Provincial delegate's report

My dear Carmelites,

This Flos Carmeli has been placed on line here. Printing costs prevent us from publishing the color photographs. If you misplace information published in your newsletter and cannot find your old copy, this blog would be a place where you could locate information going back to 2005. I would like to remind all our communities the importance of keeping your membership rosters up to date. The communities I have not received birthdates from are Conyers & DeRidder. This would be the third appeal I have made for this information. The last time I did not want to embarrass those who had not responded, but so much time has passed now since my first appeal, my patience has worn too thin to worry about embarrassing the negligent chapters.

On behalf of our community of Marylake, our province’s novitiate in Arkansas, I want to thank all our communities and groups who have responded so generously to our call for financial aid by sending a monthly donation. You have helped greatly to reduce our debt. We are presently pursueing the idea of turning some of our property into a cemetery where we can sell plots to any of you who might want to be buried on Carmelite ground. Hopefully that project may generate some needed funds to keep our friars here afloat.

It was a joy to have our provincial council here at Marylake for their annual meeting from June 9-12. As this was to be the last meeting of the original council, barring any unforeseen extraordinary meeting before our elections next year, there was a special poignancy in the air as we tackled the task of replacing our members. Two will remain: Elizabeth Korves our president, and Nancy Thompson. Three will be replaced: Pascal Alfano, Amelia Wilken and Gerald Alford. This photo shows us interviewing via speaker phone in Marylake’s parlor, candidates our canonical communities nominated for provincial council positions.

Alabama

Bobby Pearson’s profession was made to Fr. Adam Gonzales OCD of the California province at retreat on 14-Apr-07. Bobby began our Tennessee Valley Study Group in April 2004. Father Adam has recently been appointed vocation director for the CA-AZ Province. He attended the Seattle OCDS Congress in June.

Arkansas

Our OCDS ran a vocation booth at a local Little Rock church’s yearly bazaar. On 06-May-07. We advertised our cloistered nuns, our friars, and our OCDS, sharing the booth with the diocesan director of vocations, a representative from the Benedictine monks, and three or four different orders of Sisters. See photo in posting of May 2007 titled: “Help our friars with Vocations”

During the bi-annual meeting of our Secular Order at Marylake, we celebrated the profession on Saturday 12-May-07 of Julie Breen Patrick. This community meets every month, but normally at our Nuns monastery downtown. Twice a year they drive out to Marylake, in May and in the fall. Fr. Raphael, our Assistant, was principal celebrant [left], with Fathers John Michael, Joseph and Marion concelebrating the Mass. Formation Director Mary Armstrong [right] presented Julie to Father Raphael after the homily. Our community at Marylake always looks forward to these visits, because after Mass we are served a pot-luck dinner.

Louisiana

Debbie Malarcher was given the OCDS scapular by Fr. John Michael at retreat at Maryhill in Alexandria on 14-Apr-07. Debbie is from Shreveport and transferred from TOC as an isolate of the Alexandria community. This retreat was attended by four from New Iberia, three from Shreveport, one from Natchez, one from Lafayette, and four from Alexandria.

Fr. Jerome Earley OCD, gave a Day of Recollection to our OCDS Community in Baton Rouge on Saturday, 23-Jun-07, at St Isidore parish hall in Baker LA, north of Baton Rouge. “We had a wonderful Day of Recollection and really enjoyed having Fr. Jerome with us again! We miss our OCD priests! (Most in the photo are of our Baton Rouge OCDS, a few are from New Iberia and Natchez.)” [Frances Locker] The parish hall is called the Ott Center after our former bishop, Bishop Ott. At first glance I thought it looked like a cloister of our nuns with the grille behind our members. Frances told me this used to be the old church with the organ pipes behind.

Mississippi

On Sunday 15-Apr-07 at St. James church in Gulfport, Gail Occhi and Herbert Young made their Definitive Promise at the hands of newly appointed Assistant Monsignor James McGough. Beverly Courtenay, formation director for our Gulf Coast community [left] presented the two candidates to Msgr James McGough. Their Final Promise had been delayed a year due to Hurricane Katrina.

Missouri

Our community in St Louis lost two members in April. Long time member Lyn Grothoff died on Wednesday, April 4th. She was laid out at Hutchens Mortuary in Florissant. Visitation on Good Friday, and a prayer service on Holy Saturday at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Church. Lyn had been in a nursing home for some time. She lost her husband and two of her children recently and her oldest son is in poor health also. Lyn was born 28-Jun-33, made her profession on 20-May-84, and definitive in 87. Mike Harris died of leukemia on 12-Apr-07. Mike had moved to St Louis from Southern California last fall. His funeral was at Immaculate Conception Church in Dardenne Praire.

Tennessee

Our Knoxville Study Group invited the Asheville OCDS for their annual retreat directed this year by Fr. William Healy OCD from Milwaukee. Father Bill served many years as provincial delegate to the Secular Order of the Washington Province.

The retreat, organized by Knoxville Councillors Ghislaine Miller and George Quinter, was held April 13-15, 2007, at the Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. It is run by the Augustinian friars.

Left to Right: Missy DePersio, Adriana Fadden, Brenda Nicholson, Jeanne Dauenhauer, Jan Hicks, Susana Navarro-Valenti, Mark Calvert, Susan Hendershott, Fr. William Healy, OCD, Beth Small (in front), Colleen Harbison (behind Beth), Dot Terheyden, Carole Amador, George Quinter, Mary Ann Shanahan, Anita Gouge, Ghislaine Miller, Kendra Dowlatshahi, Dorothy Curtis, and Kathy DeWine.

Texas

Our 2008 Congress committee has selected a new location for our Houston Congress next year. The steering committee signed a contract in May with the Omni Hotel Westside off Katy Freeway (I-10) in Houston. The website for this congress which contains the speakers and theme may be found at http://www.ocdscongresshouston.com/

I was invited by President Lois Vasquez [left] to give a retreat to our Georgetown Study Group at Cedarbrake retreat center in Belton Texas from June 29 to July 1^st. The theme was Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. Despite flooding throughout the state of Texas, many of our members attended including representatives from the Austin community, and our Kileen and Waco Study Groups.

Your brother in Carmel,

Fr. John Michael OCD, prov. delg.