Provincial delegate's report

My dear Carmelites,

The Monastery of Marylake where I am stationed this triennium is facing a severe financial crisis this year. We spend about $2,000 more each month on electricity, utilities, gas and insurance than we manage to bring in from our ministry. Fr. Joseph is retired, but still takes the Marylake community Mass on Sundays while Frs. Ralph, Raphael and I drive out to various parishes to take their weekend Masses. About the only time we can afford to be home for the comnmunity Mass on weekends is on Christmas and Easter. We also give retreats whenever we can, and manage to bring in some revenue from these, but it is simply not enough to keep this big castle we live in running. Fr. Ralph our superior, sent out a letter requesting help in October. I gave him a contact address for each of our ocds communities, and would not do that unless our situation was critical. You are financially burdened enough to pay your own yearly dues to the order. Some communities have decided to send us a monthly donation and we really appreciate those checks. God bless you for helping your Brothers in need.

The most dire need in our province is personnel for our nuns and our friars. We need more vocations. The one time Our Fr. General’s eyes lighted up in his meeting with our OCDS Provincial Council in October, was when we discussed with him the vocation problem in our province. I said, “Father our secular order has plenty of vocations. In fact, we have more than we can handle!” Among us friars the situation is different. The California province has many students studying for the priesthood. They are an exception. We have only two. At our last visitation, Fr. Stephen Watson, the general definitor from Rome who used to be Provincial in California, told us, “I see no reason why what is happening in our province should not be happening in yours.” We just lost our only novice. Br. Javier got homesick for Mexico and I had to take him to the airport on November 11th. Our brothers gather in Oklahoma City on New Year’s Day to celebrate the solemn profession of Br. Luis Gerardo Belmonte. Please pray for vocations. If each of our secular members would find one young single man in 2007, to refer to our Vocation Director, Fr. Luis Joaquin, luisocd@yahoo.com perhaps our vocation crisis would turn into an explosion of new novices for the future.

Tennessee

On the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Kathy DeWine was professed at St John Neumann’s in Knoxville. She made her 1st Promise after being presented to Fr. Bede Aboh by Director of Formation Jan Hicks (center).

On that same day five novices were clothed. [left to right:] Colleen Harbison, Brenda Nicholson, Beth Small, Jack Spicer, Fr. Bede Aboh & Susan Hendershott, with Jan Hicks (Form).

Alabama

Canonical privileges have been restored to our Mobile Community.

Texas

I had hoped to establish our group in McAllen to canonical status this year, and asked their bishop last March for his permission. The process has been held up because I never received a response from Bishop Raymundo Pena of the diocese of Brownsville where our McAllen members reside. In July I asked their Assistant to speak to the bishop about my request. Fr. George Gonzalez reminded him, but was told the bishop would be “out of town for the summer.” Now as winter approaches, we still wait. God tries our patience.

In October, the following seven members of Bl. Miriam of Jesus Crucified Group in McAllen made their Definitive Promises at Immaculate Heart of Mary church in Harlingen:

left to right: (With President Lucy Dominguez, and Assistant Fr George Gonzalez), Ceci Davis, Ileana Flores, Norma Vogel, Rosalinda Ruiz, Dan Dominguez, Sylvia Cardenas & Councillor Jesús Campos.

I wish to thank our communities of Austin, Dallas, St Theresa’s & San Juan of Houston, Lubbock, New Caney, Georgetown, San Antonio and McAllen, for sending me the birthdates day/month/year of their members so I could complete their membership rosters. Those communities in Texas who have not yet submitted these dates (you should know who you are!) were reminded on the day after Thanksgiving to please submit the birthdates along with updated roster information. God bless you poor souls who are assigned to do the dirty work, and pry the year of birth from our reluctant members. You will be rewarded in heaven as we struggle here on earth to get our records in order.

I play bridge in Little Rock with a little old lady who celebrated her 99th and a half birthday, for fear she’d not make it to the century mark. Well she did. In fact on her 100th birthday she was bragging in the check-out line of the grocery store that she was a hundred. The lady in front of her turned around and said, “No big deal. I’m 103.”

Our Fr. General visited our Houston nuns and a few of our Secular Order members at our nun's monastery in New Caney on October 10th.

[left to right: Joe Fourgere, Formation director Georgina Torres with grandchild, Arlene Wilder, Councillor Mary Velez, President Margaret Nuñez, Our Fr. Provincial Gregory Ross, Sr. Virginia, Sr. Ana, Sr. Mary Ann (former prioress), Fr. General, Sr. Angel (prioress), Sr. Lourdes, Sr. Mary Theresa & Sr. Josephine. Another grandchild of Georgina is at the General’s feet.

At the November meeting of San Juan community in Houston, President Victoria Rivera resigned her office. The council appointed councillor Anita Mendoza to replace Victoria as president, and elected Ernesto Mendoza as councillor.

Mississippi

On October 21st Jackson President Dorothy Ashley [photo] made her Definitive Promise with Councillor Edna Miller. “It was a very special day for me (and Edna) and definitely one of the most memorable days of my life,” Dorothy wrote. Three weeks later, Dorothy’s Mom was pronounced “terminal.” Cancer took her mother in December. “She was the first contemplative I ever knew because she would daily read her Bible, have mental and vocal prayer at a quiet spot (usually our kitchen table) twice a day. This was the seed of my Carmelite vocation.”

Wishing all our Carmelites throughout the province a blessed New Year, I remain your brother,

Fr. John Michael ocd, prov. delg.