Our Daily Life
Each day in Carmel begins with a call to prayer: “Praised be Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, His Mother; Come to prayer, Sisters, come to praise the Lord!”
Carmel is a journey that brings us to greater union with God, souls and Holy Mother Church! St. Teresa of Jesus called this journey "the royal road to Heaven.”
Our daily life is modeled after the Holy Family of Nazareth: a life of simplicity, intended in its routines and rhythms to foster prayer and contemplation. Each hour of the day, we strive to make our every action and prayer a sacrificial offering of love to God for the good of the whole world.
In its essential elements, our life continues to reflect what was set down by St. Teresa of Jesus, our Foundress. As Discalced Carmelites Nuns, we observe papal enclosure and live in silence and solitude, retaining the eremitical (hermit-like) spirit of our first Fathers on Mount Carmel while participating in a strong and joyful community life as a family.
“Let us praise God very much, Sisters, for having brought us together here where the only concern is to give ourselves entirely to Him.”
Essential aspects of our life
Holy Mass and the Divine Office
Prayer in Solitude
Spiritual Reading
Recreation in Community as a small family
Household duties and Manual Labor
“I am so convinced that our love is the one thing that makes us acceptable to God, that it is the only treasure that I seek.”