During this Holy Season, we wanted to address much of the current confusion put forth on certain online media sites regarding recent documents put out by the Holy See regulating Cloistered, Contemplative Orders. We, as Cloistered Carmelite Nuns feel in no way stifled by the new documents. We are not being persecuted and asked to change our way of life in spite of what some radical elements in the media are saying. We love and pray for the Church and the Holy Father, Pope Francis. We respect the Sacred Congregation which is making every effort to safeguard and strengthen our contemplative life.
If a Community of Nuns wishes to be considered Canonical, it must accept the right of the Holy Father and the Sacred Congregation to regulate their life and even conduct Apostolic Visitations when needed. In the recent Apostolic Visitations of certain Carmelite Monasteries, the Visitations were entirely justified (and had absolutely nothing to do with the Extraordinary Form of the Mass) and while the reasons for these have not been revealed to the general public, trust and faith must be exercised to realize that those in authority had the obligation to intervene. Most of the information that has been published online has been MIS-information and has been extremely harmful to those who wish to live their Cloistered Charism faithfully.
Our Holy Foundress, St. Teresa of Jesus, stated, “Where there is no obedience, there are no Nuns.” Recently, a loyal daughter of St. Dominic stated:
“By virtue of the vow of obedience nuns are obliged to obey the norms given for canonical contemplative life. Obedience that uses our God-given faculties of intellect and will.
It’s really that simple. If a community does not wish to accept what the Church is asking of them, then it seems they have a choice to make.”
Let us pray for all Cloistered Nuns and beg the Lord to bring light to any attempts in the media to bring division between Contemplative Nuns and the Holy Father and Sacred Congregation.
For a better insight into our way of life, please see our newest video.
