The particular monastery that the Lord has called me to is the Carmel of Saint Joseph in Saint Louis, Missouri. This community belongs to the St. Teresa Association, which is a group of Discalced Carmelite monasteries formed to strengthen one another in living our contemplative vocation in the Church and bearing witness to the charism and spirit of the Order of Discalced Carmelite Nuns founded by St. Theresa of Avila in 1562. Click here to view the St. Louis sisters' website. You can also view more pictures of their monastery grounds or learn more about Carmelite history or spirituality from the St. Louis Third Order Carmelite's website.
I couldn't be happier that the Lord has called me back to the Midwest, that He has asked me to join a community of 15 holy and unique sisters to serve and love, that this community has the Blessed Sacrament exposed daily for adoration-- a request asked of them by the Bishop of St. Louis circa 1950 and continued to this day, and that in this cloister He has provided an ascetically beautiful environment in which to praise Him. I have confidence that the Lord in His infinite goodness knows what He is doing in calling me to enter and discern a vocation here, and that in His good time He will continue to reveal His will for my life. So please pray for me as I prepare for my entrance on September 3, 2011, and especially thereafter as I adjust to the life and continue to discern with the order.
"Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." -Romans 5:1-5
Carmel is shown in this video from the Archdiocese of St Louis:
9150 Clayton Road, St Louis, MO 63124-1898
View Carmel of St. Joseph | Carmelite Monastery in a larger map
