PD Report

My dear Carmelites,

As a new year begins, I pray you are blessed with much grace this year of Our Lord 2008. God willing, I will resign as your Provincial Delegate at our provincial chapter at the end of May. By then all our canonical communities should have new councils. I was pleased to appoint Dorothy Mansen of our Dallas community, Gloria Guajardo of San Antonio, and Henrietta Albright of Baton Rouge to our Provincial Council to replace Amelia Wilken of Sioux City Iowa, Gerald Alford of Lafayette LA, and Pascal Alfano of our New Orleans community, who are resigning. We had planned to have the new provincial Councillors elected, but ended up with only three nominees who were willing to serve, so our Father Provincial, Fr. Gregory, gave permission on Dec 17th to dispense with the election process and appoint these three, which I did on Dec 19th. “Please extend my congratulations to them, as well as my gratitude for their willingness to serve. Thanks also to our retiring PC members. May God's blessing be with you and all of the members of the Provincial Council as we wind down this triennium and gear up for the next three years.” [Vy. Rev. Fr. Gregory Ross, OCD]

Alabama

Madison Study Group received visitation on the 2nd and 3rd of March by Provincial Councillor Pascal Alfano OCDS. This picture was taken after Mass: President Bobby Pearson, a guest, visitor Susan Parker who is discerning, Formation Director Donna Lowe, Mary Kay Beard (in back), Robbie Hayes, Valerie Cygon (in wheel chair), Pascal, Assistant Fr. Jose, Pauline Rizzo, Lou Rizzo, and Fr. George Costigan.

Fr. Adam Gonzales OCD gave the Birmingham retreat this year on the theme of Elizabeth of the Trinity. Father Adam is a newly ordained Carmelite from California. The retreat was held at Casa Maria Retreat House run by the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word in Irondale, AL. It lasted from April 13-15 and the Birmingham community was joined by members of our Study Group in Madison and the isolated Gareri brothers in Huntsville among others.

Mobile hosted their annual Carmelite retreat at the Visitation Sisters retreat house from October 5-7, and were joined by members from Jackson and Madison. Retreat Master John Grennon OCD is provincial delegate to the Secular Order of the Midwest and Florida. Father John co-hosted the National Council, and Provincial Councils at Holy Hill in November 2006. A most gracious host.

At the concluding Mass of the retreat, Father received the Definitive Promise of Mobile’s faithful secretary, Maureen Caine on Sunday October 7th. Director of Formation Linda Savarese [left] presented Maureen [right]. The setting for this profession is the chapel of the Visitation Nuns where our Mobile community holds their annual retreats. It was built in 1894, and has been restored beautifully by these contemplative Nuns.

Arkansas

Shown here at the visitation of Little Rock, President Ronnie Adams greets the Zebra Lady, provincial visitator Nancy Thompson from Cedar Rapids Iowa. Fr. John Michael came into town from Marylake to join the community for their visitation on Saturday, September 8th at our Discalced Carmelite Nuns' monastery on 32nd Street.

Louisiana

Jeff DeBlanc died on Thanksgiving morning at Lafayette General Medical Center. Jefferson Joseph DeBlanc was a founding member of our Carmelite community of Mary, Beloved of the Trinity in New Iberia. He was a retired Colonel of the Marine Corps, and received from President Harry Truman the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1946 at the White House. Jeff spent World War II in the Pacific theater, first in the Navy, then in the Marine Corps. His Medal was given for an act of bravery on Jan 31, 1943 when he abandoned hope of returning to his base by shooting down enemy planes. He was the last, living World War II Medal of Honor recipient from the state of Louisiana. Jeff was buried at St. Michael Cemetery in St. Martinville, with a full military honors. Jeff, with his wife Louise, was professed a Carmelite on 07-May-82, and made his Definitive Promise in 1985. Louise preceded her husband in death in 2005. Jeff was born on 15-Feb-21 in Lockport LA, making him 86 when he died. His funeral at St Martin de Tours in St. Martinville was presided over by his son, Fr. Jeff DeBlanc Jr., and served by his grandson, Seminarian Michael DeBlanc. Jeff is the first Carmelite of our province to be honored with an obituary in a national publication of the status of Time Magazine. We reprint below the photograph by Nick del Calzo and text as both appeared in Time’s “Milestones”:

Jefferson DeBlanc Sr. protected his fellow aces by shooting down five Japanese warplanes during a mission over the Sol­omon Islands —even though his own plane was nearly out of gas and he knew he could not make it back to base. He swam eight miles to an island, where one indigenous tribe traded him to another — which helped ferry him to safety— for a 10-lb. sack of rice. DeBlanc was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Purple Heart and other decorations. He was 86.

--Time Magazine obituary, 10-Dec-07, p. 31.

Mississippi

Camille Gloria Durkin made her profession on 15-Jul-07 at a special Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel in her parish church, St Mary’s Basilica in Natchez. Fr. Leopold Keffler OFMConv., who comes home every year during the summer for his vacation received her First Promise and gave a homily on the importance of the Evangelical Counsels in the lives of all the Faithful, with particular emphasis on those laity who are members of Secular Orders. A substantial number of parishioners attended in addition to Camille's family and invited guests, as there had been a notice in the parish bulletin explaining the celebration. We believe that at least 80 people received the Eucharist.

There was a supper reception following the Mass. The original intention was to use the Basilica's social hall, which is in the basement. Unfortunately that was the day the Parish staff found a water leak, and the city cut off the water. This meant that there was no water to any of the church complex. We therefore moved the reception [literally picked up the decorations and food and moved them] to Camille's parents' home. At least 60 people attended the reception.

Tennessee

Provincial councillor Gerald Alford made visitation of Knoxville October 20-21, posed here with the council: George Quinter, President Mark Calvert, Ghislaine Miller, and Formation Director Jan Hicks. On 05-Nov-07, I appointed George Quinter [left] president following the resignation of Mark Calvert. Mark has been president of this group since they began. He has been a wonderful president, but decided it was time for a change in leadership. At the last visitation, a ballot was taken of the members and Councillor George was their selection. The provincial council approved, and I was happy to appoint him the new leader of this Study Group.

Georgia

Fr. Desmond Ohankwere MSP, a native Nigerian, has served as Assistant to our Savanah Group since 2005. Father has now been selected as Regional Superior and will need to move to the regional headquarters in Houston. Our eyes now turn to the next priest to serve at St Benedict the Moor Church for someone to replace Fr. Desmond. Congratulations Father on your new office. We wish you well and thank you for serving our order these past three years.

Texas

I appointed Councillor Margaret Yong president of St Therese Study Group in Houston following Chris Woods’ resignation. Alice Adler was appointed Councillor on 21-Nov-07. Chris remains chairman of our Houston 2008 Congress.

In August 2005, Provincial Councillor Gerald Alford made visitation of our Study Group in McAllen, recommending to the provincial council, canonical status. In March 2006, I wrote the bishop requesting his permission to establish them as a canonical entity in his diocese. On 13-Jun-07, Bishop Raymundo Peña gave permission to found a canonical Carmelite community in the diocese of Brownsville. I then asked the local council to choose a patron and a church in which to file the canonical papers. They chose Blessed Miriam of Jesus Crucified, and Holy Spirit parish in McAllen. I requested canonical status from Rome on Nov 14th, and Fr. Aloysius from Singapore secured the Fr. General’s permission on that very same day. I flew down to Harlingen on Friday Dec. 7th, and we celebrated the Mass of their community’s establishment on Saturday, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The first picture shows Councillor Jesus Campos reading the Constitutions dealing with canonical establishment. In the next picture I give the canonical decree from Rome to president Lucia Dominguez. In the third picture, I pose with the founders of the community: Rosalinda Ramirez, Lucy Dominguez & Cyndi Bujanda. God bless all of you who have labored and prayed so faithfully these last six years in building up a fine vibrant Carmelite community.

On the Saturday after Christmas, Dec. 29th, one of our novices died. Margaret East of our New Caney community had been fighting lung cancer since this picture was taken last September at Fr. Patrick Segrue’s retreat at Deer Trail. Margaret was born 05-Oct-32, and was clothed in the large scapular in New Caney on 11-Jun-06. Formation Director Georgina Torres writes, “She was a very devoted true Carmelite. She loves her community very much.” President Margaret Nunez writes, “She is our first member of our community that is taken to heaven to be with Our Beloved Lord and Our Blessed Mother. She was indeed ready to go; but; alas; we were not so eager to see her leave this earth or us. Margaret had only been with our community for a short period of time, but, left a large hole in our hearts. She will be greatly missed in our community.” Margaret was buried in Lufkin, Texas.

--Fr. John Michael OCD, prov, delg.