Welcome to Faith Quest at the Carmel of Port Tobacco, the first Carmelite monastery in the U.S.

Transcription

1 Welcome to Faith Quest at the Carmel of Port Tobacco, the first Carmelite monastery in the U.S. What is a Carmel? It is a monastery of the order of the Carmelites, an order which dates back to at least the 12th century and has contemplative prayer as its main work. This is prayer offered continuously throughout the day not as a break from work, but as the primary work itself. Nuns at this Carmel and others like it around the world seek union with God through continuous prayer and in silence, manual labor, and fasting. The Founding of the Carmel at Port Tobacco During the 1700s, anti-catholic laws in England and the English colonies meant that Americans who wished to enter religious life had to leave to go to France, Belgium, or another European country. But the Bill of Rights, guaranteeing freedom of religion in the newly independent United States, changed the situation. Shortly afterwards, Fr. Ignatius Matthews wrote to his sister, Mother Bernardina Matthews, a Carmelite prioress at the Carmel of Hoogstraten, now in Belgium, to invite her to bring the Carmelite nuns to America. Mother Bernardina, along with her two nieces (all Charles County, Maryland natives), and a nun from London came and established this monastery in The Community grew to include 26 sisters, but after a series of years of crop failures, law suits, and difficult living, the nuns moved to a monastery in Baltimore in It was not until nearly a century later, in 1933, that a group of lay people called The Restorers of Mount Carmel were able to purchase back the original land and the remaining two buildings in order to establish a shrine and restore the monastery. At last, in 1976, the monastery was re-established with six sisters. Today, the nuns live in hermitages (simple cabins). Here, they sleep and pray. They come together at times of common prayer and for Mass and other Community activities. The nuns try to support themselves by making religious objects and selling them; they also depend on donation from their various mailings. We invite you to begin your quest by exploring the grounds and visiting the chapel. Come back to the Gift Shop to stamp your Faith Quest passport when you are finished.

2 FAITH QUEST 2014 CARMEL OF PORT TOBACCO 2 Carmel of Port Tobacco Faith Quest Activity Your first challenge is to find this quote on the monastery grounds (hint: find the prayer garden): I m the Mother of God and this is Himself and He s the one you ll all be want in at the last. 1. Whose statue is it under? The quote is best read with an Irish lilt. As you can see on the plaque, the statue was given in honor of the golden jubilee of Mother Virginia Marie, a nun here at the monastery who is of Irish descent. The quote comes from an Irish story of a poor farmer who saw a beautiful Lady carrying an Infant walking toward him in the field, over the mud without sinking or staining. The farmer, who had been despairing of being able to provide for his family, was given hope when the Lady spoke those words to him. From this spot, find the image of the crucifix, where we also can find hope no matter our circumstances, and offer a prayer of thanksgiving to Our Lord for dying for us so that we can live forever with God. Next, make your way to the Chapel. Before you enter, look to see who stands in the niche above the door. 2. Who is it? As you enter the church, near the altar on the left side is a hand-made tapestry. 3. What event in the Gospels does it tell? Look around at the artwork in the church. There are two icons of Our Lady and two of St. Joseph (you ll find all four if you also look through the grill on the side where the nuns sit). These were painted by one of the nuns here, Mother Mary Joseph (now deceased). There is also a very special oil painting of a Carmelite, St. Therese of Lisieux. This painting is a copy of one done by St. Therese s sister Celine (who was both her blood sister and her sister in the convent). It was in the room where St. Therese was canonized in She was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1997 because of her Little Way spirituality. There are two other Carmelite Doctors of the Church who are pictured in the chapel do you see them in the back? St. John of the Cross is one of them and St. Teresa of Avila is the other. 4. What is St. Teresa of Avila holding? Why do you think she has that in her hands? St. Teresa of Avila reformed the Carmelites in 1562 and one of the changes she made was to limit the number of sisters in each monastery to a maximum of 21. She wanted each group of sisters to be like a family and during recreation time unlike during the rest of the day, when silence rules to relax and enjoy themselves. She herself had a joyful spirit and was known to pick up a musical instrument and lead her sisters in song and dance.

3 FAITH QUEST 2014 CARMEL OF PORT TOBACCO 3 Next, go to the historic monastery, the white-sided building left from the original group of buildings dating from the late 1700s. Four sisters, three of whom were born in Maryland, came to establish this monastery in Unscramble their names. 5. arym ailyoas = 6. lacer hosejp = 7. myar leenroae = 8. othmer nidaraber = The nuns who currently live here keep a way of life very similar to those of their founding sisters. It is a life based in prayer, tempered with work and shared community, that follows a steady rhythm. Have you wondered what the typical Carmel day is like? See if you can match the time with the right activity. 5:30am 5:50am 7:15am 11:45am 4:15pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 9:00pm Supper Recreation Rising Vespers, Scripture Reading Dinner Morning Prayer Night Prayer Mass Is this similar to your daily schedule? How is it different? How is it the same? Carmelites have a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother, seeing in her a perfect model of interior prayer and contemplation. The order also celebrates in a special way the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. According to the Carmelite traditions, this feast day is on the anniversary of the date in 1251 when the Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite, and revealed to him the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which forms part of the Carmelite habit. When is this feast day? Answer these final questions below to find out the month and the day. Think back on what you have read and seen here. 1. What year was the Carmel of Port Tobacco founded? 2. What year was the original land purchased back? 3. What year was the monastery at Port Tobacco re-established?

4 FAITH QUEST 2014 CARMEL OF PORT TOBACCO 4 Now put the numbers in the boxes here to find out the date of the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel: / Are you here on July 16? Perhaps you can visit us again on that day! In fact, you are welcome to come visit the Carmel of Port Tobacco any day. You may participate in our celebration of the Mass, relax in our beautiful prayer gardens, tour our Old Monastery buildings, and shop in our gift store. We will gladly pray for any specific prayer intention you send to us prayer is, after all, our main apostolate. You may leave your prayer requests and donations if you wish in the front foyer of the tallest brown building. You may also your prayer requests any time to contact@carmelofporttobacco.com. Thank you for visiting us today for Faith Quest. Remember to get your passport stamped in the Gift Shop and update your progress on The Faith Quest team reminds you that you may also send photos, posts, or tweets to share your experience here at the Carmel of Port Tobacco with other Faith Questers: God bless you! Please note our NEW WEBSITE:

5 FAITH QUEST 2014 CARMEL OF PORT TOBACCO 5 ANSWERS FOR FAITH QUEST ACTIVITY 1. Mary with Jesus specifically under the title Our Lady of the Eucharist 2. Mary specifically under the title Our Lady of Mt. Carmel 3. Jesus transfiguration 4. A guitar! 5. Mary Aloysia 6. Clare Joseph 7. Mary Eleanora 8. Mother Bernardina Schedule for typical day: 5:30am 5:50am 7:15am 11:45am 4:15pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 9:00pm Rising Morning Prayer Mass Dinner Vespers, Scripture Reading Supper Recreation Night Prayer Final questions: 1. This monastery was first established in The original land was purchased back in The monastery was re-established in Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast day = 7/16 (July 16)