Kelly Enters Carmel

This is a story about a woman entering Carmel. This is a letter Kelly's parents wrote on the Thomas Aquinas College alumni website. Some of you might remember my asking about what Carmel she might have been entering, General News To all of Kelly’s friends,Since Kelly is only able to correspond with her immediate family, she asked me to email you periodically, so this is the first update. Also, Mother Teresa, the Prioress requests that you please refrain from writing Kelly directly. Also, for the sake of protection of the Carmel’s privacy, please do not post or forward any picture of Kelly in the cloister. They need and deserve to protect and preserve their hidden life. If you have any questions, concerns or prayer requests you can send them in care of Mother Teresa. Alternately, you can always email me, as we will be writing to Kelly once a month.On Ascension Thursday, May 17th, Kelly, Jeff and I and her aunt and uncle (Godparents) attended the Solemn High Tridentine Mass at the beautiful chapel of the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Monastery in Valparaiso. The monastery is about 25 minutes north of Lincoln, Nebraska. During the Homily, the Monsignor gave special mention of Kelly’s forthcoming entrance. After Mass, 2 mothers of young postulant/novices who introduced themselves and offered to help us with the entrance process greeted us. These angel women were such a blessing! They gently guided us through the whole entrance and gave us much-needed pointers about where to stand and such for the best views. We were also told that we had only about 10 minutes to give hugs and say goodbye. (A short time, but I think it’s better than a prolonged goodbye—sort of analogous to ripping a band-aid off quickly to lessen the pain). We took a few final pictures, then went into the “Turn Room” to say goodbye. There were many hugs, kisses and tears from us and such a wide smile on Kelly’s face—she had been waiting so long for this day!After our goodbyes, Monsignor rang the bell at the Turn and told the sister at the Turn that Kelly was ready. Then he and the Deacon gave Kelly a blessing and the door to the speakroom and cloister entrance was unlocked. Kelly went through the open door and waited at the closed Cloister door to enter. The first door was left open so that we could see Kelly being greeted by Mother Teresa. We were told that Mother Teresa, Mother Agnes (prioress of the novices) and the other 19 nuns would be lined up on both sides behind the door with lighted candles to greet Kelly. After what seemed like a very long time, Mother Teresa opened the door and Kelly knelt down and kissed the ground and the cross that Mother Teresa was holding. Kelly then walked through the door and into her new life.She then went with the nuns into the Choir (the partitioned area on the right side of the Altar in the Chapel) and knelt at the Communion rail, while the nuns took their places in their Choir stalls. There are 10 stalls on the right and 10 stalls on the left side of the Choir and two stalls at the back—one for Mother Teresa and one for Mother Agnes. Since the Carmel is bursting at the seams, Kelly has the last stall in the Choir. We knelt at the Chapel Communion rail so as to get a good view of Kelly and the nuns in the Choir. Kelly then recited her Consecration and after that the nuns sang a beautiful hymn in Latin (or it could have been the Magnificat that they sang, I’m a bit fuzzy on those details right now, there was so much to absorb and we were very emotional). We saw Kelly cry during the recitation of the Consecration. When we asked her about it later, she said that they were tears of joy because she was so happy to be finally entering.Then we went back to the speakroom to meet with all the nuns while Kelly got dressed in her postulant habit that the nuns had made for her. (She sent her measurements to them a few months back.) We were greeted by 21 of the happiest and most joy-filled women we have ever met. Some were very outspoken, some shy, but they all had on big smiles! There are currently 22 nuns (including Kelly), 10 of whom are either postulants or novices. Kelly is the “baby” right now, but not for long, because 2 more are set to enter in the next couple of months. A Carmel is generally limited to 21 nuns, so we think pretty soon a group of them will branch off and start a new Carmel somewhere else.There was much good-natured ribbing, joking and laughing among the nuns and with us and that helped so much to dispel our tearfulness. I can’t remember all of their names, but I believe it is Sister Bridget who entered 6 months ago and graduated from TAC 2 years ago. She wanted to hear all about how the Chapel building at TAC was going and we promised we would send pictures of it when it was completed. One of the young Sisters came to the Carmel all the way from Australia, several are from small families like Kelly (2 are only children), and one even is a convert and her family is still non-Catholic. She said that the most her sister could say to her on the day of her entrance was “I’m sad that you are joining, but I’m happy for you that you are happy.” So, as hard as it was for us to let go of Kelly, we appreciate that for others it can be even more difficult, especially if they don’t understand or appreciate the cloistered contemplative vocation. Another older nun was so excited that we were from California, since that was where she was from. She was very quick-witted and many of the jokes and banter came from her (especially since she is from Southern California and Mother Agnes is from Northern California—the rumor that Northern California feels a rivalry toward and superior to Southern California is apparently alive and well). Sister Amy and Sister Juana Teresa were the two daughters of the mothers who came to the Mass to help us through the entrance process. We told them how friendly and helpful their mothers were to us.After about 15 minutes our Kelly came in all dressed in her postulant habit. Her veil wasn’t tied tightly enough, so it kept trying to come off, but she looked so very beautiful and she was absolutely glowing! We honestly had never seen her as happy as she was at that moment. We visited with all of them for a few minutes longer, then they retreated for the Divine Office and we had Kelly to ourselves for a nice, long 1.5 hour visit before she joined her Sisters for lunch and picture taking (We had sent our camera through the Turn along with Kelly’s suitcase just before her entrance so that we could have a picture of Kelly in the Cloister.)Lunch, which if you are curious, Kelly told us was veggie burgers, fruit, chips, punch and chocolate bars for dessert (Didn’t think nuns ate like that? Well, neither did we!). It was probably a bit different from their usual fare since they were celebrating a Feast Day and Kelly’s entrance. Then a nap for Kelly before we were due back for a final visit at 3p.m. By the time of our afternoon visit, everyone was exhausted and emotionally drained. Kelly told us that she actually slept after lunch, probably due to the fact that she had only been averaging 2 hours of sleep per night since graduation in an effort to get everything ready before her entrance. But she was still so very happy and grateful and full of love. She asked us to be sure to email you all and let you know that she sends you her love and prayers. Trust me on the prayers part—the prayer list she went in with was pages long!It’s been very emotional for us since she entered—I’ve been used to talking to her every day and for the first few days I drove Jeff nuts because I kept looking at my cell phone—willing it to ring, I guess. We got our May letter in to her already, written 4 days after her entrance.In closing, know that you have a serious prayer warrior on your side—she’s praying for each of you every day and probably all of the Sisters are as well. We know that they are praying for us and they have assured us that God is showering us with His graces. We’ve been feeling them, too; we both feel that we are enveloped in His sheltering arms as we go through this period of adjustment to a life without having our amazing, beautiful and loving daughter close by our sides.In approximately 6-8 months, January or so, Kelly will have her Clothing. During Clothing she will receive the novice habit and be given her new name. As a postulant, she is called Sister Kelly, but that will change when she becomes a novice. We think that they take her suggestions for her new name into consideration, but Mother Teresa and Mother Agnes make the final decision. We’ll write to you all about it since we will be traveling to the Monastery for her Clothing.Feel free to email us if you have any questions or any messages for our Sister Kelly.Take care and God bless, and now this is the UPDATE:September 2, 2007 Thank you everyone for all of the lovely emails that you sent regarding Kelly's entrance. It warmed our hearts and we were so touched to read how our sweet one has touched your lives as well. I wrote to her and told her about your responses and she was very pleased to be reminded of how many people care for her and are praying for her. You know that she is praying for you as well. So, since it has been just over three months since our Sister Kelly entered Carmel and we have now gotten three letters from her, I figured that it was time for an update.In her first letter, she admitted to being a bit homesick and having a few ups and downs, but was adjusting very well and was very happy. I'll let her tell you in her own words. Here's a snippet from her first letter from early June:"God reward you (nb- God reward you = Carmelite thank you) again for letting me enter so soon after graduation. I know that you felt like it was rushed, but it really was providential, because if it had been one of the later dates I would have missed some things that have been and will continue to be, I'm sure, most helpful. First, just a couple of days after I entered, we went on an eight-day retreat (no recreation, more prayer) in preparation for Pentecost. It was good to start off thinking about the most important things, and I came to appreciate both the feast of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit especially so much more than I had before. And then on Pentecost Sunday Sister Thérèse made her solemn profession, and it was such a grace to be able to see what I'm aiming at, you know? The Mass was a solemn high pontifical Mass, with the Bishop, and was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I think it was something like 2 ½ hours long. The Bishop came in afterwards with some other priests (they're allowed to with the Bishop), and it was a joy to listen to Bishop Bruskewitz. Also, I was going to tell you, one of the priests there that day was Fr. Fessio—Momma, you know who he is, don't you? (Ignatius Press, Ave Maria, etc….) We talked with him later for a good while in the speakroom, and if you ever talk to Clara, you can tell her that her dad came up in the conversation when Father was talking about good things being done in the arts and theater and so forth—she'd be happy to know."We had to wait nearly 6 weeks for her second letter, but I asked her to give a synopsis of her daily routine so that we could better understand her daily life and be more in tune with the rhythms of her day. Here's her response:"To answer your meddlesome mother questionsJ. I am very very happy. It is better than I expected it to be- which is what I expected it to be. Do you remember the quote in the back of the Carmel of JMJ booklet—"This house is a Heaven, if one can be had on earth"? It is quite true. So do not worry- I am doing very well-….. Now I'll describe the schedule for you, although I'll try not to be too detailed….. We get up at 4:30 (5:00 on Sundays). Lauds and one hour of mental prayer is at 5:00 (5:30 Sundays). Then there is a short break during which we can make our tarimo…. Then there is the hour of Prime and then Mass and thanksgiving. Then breakfast (before Prime on Sundays [Saturdays too]). Oh, and Terce is right after the thanksgiving. After that there is work (not on Sundays) until 10:45. The postulant jobs rotate once a month. Right now I have the East wing of the novitiate—cleaning the hallway and some little side rooms and the offies (short for officinal-little office—also known as the H.O. or "humble office"). Each sister also has a garden plot (not rotating) that she takes care of. Ours (the one I do) is a long strip of day lilies with a few little rose bushes and some other flowers and a tree and some bushes, in the Holy Family courtyard (there's a nativity scene right in the middle of our plot!) along the windows of the cloister leading to the novitiate. Then there is sext and examination of conscience. Dinner is at 11:00. Then dishes, and then recreation from 12:00 to 1:00. Then we go down to the choir and make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament with a spiritual communion. Then we take a one-hour siesta from 1-2, followed by None and the Rosary. Then after benedictes (I'll tell you about that some other time), we do spiritual reading in our cells for half an hour, after which we can study Latin. Then we continue working until 4:00 on weekdays, when the postulants and novices have pontito ("little point" i.e. novitiate class). One day a week we go over ceremonies, and Mother teaches us on the other days about our order or (right now) about the passions from some other books. Then we have Vespers—4:40 on weekdays, 4:30 on Sundays (sung), and 4:30 on Saturdays (preceded by the solemn Salve). Afterwards there is prayer from 5 to 6, then supper and dishes. Recreation 6:55-7:55, Compline 8:00…. Then there is a quiet break for reading, letter-writing, prayer, etc. and then Matins at 9 or 9:15, and finally bed by 10:30. All of that having been said, the schedule can vary quite a bit on feast days or when we have more than one Mass or a visit in the speakroom or other unexpected things…..""I haven't milked a cow, but I have helped with the sheep a couple of times. I got to hold the head of one while she was lying on the ground getting her nails trimmed. It was wonderful, and the weather was so beautiful that day—all cool and cloudy—I felt like a little Irish shepherdess. J……Oh, and the other thing—on Sr. Maria Louisa's feast day, the professed did a reprise of songs from The Sound of Music (with altered lyrics) that they had originally sung for Sister's golden jubilee. Afterwards, a bunch of us (mostly postulants and novices) sang and acted out a few of the songs from the movie. You would have liked it….."Then just a few weeks ago, we got her most recent letter that showed how well she is settling into her new life."According to mother (Agnes), I have been "baptized" into Carmel! Yesterday, a few postulants and novices were out in the south land weeding around the pine trees with Sr. Stella Marie. It was the feast of the Ascension and the sky was somewhat overcast, but no one knew it was going to rain. Suddenly, there was some thunder a ways off and then a few drops of rain and then the water came pouring down all at once—huge drops and lots of them, without any warning. We all started to run back, but the house is pretty far away, and I had a wheelbarrow full of stakes and wires and things, so those of us who were left were soaking when we got back and had to shower and change our clothes. It was great fun. It made me very happy because it felt like the scene in the Thérèse movie where St. Thérèse comes running into the monastery all soaking wet from the rain. Sr. Juana Teresa saw Sr. Elizabeth Louise and I standing there outside the glass door and went to get Nuestra Madre –she (Sr. Juana Teresa) said that we looked pretty pathetic.""Sr. Stephanie entered on Sunday—she was the last of the once-a-month entrances that had started with my own in May. Now we have seven postulants (a record—we took a picture) and a total of fifteen in the novitiate (another record). There are ten professed…."" ….. I have two new jobs. This month, I'm working in the laundry—taking clothes to and from the professed laundry and folding things and ironing tocas and veils. Also, this is my third week as versiclarion – which mostly means intoning some of the antiphons before the psalms and also sometimes chanting a little verse at the end of the office. The first words I ever sang by myself in choir were "Beatus populus"—pretty exciting, isn't it? Mostly I manage to make many mistakes….. Hello to everyone…. I miss them and pray for them all…. God reward Amelie for sending you the pictures and for wanting to come to my clothing! Regarding the latter, if, God willing, I do receive the habit, I would be delighted if she came. Anyone is welcome to come. Dominique Shema (she's on the email list) I know was planning on coming, so if you could be sure that she knows when it's time….Pray for me!"Sorry that this is such a long email, but we hope that you enjoyed the update from her letters. (Please excuse the typos-- they are mine and not hers; but she writes so very tiny that some words are hard for me to decipher-- especially the Latin and Spanish terms!) We'll send another email out in a few months. Until then, keep Sister Kelly and our family in your prayers as you are in ours and hers.God bless you all, this is a image of her i holp you guy's and girls like the story.