The Carmelite Heritage Room at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel features displays of written material (books, programs, newspaper articles, etc.), photographs, and artifacts that tell the history, not only of the New York Province of St. Elias, but also of Carmelites, past and present, who have shaped both the Carmelite Order and the world.
The current exhibit pays tribute to the Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, O. Carm., Foundress of the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm. The four display cases in the Heritage room tell her story using historic material from the Provincial Archives.
About Venerable Mary Angeline and the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm:
In 1912, at the age of nineteen, the Venerable Mary Angeline left home to join the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Roman Catholic religious congregation engaged in the care of the destitute aged. After her profession in 1915, she was sent to America. In 1926, she was appointed Superior of a Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor in the Bronx. Believing that her congregation’s mission and methods were not fully aligned with the needs of the American population she served, she petitioned sought advice and counsel from Cardinal Patrick Hayes, the Archbishop of New York. The cardinal encouraged her in her work and suggested that she expand her ministry to include the aged throughout the New York City area. In 1929, to accomplish what she felt called to do, and with the blessing of Cardinal Hayes, she and six other Sisters withdrew from the Little Sisters of the Poor and were granted permission from the Vatican to begin a new congregation for the care of the aged.Â
When established in 1929, the new congregation for the Aged and Infirm was the first American Community of religious women founded solely to care for the aged. From the very start, the Carmelite friars in New York took a deep interest in assisting the Venerable Mary Angeline and her companions. The first Provincial of the St. Elias, the Very Reverend Dionysius Flanagan, O.Carm., knew the Venerable Mary Angeline as a Little Sister of the Poor when she was the superior of Our Lady’s Home in the Bronx. In 1931 the new congregation became formally affiliated with the Carmelite Order and was henceforth known as the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. This relationship has endured for nearly ninety-five years. 
On June 28, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI declared Mother Angeline as Venerable Mary Angeline Teresa, O.Carm.
Contact the Shrine Director for an appointment to visit the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 845-343-1879
Address: 70 Carmelite Dr., Middletown, NY 10940