Carmelite Nuns of Ancient Observance, Monastery of St. Therese
Contact
Sr. Gertrude Schrey O.Carm.
Vocation Director
3551 Lanark Rd
Coopersburg, PA 18036-9324
vocations@carmelite-nuns.com
www.carmelite-nuns.com/index.htm
Dioceses
Allentown, PA
Mission
The call to Carmel is a call to serve the Church through prayer and sacrifice. Our apostolate is contemplative prayer for the Church within enclosure. The Order of Carmel dates to its spiritual founder, the prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel, 900 years before Christ. We are cloistered Carmelite nuns, following strict papal enclosure. The essence of the Carmelite contemplative life is: living in the presence of God, in imitation of our most pure Mother Mary and the prophet Elijah. Our charism is guided by our foundress, Mother Therese of Jesus, O.Carm. (Anna Lindenberg). The sisters pray especially for priests, religious and for all missionaries, and we pray and do penance for the whole world. We maintain their own orchards, bake altar breads and do other labors in cloister to maintain the monastery. Each monastery is autonomous.
Qualifications
The candidate must not have been married, must have a good mental balance and good physical health. She must be a high school graduate, community minded, with a sense of sacrifice of self.
Formation
This Carmelite monastery is self-sufficient in the area of formation, a process that involves the entire community. Training in all areas is based on the Carmelite Rule and Constitutions, "Ratio Institutionis Vitae Carmelitanae" and other documents from the Holy See, Vatican II, brochures, periodicals of the Carmelite order and Institute on Religious Life. They use a certain amount of audio cassettes, records, etc., but do not have television.
Province
Autonomous