Contemplatives in Action Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel United States, Philippines, and Timor-Leste
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Contemplatives in Action Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel United States, Philippines, and timor-leste September, 2017 Volume 28, Number 3 W ith this issue, we Reflections on a Carmelite Journey welcome a new member to our planning team. Denise By 1968, the Church windows which were cracked just a bit by Vatican II were LeBlanc Otillio is a 1968 wide open; the American flags which were scorched by the early Viet Nam protestors graduate of St. James Major were in intense flames; the Sound“ of Music” was silenced by “Hair;” Jesus Christ was in New Orleans, LA. well on His way to becoming a “Superstar,” and the two diverging roads for the socially She entered the Sisters of conscious graduates of 1968, of whom I was one, seemed to lead either to Woodstock or Mount Carmel the summer to religious life. Thousands flocked to the former, and a few thousand less took the road after her graduation and "less travelled." They embraced a "cause" of peace, love and justice guided by faith and remained with us for the Gospel. A few of those few thousand journeyed to Carmel; I was one of them. eighteen years. Denise has During the first part of this journey, the words of Merton and Day, of van Kaam and taught high school English deChardin, of Larkin and Nouwen and many others, began to trip effortlessly off of our in a number of schools and tongues. They formed our intellect. At the same time, the wisdom of an Interior Castle is currently on the faculty of and the courage of The Dark Night of the Soul tripped into our hearts. They formed our Archbishop Rummel High souls around the prism of the Carmelite life view: "Prayer is a simple conversation with School in Metairie, LA. We are delighted to have her God who loves you... Darkness is dark only because we are blinded by the Light...Let go, as our newest collaborator. and let God." Denise authored the feature This awareness should be enough to carry us through life, and it is, but Carmel offers article in this edition. Sister abundance. Almost through osmosis---as simple as living, praying and working shoulder Crisilyn Rubio’s ministry to shoulder with our sisters, we learned to teach with wisdom, to nurse with compassion, to and our Jubilarians are also tap into the grace-springs of each moment of ministry. We learned to live our own truth as highlighted in this edition. God reveals that truth to us. However, this lesson wields Elijah's two edged sword because in living our truth, some of us discerned that we were called to leave the very structure which we had grown to love. Time passed, and we moved forward to marriages, children and careers; each decision somehow informed by our experience in Carmel. Gratefully, as we made these decisions regarding our lives and our own ministries, we realized that In This Issue in leaving Carmel's structure, we did not leave Carmel. Guided by Carmel's grace, we still humbly roam interior castles seeking prayer and Presence, and we faithfully navigate Reflections on a Carmelite through our own dark nights. Our lives within Carmel continue to inform our marriages Journey 1 and families, our friendships and ministries whether it is in the classroom or hospital Message from the Administration 2 room or office cube. Once again, almost by osmosis, the spirit of Carmel is transferred from us to those with whom we live, work, play, pray. News of Note 2, 12-13 In 1968, two roads diverged---one to Woodstock, the other Let All You Do Be In Love 3 to religious life, specifically, down a back winding road called Fish History Highlights 4 Hatchery. On that road, there was a sign pointing to Carmel. I took Jubilarians 2017 5, 11 that road, and it has made, “all the difference.” In Memory Of 6-9 In Honor Of 9-10 Denise LeBlanc Otillio is an English teacher at Rummel High School, Metairie, LA. Contemplative View 14-15 Message from the Administration Sharing Our Carmelite Spirituality through Our Ministry As Sisters of Mount Carmel, we are called to prayer and service through our Carmelite Spirituality in our ministries. We serve God, His people and one another. I find myself relying on my sisters in community for prayer and support as I serve our congregation in leadership roles as a Council member and President of Mount Carmel School of Abbeville. My sisters give me the courage and energy to serve God’s people through our sisterhood. Through community, we pray for each other and for God’s people. As a Carmelite, I turn to prayer and solitude each day for the graces needed in my ministry. I strive to offer compassion to all those with whom I come in contact. A smile, a listening ear, or a prayer with an individual might be the grace of the day needed to obtain one’s peace of mind. To calm a sister, an adult or a child in a time of need is the blessing of the day. It is important in today’s world that everyone knows someone cares for them. Each day I attempt to offer kindness and hospitality to all those I encounter. The Sisters of Mount Carmel are known for their warmth and generosity to those seeking God’s love and even to those who do not experience God in their lives. I am called to be a concerned person for God’s people and to spend time with them on their journey of life. In scripture we read from St. Matthew when Jesus is speaking to his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you; look and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you.” We are called to ask, look, and open the door to others and find Jesus in every person we encounter on our journey. St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s words are very uplifting for us, “The sun’s light that plays on the cedar trees plays on each tiny flower as if it were the only one in existence; and in the same way our Lord takes a special interest in each soul, as if there were no other like it.” Each of us is called to nourish the flowers that we encounter on our life’s journey. My devotion to Mary is part of my strength to love God’s people. Mary’s love for Jesus through His life, death and resurrection gives us all the inspiration to accept the challenges of our lives. As sisters, we turn to Mary for direction to love as she did unconditionally. As Carmelites, prayer, solitude, and community life give us the strength to be “active” in our ministries. We are fortified through these graces to be loving women and followers of Jesus. I firmly believe that, “Whatever form of prayer we choose, Our God is resting within us waiting to embrace and love us. We need only to be quiet and listen and welcome God’s love as we meet each other in our heart, our inner being.” Sister Janet LeBlanc is President of Mount Carmel School of Abbeville and serves on the Executive Council of the congregation. News of Note The Formation House in Hera, Timor-Leste is in construction with completion expected in December. A special thank you to our donors for helping provide the contents of the formation house through our Development Office. (Photo by Sister Mailyn Batocabe) 2 “Let all that you do be done in love.” -1 Corinthians 16 : 14 The above Bible passage is a perfect reminder for me as I perform my new ministry in the foreign land here in the US. My calling and willingness to serve is truly rooted in my love for God defined through the people with whom I work. I know that whatever ministry I am involved in, challenges and difficulties will set in. But I am also certain that there will also be new learning. I am positive that every step I make will be well taken care of by God. I am inspired to do new things for the ministry because I consider it as a special favor offered to me by God. I looked forward to my immersion in Mount Carmel School of Abbeville. My new ministry in school made a good impression. I received a warm welcome and I felt a sense of belonging. I am happy gaining new friendships through those shared smiles and warm greetings. I am truly interested to know how things will work for me as I meet wonderful people in school es- pecially that I am assisting the teachers in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes. I enjoy being with the children in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten working as a teacher’s aide. I feel blessed having been given the chance to ob- serve each class from first grade through eighth grade. I appreciate the kind of discipline that the teachers impart to the students. And I admire also the good student and teacher interaction. It is also a grace-filled experience to learn teaching strategies of the teachers. I really appreciate the kind-hearted gestures of the students and the teachers having my presence with them. I savor the experience being with them because I learned so much during my observa- tion period. I realized that the ministry in school would be a meaningful and worthwhile experience for me. I recognize that those seemingly ordi- Sister Cristilyn reading to the students.