Celebrating the past – preparing for the future

Next year, our Community of the Carmel of Mary Immaculate and St. Mary Magdalen will celebrate the 75th anniversary of our Foundation. On Oct. 14, 1949, six nuns from the Morristown Carmel moved into a large old house in New Brunswick.

Sister Maryám of the Trinity, our oldest sister, is the only remaining nun of the group and her face still lights up when you recall that day. At 94, she is a living symbol of faithfulness and love. Of God’s faithfulness and love and of the fidelity and love of the nuns who gave themselves to him and followed his call to the Trenton Diocese.

One of our Carmelite Friars, on learning of next year’s anniversary, wrote to us, “Congratulations! 75 years of faithfulness to the Order, founded by Saint Elijah, the Prophet, its Rule of St. Albert, the reform of Our Holy Mother St. Teresa and Father St. John of the Cross. May God continue to bless you with vocations and a steadfast continuation of your faithfulness to our way of life!”

Next month, on Oct. 14, we will open a Year of Preparation with a special Mass at 10 a.m. in our chapel.

Our way of life is little known nowadays. One priest, on hearing about cloistered contemplative nuns, exclaimed, “I thought that went out with Vatican II!” Then there was also the permanent deacon in our parish, who after we had been living one mile from the parish church for 25 years, admitted, “I never knew you existed.”

Contemplative nuns live a quiet life. We don’t shout out our existence from the rooftops, but that doesn’t mean we should be invisible and inaudible.

Like all Catholics, we are called to be witnesses to God’s graces and love. Many people nowadays say that they are “spiritual but not religious.” Spirituality is the basis of our life. We are here to show that a deep spiritual life, a life of union with God, is not only possible but even exhilarating. And we do it in a totally religious setting.

Religion is spirituality shared with your brothers and sisters. Someone can be spiritual all by themselves, but Catholics believe in a God who is communion, a God who is spirit and who shares his spiritual life with us. Because God shares his life with us, we all share the same divine life, and we express that shared life in our actions. Those shared actions of divine life are religion.

We contemplatives are called to be witnesses that spirituality and religion can be joyfully and powerfully lived even in our present world. We here, at the Flemington Carmel, intend to do everything we can to make our witness to this truth heard and known as we prepare for our 75th Anniversary next year!

When I was a child, I saw the early “Peter Pan” movie, the Mary Martin one, not the Disney cartoon. The part I remember best is when Tinkerbell drank the poison meant for Peter and was slowly dying, her light getting dimmer and dimmer. The only way to save her was for the children watching the movie to proclaim their belief in fairies. “Clap if you believe in fairies!” And children all across the country clapped furiously to help Tinkerbell come back to life.

We contemplatives are far from dying, but we need your help to make our message heard. Do you believe in the value of a life of prayer? Do you believe in the power of grace hidden in the everyday life of the cloister? Then join us in making our message known! We are planning various events for our Year of Preparation. Help us to make our voices heard! Visit us at our Monastery in Flemington, New Jersey! 

Contact us on our website www.flemingtoncarmel.org! Write to us! Support us! Tell your friends about us! Spread the word that prayer to God is powerful! That living in his grace is a glorious challenge!

Clap if you believe in the Carmelites!

Sister Gabriela of the Incarnation is a member of the Discalced Carmelites order in Flemington. Learn more at www.flemingtoncarmel.org.