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OUR CARMELITE
monastery
THE CARMEL OF MARY AND ST. MARY MAGDALINE
ORDER OF DISCALCED CARMELITES
We are a contemplative, cloistered community of Discalced Carmelite nuns under solemn vows. We maintain strict enclosure, wear the full habit as a sign of poverty and consecration to God, and preserves many of the traditional monastic observances. Our lifestyle is simple and austere, but not excessively so.
Daily, we have mass, pray the Divine Office, work, and enjoy recreation time to enliven our community. In the words of Saint Teresa herself: “Lord, deliver us from gloomy saints!” We work to transform all that we do into prayer, as expressed in our motto:
Zeolo Zelatus Sum Pro Domino Deo Exercituum
Zealous for the Lord of hosts!
LOOKING FOR MORE?
Let us help you get closer to the Word of God in your everyday life. Send us your prayer requests, schedule some time to speak with a Sister, or explore the different ways you can join our extended family and support our mission.
OUR VISION
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WHAT WE DO
Prayer, both communal and solitary, is
the center of this life.
OUR COMMUNITY
We are a community of cloistered, contemplative religious under solemn vows. By our style and way of life, we express our call to follow Our Lord ever more closely in silence and solitude.
community spirit
Carmelite monasteries are independent; each community develops its own family spirit.
The Flemington Carmel chooses to maintain strict enclosure, wear the full habit as a sign of poverty and consecration to God, and preserves many of the traditional monastic observances. The lifestyle is simple and austere, but not excessively so. Two daily hours of recreation enrich and enliven community living. In the words of Saint Teresa herself… “Lord, deliver us from gloomy saints!”
Discalced Carmelite nuns are called to a vocation of prayer. Through our charism of contemplation, we fill an important role in the Universal Church – to bring souls to God.
In the documents of Vatican II, the modern-day mission of contemplative religious life is outlined. This mission has remained the same for centuries:
“For they offer to God a sacrifice of praise which is outstanding. Moreover, the manifold results of their holiness lend luster to the People of God which is inspired by their example and which gains new members by their apostolate which is as effective as it is hidden… thus they are revealed to be a glory of the Church and a wellspring of heavenly graces”.
Carmel is the Order of Our Lady. She is the Mother and model for our life of joyful obedience and service. The ancient traditions of the Order begin with the Prophet Elijah. His ardent cry, “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts,” is Carmel’s inspiration.
Saint Teresa of Avila inherited Elijah’s burning zeal for the glory of God and of His Church. Her unique charism was to instill this spirit of totality in her Carmelite daughters.
Discalced Carmelite nuns throughout the world continue to pray for the salvation of souls, the ministry of priests and other petitions brought to us as we participate in the work of Jesus Christ and His Church.
founding principles
The Glimpses of Carmel – 4 – St. Teresa JM+JT
When our Holy Mother St. Teresa wrote the Way of Perfection, she was responding to the request of her nuns who asked to be taught about prayer. What was intended to be a collection of practical advice for her Carmelite daughters, however, was destined to become a valuable guide on the spiritual life benefitting the entire Church.
She sums up her whole aim when she writes, “Everything I have advised you about in this book is directed toward the complete gift of ourselves to the Creator.” In her delightful conversational style, she seems to address those who, like the rich young man in the Gospels, realize they still lack something to fulfill their highest aspiration, the goal he calls “eternal life.” This something could be described as spiritual freedom, and it is a quality so central to the writings of St. Teresa and beautifully observed in her life.
Our Holy Mother had great interior liberty, making her docile and receptive to the extraordinary graces Our Lord gave her in prayer. This enabled her to live in a deeply intimate relationship with Jesus, always aware of His loving gaze upon her and striving to please Him in all her actions. As a mother and teacher, her desire is that we too might come to know ourselves in the light of God’s infinite mercy and goodness, and humbly acknowledge our dependence on Him.
St. Teresa thus encourages us in the virtue of detachment to bring about this “holy freedom of spirit,” which she tells us is needed to “fly to your Maker without being held down by clay or leaden feet.” Time and again she urges us to reflect on how swiftly the things of this world pass away. “This helps remove our attachment to trivia and center it on what will never end.
Detachment according to the Teresian ideal is not somber deprivation . It is the joyful renunciation that results in enlargement of soul, increasing our capacity to receive God’s own life. As our Holy Mother says, “What helps is that the soul embrace the good Jesus our Lord with determination, for since in Him everything is found, in Him everything is forgotten.” By freely choosing to reach out to the eternal good, our hands necessarily let go of what prevents us from attaining the true happiness we seek.
The connection between freedom and the eternal good is at the heart of St. John Paul II’s encyclical Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth), which celebrates its 25th anniversary on August 6 this year, the feast of the Transfiguration. St. John Paul II states: “Perfection demands that maturity in self-giving to which human freedom is called.” The gift of freedom bestowed on us by God reaches its peak when we use it to make a gift of ourselves to Him. Our Holy Mother affirms, “O my Sisters, what strength lies in this gift! It does nothing less, when accompanied by the necessary determination, than draw the Almighty so that He becomes one with our lowliness, transforms us into Himself, and effects a union of the Creator with the creature. Behold whether or not you are well paid and have a good Master.”
The rich young man in the Gospels went away sorrowful because he could not give up his possessions, nor ultimately his very self, to follow Jesus. But it is not too late for a happy ending. Echoing the words of our Good Teacher, Jesus, our Holy Mother St. Teresa extends the same invitation to each one of us.
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have
our history
Mother Mary Magdalen of Jesus Crucified, then Prioress of the Morristown Carmel, was inspired to make a foundation in response to Our Lady of Fatima’s call for prayer and penance. She was grateful when Bishop Griffin of Trenton welcomed the new community into his Diocese. The new monastery was established in New Brunswick, New Jersey on a 3 ½ acre property, which included a large old house.
The living room was converted into a chapel, and the adjoining dining room was set up as choir. The first Mass was celebrated October 15, 1949 on the feast of our Holy Mother, Saint Teresa of Avila.
From the beginning, a group of Hungarian Franciscans were faithful friends and served as chaplains for more than 35 years. Bishop George Ahr, successor to Bishop Griffin, was also an enthusiastic supporter, as well as the first of a large group of Tertiaries.
Our community remained in New Brunswick until 1956, when we moved to a large rural property on the outskirts of Flemington. Coincidentally, the hillside where the new monastery was built had been called ‘Mount Carmel’, named by early Protestant settlers in the 1600’s.
The monastery served our community well for 16 years, but eventually the large buildings and the work and expense of maintaining such an endeavor became a burden to the community. A decision was made to find a more manageable location. In 1972 the property was sold to the Little Sisters of the Poor and the community moved into our present location on Harmony School Road. Here we enjoy our ‘mini-farm’, which provides an inspiring location to carry out our ministry of prayer. We are blessed to have a resident chaplain.
saint joseph association
The Carmelite nuns of Flemington belong to the Saint Joseph’s Association of Carmelite Monasteries. Members in this American association are like-minded communities who share a commitment to serve Christ and His Church through the charism of prayer. To fully embrace this ministry, participating Carmels choose to live a traditional interpretation of the Rule given to us by our Holy Mother, Saint Teresa of Avila. The principal aims of the Association are:
1. In the genuine Teresian spirit, to bear witness of love and obedience to the Holy Father and to the Magisterium of the Church.
2. To foster fidelity to the Rule, our Constitutions and other documents, especially concerning contemplative life and enclosure, issued by the Holy See.
3. To strengthen each other in living the cloistered contemplative life of St. Teresa, and to give a clear witness that prayer is its primary apostolate.
4, To provide mutual aid when possible in the form of personnel, material and financial help in accordance with the norms of Canon Law.
LIST OF MEMBER CARMELS
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