Carmelites celebrate 60 years of community in Utah

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop John C. Wester celebrated the anniversary Mass at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Dec. 8 and gave flower crowns to Mother Maureen and Sister Margaret Mary, who were among the founding members of the Utah monastery. IC photos/Jenn Sparks

HOLLADAY — Amid laughs, love, prayers and a lot of joy, 11 nuns who belong to the order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel celebrated their 60th anniversary as part of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City on Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

Over the years their numbers have varied. They’ve had as many as 13 sisters and as few as seven. Of the five who first came to Utah on Dec. 8, 1952, only Mother Maureen and Sister Margaret Mary are still living.

The Carmelites live in the monastery in Holladay and worship in their chapel every day. Those who join them for Mass can hear them through a screen, but can’t see them because the nuns have taken vows to live cloistered lives.

But the anniversary Mass on Dec. 8 was special. People joined the nuns in the celebration Mass and could spend a little bit of time chatting with them afterward.

"It is just a great honor to be here today; it’s just a blessing," said Linda Popish, a Blessed Sacrament parishioner who is involved in all the fundraisers done for the nuns.

The Mass was concelebrated by the Most Reverend John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City; Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, pastor emeritus of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish; Father Martin Diaz, pastor of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Parish; Father Anastasius Iwuoha, chaplain at St. Joseph Villa; and Father Joubran Boumerhi, pastor of St. Jude Maronite Parish.

In his remarks, Bishop Wester thanked the sisters for all that they do. "We have had in our midst for 60 years these wonderful Carmelite Sisters, our sisters who have followed Mary’s example of discipleship.... They have been living examples of Mary, who followed God’s will in her life, and doing God’s will will bring us complete joy and happiness," the bishop said.

Among the attendees were members of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross; three of their order were among those who met the Carmelites at the Salt Lake City train station when they arrived in 1952.

"They are the powerhouse of praying that keeps us all going; we need to celebrate them," said Holy Cross Sister Genevra Rolf, associate superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools.

Connie McCay, who frequently attends Mass at the monastery, agreed. "I really appreciated all their prayers," she said.

The celebration culminated with a small gathering in which the attendees were able to present their respects to the Carmelites.

"It’s a wonderful thing; we are very grateful," said Sister Margaret Mary, who with Mother Maureen received a special flower crown from Bishop Wester as a symbol of their status as the order’s founding members in Utah.

"Even before I was born the Sisters were already praying here for me," said Kathleen Wagner, a Carmelite novice, adding that her vocation is an amazing way to witness to the world the life of prayer.

The Carmelites wake before sunrise, as members of their order have done for centuries. Their order was founded in 1222, and Saint Theresa of Avila reformed the first female monastery in Spain in 1562. The first Carmelites came to the United States in 1790. In 1952, five sisters from California arrived in Utah. Their first monastery was in Salt Lake City, but in 1956 the order moved to Holladay, where they remain, making altar breads and candy to support themselves, but most of all praying for the world at large and Utah in particular.