Our Lady of Mount Carmel Novena
Novena: July 7-15
Solemn Feast Day: July 16
Novena Prayer
O most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel,
fruitful vine, splendor of heaven,
blessed Mother of Christ, Immaculate Virgin,
we praise you and honor you as our Queen and Mother.
Help us to persevere in constant prayer
for the needs of our world
and share with you in the work of redemption.
Be with us, Holy Virgin, and guide us on our way,
as we journey together in faith, hope, and love
to your Son, Christ our Lord.
Mary, Queen and Beauty of Carmel,
pray for us and obtain our requests.
From Passion-tide... to PASCHAL-tide!
Covington Chronicle
Spring 2024
These spring months have been immensely full for us here in Covington. After Fr. Anthony Ciorra preached a beautiful retreat on the topic of "Transitions" in the middle of Lent, we looked forward with even greater hope to the celebration of Christ's Resurrection. Almost as a foreshadowing of the great Easter mystery, Mama and Daddy Wren, also in the middle of Lent, began to build a nest in a hanging basket right outside the formation house. To our delight, they constructed its entrance facing a window, giving the Sisters a front row seat to the Wren family's development! From observing their tag-team nest-building and incubating strategies to peeking in on the 3 little ones as they waited expectantly for Mama and Daddy to bring a juicy worm - we were completely enthralled! The only stage of their "formation" that we missed was their departure from the nest...but it was a delight to hear the family around the property, Mama and Daddy dutifully supervising the little ones as they learned to fly. Sr. Rose took pictures all along the way, leaving us with many "icons" of the Risen Christ, who is always at work, bringing about new life!
We spent the rest of April looking forward to another longed-for arrival: Sr. Marie Teresita Kim, SND, Sr. Mary Magdalen's niece from Korea and the liturgical artist responsible for our chapel's lovely stained-glass windows! May for us was filled to the brim with delicious Korean treats and teas, art classes, exquisite flower arrangements, and profound meditations on the vocation of a Catholic artist - as well as a number of hilarious Google Translate gaffs! It was an absolute treasure to share sisterly moments with Sr. Marie Teresita and with two vocations guests during Our Lady's month, and while May did eventually come to a close and all our guests had to return home, we know that we remain close in Mary's embrace.
As hurricane season dawns, we owe each of you deep gratitude for helping us to purchase new generators for our property, after the one that served us since Katrina (2005) finally broke down last year. May Our Lady of Prompt Succor continue to be with and protect from destruction all of her children along the Gulf Coast during these summer months!
Edith Turpin
For more pictures and stories, please visit the "Springtime in Carmel" page.
Sr. Marie Teresita, SND gives art classes and helps in the kitchen! Plus, the bottom right photo shows her special bouquet in the chapel for Ascension Sunday.
To Be Discalced
This past April, an extraordinary event took place. For the first time, Discalced Carmelite Nuns from around the world gathered together in Rome to listen deeply with each other to hear "what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7) as we seek to revise our Constitutions, last promulgated in 1991. To aid in this immense task of listening and dialogue, Pope Francis addressed the gathered Sisters, encouraging them to "look to the future with evangelical hope, with unshod feet, that is, with the freedom born of abandonment to God."
For centuries now, the daughters of St. Teresa of Jesus have been distinguished in name and guise by their "discalced" - shoeless - feet. At the time of her reform, St. Teresa urged her daughters to wear simple sandals as a sign of poverty, a sign that would also distinguish them from members of other branches of the Carmelite Order.
As Pope Francis has indicated, however, to embrace our name fully means to walk our journey of discipleship with "unshod feet," that is, with dauntless trust, with an almost reckless abandonment and complete surrender to the loving, transforming plans of God, our Father. This "discalced," barefoot attitude of heart is not meant for Carmelites alone; it is an attitude of heart embraced and lived by Jesus himself, the same Jesus who said, "Unless you become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). After all, children would go barefoot at all times, if their parents would let them!
This path of absolute abandonment may be simple, but it is far from easy. To whom, then, does a child turn when learning how to take its first steps? As Pope Francis prays, "May Our Lady accompany you on this path." Yes, may our Mother take each of us by the hand as we take our first, wobbly, unshod steps into the future.
Edith Turpin
