulant introduced into the life of the community.
1 YEAR
When a woman passes through the enclosure door on the day of her entrance, she steps into a new world and a new life. She must determine to begin again "in the way of perfection, in all humility and interior and exterior detachment, without childishness, and with a strong will."
The reward of such a sacrifice is abundant joy and it is this deep, abiding joy of soul that is so noticeable to the world in its contacts with Carmel.
This is the sea of God's love upon the generous heart that lifts itself up in humility and trust, desiring only to be spent for God and for His Church, in the simplest and most hidden ways of Carmel's apostolate of love.
NOVITIATE
CHERISHES A DEEP LOVE FOR CHRIST
Now, as a novice, she enters a period of more intensive spiritual, scriptural, theological and ascetical formation.
The novitiate, by which life in our Order is begun, has for its chief purpose the interiorization by the novice of our spirit in following Christ in a form specific to the contemplative Teresian Carmel - she comes to know its demands and to experience them.
The years in the Novitiate of Carmel are a time of deepening faith, of renewed faith, until her judgment and understanding of all things are molded by faith, penetrated by faith.
LOVE, then, becomes faith put into action, for what is not done out of Love, in Carmel, is wasted.
The novice takes her part in community responsibilities, joins in community projects and shares in the joys and sacrifices that make up the life of any community.
At the end of two years, if she remains convinced that God is calling her to Carmel and she is approved by the community, she may request to make Temporary Vows.
NOVITIATE
It is a time when the novice begins life in the Order by ricieving the habit. and have the duration of two years, the second being the canonical one.
2 YEARS
JUNIORATE
A DEEP RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST
JUNIORITE
Juniorate consist of five years in which first three years the sister will remain in the novitiate under the care of novice mistress and the last 2 years she will be under the direct care of Mother Prioress, where she will be fully integrated to the life of the community
5 YEARS
The time of temporary profession will be five years in which the first three years the sister will remain in the novitiate under the care of novice mistress and the last 2 years she will be under the direct care of Mother Prioress, where she will be fully integrated to the life of the community. After completing 5 years in temporary vows during which time she remains in Formation, the sister may be admitted to Solemn Perpetual Vows, committing herself until death to live her consecration to God supported by her sisters in that particular Carmel.
At this ceremony she receives the black veil of a Chapter nun and the wreath, signifying that she is the Bride of Christ.
It is a long and beautiful journey that lays the foundation for a life of deep holiness for those who persevere in their love for Christ as a consecrated person.