Dear Members of the Mother Angeline Society,
We find ourselves in the middle of a warm summer, but certainly a busy one. During the month of July, the Carmelite Order celebrated the Feasts of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and that of Saint Elijah, the Prophet and Father of Carmel. In preparation for Mary’s feast day, all of you, as members of the Mother Angeline Society were remembered in a novena of Masses in honor of Our Lady, and your intentions and your spiritual and temporal welfare were brought to prayer at the altar. We are so grateful for your continued support of the Cause for the Beatification and Canonization of Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, O.Carm., and you are always remembered in prayer and at Mass as members of the Society.
As part of my work as Vice Postulator for Mother Angeline’s Cause, I must sometimes review old documents and publications of the Carmelite Sisters. I marvel at how well done the descriptions of the Sisters and their vocation were – including the beautiful photographs. In the “old days” there were Vocation Fairs; the various Sisters, Brothers and priests set up booths where young people could be met, and vocation promotion accomplished. The young people came. This all entered my mind recently, as I have noticed that in the summer of 2023, it is not the young people who are coming, but the Sisters and our own Carmelite Friars going out to meet them at the many events going on. The Church is not asleep, but very active with pilgrimages, camps, retreats and feasts to which young people flock, culminating this summer with World Youth Day in Fatima, at which the Carmelites will be present to show themselves, to witness, to tell their story and to invite today’s men and women to consider Carmel as a way of life or, at least, to know who we are, what we do, and how our vocation can lead them to a meaningful life as a Catholic or as a minister.
Like Mother Angeline, today’s Carmelites, particularly her daughters the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, are proud of their vocation and want to share it with the world, The need to care for the elderly and infirm today is as relevant and necessary as when Mother began in 1929. So…if the people are gathered at pilgrimages and other big events, there the Sisters and Brothers of Carmel must be also. Personal witness and encounter are so much more valuable than simply online presence, though the modern means of communication are vital as well. Attending such Church events immediately shows the rich variety of peoples and cultures the make up the Church and fills one with hope to see the body of Christ alive and well today.
Thank you for your continuing financial and spiritual support of the Cause of Venerable Mother Angeline. We truly count on your generosity. Please share your Bulletin with a neighbor, and tell them about Mother, her virtues and her commitment to compassionate service for God’s elderly. Keep us in your prayers, as you always remain in ours. God bless you and may Our Lady of Mount Carmel watch over you and protect you each day.
In Christ,
Very Reverend Mario Esposito, O.Carm.
Vice Postulator
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