Carmelite nun receives the black veil, professes vows

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A jubilant Carmelite Sister Therese of the Holy Family receives guests in the parlor of the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary June 10 after receiving her black veil. photo courtesy of Carmel

HOLLADAY — Carmelite Sister of the Holy Family (Kieu Hanh Bui) pronounced her solemn vows and received the black veil June 10 at 9 a.m. during a Mass and celebration at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The ceremony marked the final step in Sr. Therese’s journey to become a full member of the Carmelite order, a cloistered, contemplative community of nuns.

The youngest child of Thank Van Bui and Yen Thi Pham, Sr. Therese immigrated with her family to the United States from Vietnam 13 years ago. All members of her family have since become U.S. citizens.

She graduated from the University of Utah in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, and entered the Carmelite Monastery as a postulant the following year.

Sister has the rare distinction of being a sixth-generation descendant of Che Van Doan, one of the canonized martyr saints of Vietnam. As a young man and father of one child, Che was beheaded for the Catholic faith in the late 1890s, just before the end of the Vietnamese persecutions. There is a statue of her ancestor in her native land.

More than 100 people attended the special Mass at the monastery, which was celebrated by Father Martin Diaz and concelebrated by Father Sam Dinsdale. Sr. Therese’s family, who live in Salt Lake City, attended, as did friends and family members from California.

A reception was held for Sr. Therese in the monastery parlor, attended by women religious in service to the Diocese of Salt Lake City. As per the custom of the monastery, Sr. Therese received guests for eight days following the ceremony.

The Carmelite nuns have been in the Diocese of Salt Lake City since 1952, arriving from Alhambra, Calif., at the request of Bishop Duane G. Hunt. The Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is their second residence here.

The nuns are called "discalced," because they wear only sandals on their feet. Their order originated in Spain, and was reformed by St. Teresa of Avila. They maintain strict cloister, leading a life of prayer for the Catholic Church, and for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

In 1956, the nuns began looking for larger quarters, and with the help of Attorney Richard Hogan and Father (later Msgr.) William H. McDougall, their first chaplain, they found and purchased the property on which the monastery is now located. The acquisition was made possible by a generous donation from Mrs. James E. Cosgriff, Sr., and Walter Cosgriff, according to "Salt of the Earth" by Bernice Maher Mooney.

In the same year, the first Silver Tea fund raiser was held, the forerunner of today’s annual Carmelite Fair.