Please note the schedule for the Holy Triduum here at our monastery chapel. We hope to see you there! The post Holy Triduum Schedule first appeared on Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus ..read more

Many faithful Catholics pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent, either on their own or with their parish. Many parishes have this prayer service offered on Friday evenings during Lent. We would like to pray the Stations with you this last week of Lent, Holy Week. The pictures we’ve chosen are photos of the framed pictures of the Stations in our Nuns’ choir (our private chapel). Each picture is a close-up of the Face of Christ and a few other characters along the “Way”. We wanted to capture the countenances of the faces only, so the rest of the scene is not included.  The Office of Rea ..read more

Blessed Palm/Passion Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week! We pray in the Liturgy of the Hours for Lauds (morning prayer) the antiphon and intercessions below. As you pray this with us, let us all unite in welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem, and into our very lives this week. And let us not leave Him alone as He bears our sufferings and the sins of the whole world. May we be counted among the faithful, with the angels and with the children. Triumphant over death, we sing with them, ‘Hosanna in the highest.’ Let us adore Christ the Lord. When he entered Jerusalem, the crowds proclaimed him Messi ..read more

If you haven’t’ been over to our YouTube Channel lately, we put up a new video called “Winter … Be Still”. It’s a reminder of the beauty of winter and the quiet stillness that may be missed by us, if we don’t stop for a moment and “be still.” We hope you enjoy it for a break in your day, a time to reflect and adore God in his creation. The post New Video: Winter .. Be Still first appeared on Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus ..read more

Mary, Queen of Carmel Association This past October our Little Rock Carmel “hosted” our triannual meeting for Mary, Queen of Carmel Association. “What is that?” you might ask. A short answer is that we are 17 different “Carmels”, or Discalced Carmelite monasteries, who join together for support in our common vocation as Discalced Carmelite Nuns. Most of these Carmels are in the U.S., two are located in Canada. Each community is autonomous, but united under our Association/Federation President and her Council. Diocese of Little Rock We had a wonderful gathering right here in Little Rock, Arkans ..read more

Priest and Doctor of the Church Feastday: December 14th John was born at Fontiveros in Spain about 1542. He entered the Carmelites and with the permission of his superiors began to live a stricter life. Afterwards he was persuaded by Saint Teresa to begin, together with some others, the Discalced reform within the Order; this cost him much hard work and many trials. He died in Ubeda in 1591, outstanding in holiness and wisdom, to which his many spiritual writings give eloquent witness. Celebrating the Solemnity We would like to share with you some jewels from the Carmelite Proper of the L ..read more

If you haven’t heart yet, we would like to share the great news just out today, on this Carmelite solemnity of St. Teresa of Jesus. The article below is taken from Catholic New Agency. _______________________________________ From CNA: Pope Francis highlights ‘little greatness’ of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in apostolic letter  By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Oct 15, 2023 / 05:55 am Pope Francis has commended the “little greatness” of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in a new message focusing on the 19th-century Carmelite’s relevance for the Church today. St. Thérèse’s “genius consists ..read more

All the nuns at the Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus wish you a very blessed solemnity of St. Teresa of Jesus today! Since it is Sunday the Church does not celebrate it, but Carmelites retain it on their liturgical calendar as one of the prominent feasts of our Order (along with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. John of the Cross). Today we pray the last day of our Novena to St. Teresa, and close it with this last reflection on her life and legacy. We have been praying for all the intentions given us for the Novena. May St. Teresa obtain from “His Majesty” many graces for us all. The Testimony of St ..read more

As we continue with our Novena to St. Teresa of Jesus we now turn to reflect on the great legacy St. Teresa has left to the Church. Her many natural gifts blossomed into a supernatural life of prayer and contemplation. Now countless other souls can benefit from wisdom! The lives of the saints are God’s special gift to his pilgrim people.  Each saint is a very special interpretation of the original revelation of God, Jesus Christ.  Although each saint is a unique person living in different circumstances, together, they present the whole Church with a living Gospel. A Very Human Model ..read more

TERESA IN THE CONVENT OF THE INCARNATION The distress that Teresa felt on leaving home quickly passed, and her father almost immediately accepted her decision.  She was very happy in the convent and knew that her decision was the right one.  Later, she would write, “At the time, my entrance into this new life gave me a joy so great that it has never failed me to this day”. The Carmelite Convent of the Incarnation in Avila, founded in 1479, was the largest in Spain, with more than 140 nuns.  Teresa called it “a secure state” and “a house in which there were many servants of God f ..read more