Interview with Mother Anne of Des Plaines Carmel - Part 4

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5.) Today people are thirsting for deeper prayer. How has YR found ways to share our Carmelite riches with them?

We readily share the riches of our Carmelite life with those who commend themselves to our prayers whether they call on the phone, stop by the turn, or write to us. I remember at the National Meeting in St. Louis in 2017, during one of the question-and-answer sessions, the topic was how we share these riches and Mother Subprioress (Sr. Mary Elizabeth) nudged me and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t be embarrassing.” She got up (while I really wondered what she was up to), found a microphone, then said “How often at the turn, or on the phone or in a letter you are very surprised at the word or sentence that occurs to you seemingly out of nowhere – how often do we recognize that the Holy Spirit is helping us when we encounter the faithful in the context of our life and give generously of our time and our love? So many times on the phone I find the conversation runs: ‘Hello…yes…oh…yes…we will certainly pray very much for you…’ and just when you think you have said almost absolutely nothing, the person on the other side says ‘O Sister!! Thank you!! Thank you – you’ve helped me so much!!’” I recall our Father General had a very hearty laugh from this.

6.) Your Carmel prints beautiful holy cards. Could YR please tell us about the printing work?

From our earliest days we have done printing work. First, we worked with good old-fashioned offset presses for our prayer cards and novena announcements. This was a challenge for those who are familiar with printing, in that very often, just when we had adjusted the ink and water perfectly, it would be time to stop for Office! We believe that many souls got out of purgatory through our dealing with those old presses. After our Mother Catherine passed away, we switched to digital printing and that brought us the advantage of being able to take our own digital photos for our work. Our printers’ only criterion is to strive to do things that will be uplifting for the people who receive our printing. We chuckle when using our own Saints’ writings or things from our Holy Father; we guess our motto could be “we only copy from the best!”

7.) Does YR have a favorite anecdote of one of our Carmelite saints and/or a favorite book?

I have a deep devotion to Venerable Anne of Jesus, who was such an incredible assistant to Our Holy Mother in her work and who carried on her charism in the face of such opposition. We in America owe her and Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew a great debt of gratitude, in that the Carmels that founded our first monastery in the US, at Port Tobacco, Maryland, stemmed from foundations that they made in what is now Belgium. As for a favorite book, let’s make that plural and say: anything written by Our Holy Mother!

8.) I hear your Carmel has “afternooning”—so do we! Does YR know its origin? We share your Baltimore roots, so perhaps it goes back to our first Carmelite Mothers in the USA (although I suspect they would have called it “tea” )? Back to the famous “afternooning:” there are probably many customs that we share among our Carmels who have their roots in the first Carmel founded in the USA – I always heard it was a Spanish custom, although “tea” would have been the British equivalent, and the Hoogstraten Carmel, where the American foundresses came from, had English vocations during the Penal Times. It is a practical custom as well, as during the summer months when we have afternooning, it is very helpful to have the added nourishment for all the work in the yard and garden that goes on at that time!

9.) One of your sisters plays the zither! Does she have many opportunities to play it? Do any of the other nuns play musical instruments? Several of our Sisters play musical instruments. Our Mother Marie Andre (who played the tuba in her high school band!) does play the zither, as well as the trumpet. We have a couple of organists, violinists, clarinetists, flutists and a cellist to boot. One of our Sisters even plays the mandolin. For our Mother Agnes’ Golden Jubilee in 1978, someone offered to get us any musical instrument we would like. Mother, never one to be shy, asked for a harp, and a concert harp we got. Our Sr. Teresita received the obedience to learn how to play it with no previous experience, and she has been an example of the wonders obedience can do for over 40 years now! Her harp arpeggios are especially appreciated at Midnight Mass when we sing O Holy Night; for us and for our faithful friends out in the Chapel, it would not be Christmas without it.

10.) Would YR like to add anything else?

When St. Teresa beheld the evils attacking the Church in the sixteenth century, the ideal of perfection which she proposed was simply the Christian ideal understood in its integrity, in its entirety, and embraced by a great heart that knows nothing of half measures. It is the fullness of charity that leads to complete self-sacrifice, to perfect self-oblation, to great deeds, to that which is most perfect, embraced in order to please the Beloved. This is the love that inspired Carmel; this is the life that we, friars and nuns alike, are called to lead in the most radical surrender to God. This is the spirit of prayer and sacrifice that pervades these walls, and every brick and stone must carry the message of love for God and for His Church.