Mystery Creates History

"IS ANYTHING TOO MARVELOUS FOR THE LORD TO DO?" – Gen 18:14

Full Aggregation to the Order (11 of 14)

From the very beginning, I had felt a deep bond with those first Hermits on Mount Carmel. They wanted to belong to the Church in an official way. God gave them and us The Rule of St. Albert. We, the Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chester, want to be fully aggregated to the Order of Carmel. In my heart, I knew that one day Jesus would provide the way. He sent the Very Rev. Father Mario Esposito, Prior Provincial of the Province of St. Elias.

On September 17, 1990, the Feast of St. Albert of Jerusalem, Bishop Frank J. Rodimer established the Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a Public Association of Christ’s Faithful. On January 5, 1997 the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, he issued the Decree of Erection of the Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Chester, New Jersey as a Diocesan Community of Hermits. Sister Joan Kerwin Lawler, C.S.J.P., the Vicar for Religious, counseled and assisted me in preparing the documents to be sent to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life.

Monsignor Raymond J. Kupke, Archivist of the Paterson Diocese, took time from his busy schedule to help me write our history for these documents. We are deeply grateful to Bishop Rodimer, Sister Joan and Msgr. Kupke for their support and encouragement. When I met Father Mario, I asked him if he would arrange a meeting for us with Father Joseph Chalmers, Prior General of the Order of Carmel. On Holy Saturday 1997, Father Joseph graciously came here with Father Miceal O’Neill. We celebrated Lauds and afterwards I spoke with Fr. Joseph and Fr. Miceal about our great desire to be aggregated to the Order. I said that I wanted to sing again the Suscipe that I had sung on the day of my Solemn Vows so many years ago. Fr. Joseph listened attentively and told me to send all our documents to him.

In 1997, St. Therese of Lisieux was declared Doctor of the Church. In September of that year, Fr. Mario took our documents and gave them to Fr. Joseph at the Council of Provinces held in Lisieux in honor of St. Therese. On March 24, 1998 Fr. Miceal called from Rome to say “Father Joseph, the Prior General, and his Council have approved your request. You are now officially affiliated to the Order of the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. The Letter of Affiliation will be sent to you.” I responded “Is it fait accompli?” When Fr. Miceal affirmed that it was, I thanked him. We rejoiced heartily in the Lord at this awesome Good News!

Soon thereafter, Fr. Joseph sent word, saying: “I will come September 6,1998 to celebrate liturgically your affiliation with the Order.” Fr. Joseph invited us to participate in a meeting of all affiliated Carmelite religious communities to be held in Focene, Italy. In preparation for this meeting, each Major Superior sent a written response to the questions to be discussed, namely the graces of the past ten years, the challenges of the present, and the hopes for the future.

In 2000, I had the joy and privilege of traveling to Rome with Mother Mary Suzanne Sapa, O.Carm. Superior General for the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm, and Sister Kevin Patricia Lynch, O.Carm. for that meeting. Each year the Novice Masters of the two North American Carmelite provinces have been bringing the Novices to pray and communicate with us. The purpose of the annual visit is to share with them a little taste of the desert.

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