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The
History of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
“The life of our institute must be
contemplative and active;
the one must be helped and not burden
to the other.”
Blessed
Maria Teresa Scrilli
Founded in
Italy, the institute of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is
the labour of Maria Scrilli, known as the Servant of God; Sr. Maria
Teresa of Jesus, born in Montevarchi, Italy, Maria always possessed
a marked tendency toward prayer and a powerful connection to the
Carmelite devotion to spirituality. She felt the calling of the Lord
and overcame many obstacles to at last fulfill her passion to become
a Carmelite Sister.
Maria`s
love for the Blessed Virgin Mary guided her as she formally
dedicated the foundation of her Institute on October 15, 1854. She
shared her contemplative and apostolic ardour with the Sisters who
followed her.
An excerpt
from her autobiography reads...
“The
sense of the divine presence
had become continuous in
me.
It was a very pleasant
union;
I could not resign myself
to
abandon it if I was not
persuaded
to leave God for God, that is,
to
leave God in the contemplation of
Mary, so as to find him again
in
the duties and cares of
Martha.
Ceasing, thus to enjoy Him
and
to go and toil for Him, and
then
to come back, to rest
Him.”
Originally,
the primary purpose of the institute was “leading the souls to God”
using prayers, and apostolate teaching to children from their most
tender years, through to adolescence. As time continued and their
work as well, Co-foundress Maria Mosca, was inspired to serve the
Lord through serving the sick and the aged.
Quickly
known for their compassionate hearts, generous spirit and spiritual
warmth, the Sisters continued their work with the sick and
educating, the young. They soon found themselves answering the call
to social work and pastoral ministry. The Carmelite Sisters opened
houses in the United States, Canada, Poland, India, Brazil, Czech
Republic, Philippines, Indonesia and Israel in addition to the many
houses operating throughout Italy. The Institute affiliated to the
Carmelite Order on March 31, 1929always persevering to spread the
Kingdom of God among the nations.
Our Lady of
Mount Carmel is the Patroness and model of our Institute. Our Lady
teaches us to listen to God by being open to the Holy Spirit
speaking to us in our hearts. Our Lady instructs us to respond
generously as she did through our response of “YES” to God`s call
and she encourages us to live with our hearts and minds constantly
turned towards the Blessed Trinity.
Today, we
continue to wear the same brown habit as a sign of our Consecration
to God. We wear it with dignity and devotion both in and out of the
house. The habit consists of a brown dress and scapular, a black
veil and white cloak that are worn on formal days and particular
occasions. The small wooden cross-worn on the scapular is the
distinctive sign of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is
for us, the constant reminder of the life Mary lived and how those
who wear the Scapular should strive to live; with mind and heart
turned to God – ever contemplating, the loving presence of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwelling within
us.
On December
2, 2003, in the presence of the Holy Father, The Heroic Virtue of
the Servant of God, Maria Teresa of Jesus (known as Maria Scrilli,
1825-1889) foundress of the Institute of The Sisters of Our Lady of
Mount Carmel, was declared. On Sunday October 8, 2006 Maria Teresa
Scrilli was beatified in Fiesole, Italy.
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