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Home > Our People > Nuns (Sisters)
Carmelite Nuns, Bomana, PNG
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Four Jubilee Sharings
1. Sr Eliane Chariot ocd
On 14th December 1952, in Lisieux, we celebrated the Silver
Jubilee of Therese as Patroness of the Missions. For 24 hours, every
hour, there was a Mass in union with the country where it was 7
o’clock, celebrated either by a national or a missionary of
the place. At that time, before the Council, there was no question
of concelebration. Well, it was a day of grace for us and for me
in particular. I remember very well my prayer to Therese: “I
am happy as a lark here in our Carmel, but if it must give more
glory to God that I go to the Missions, manage.” She must
have done, because two years after I was sailing for the South Hemisphere
together with Sr Anne of the Trinity, now in Ormiston. An interesting
point is that on the 14 December 1952, Anne’s mother was in
the chapel of Lisieux Carmel praying for a companion for her daughter
who was planning to go to Yule Island. At the time I thought I was
giving all but in reality I was to receive so, so much. In spite
of some very hard passages along the journey, had I to start all
over again, I would do it. Our God is a faithful God and we never
regret being faithful.
Sr Eliane Chariot ocd, began her Carmelite life
in the Carmel of Lisieux, receiving the habit from Sr. Pauline,
the sister of St. Therese of Lisieux.
2. Sister Mary of the Cross, 86 years old
July 13th, 1942 - 2002. Diamond jubilee! Sixty years a spouse
of Jesus!
It hasn’t seemed that long at all. Apart from several rather
tough times, they have been happy years while I grew deeper into
the love of God and our Blessed Mother.
When several good priests knew I was to enter Carmel in Kew they
tried to dissuade me. One who had been in to attend to a dying Nun
told me the house was damp and would be unhealthy. It wasn’t.
Others told me the fast was very serious and with no meat and the
extreme cold of the place I would contract TB and die very young
like Therese.
Another told me the beds were cement with straw over it! I had never
read our Holy Mother’s Life or Foundations or the other works
so I did not take all that seriously. Happily I had a good Spiritual
Father who encouraged me with “His grace is sufficient for
me”. So I entered. Life in the Kew Carmel was strict then,
the old Constitutions fully observed. I did everything as well as
I could so that they wouldn’t send me away. One day I said
that to my ‘angel’ who replied: “Oh, you aren’t
like me. I was afraid they would not send me away!” She is
still there and precious.
I had wanted to join a missionary Congregation, but all doors were
closed against me and my Spiritual Father assured me I had a vocation
for Carmel.
So when the PNG Carmel – then temporarily in Brisbane Carmel
- appealed for volunteers to return with them after the war I was
delighted to be accepted. I came up with Sister Marjorie Mary in
1947 and have been very happy here ever since.
The grace of the jubilee was like a crowning of all the loving kindness
of our dear Lord and his Blessed Mother on all the years and I hope
I can thank them here for the rest of my life, then forever and
ever in Heaven!
With love to you all and prayers
Yours,
Mary of the Cross ocd
3. Sister Mary Aloysia, Philipina, 78 years
Golden Jubilee, 1952 - 2002
Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am starting the account of my Golden
Jubilee with an apology: I am not able to write for publication,
but I am invited to do it so I’ll do my best. My Jubilee is
a really deep gratitude to God for all that He has done for me in
these 50 years of religious life. I can say that I it is His work
only for I have not done any good by my own. I admit that there
had been good things happening during these 50 years of my religious
life, but it was God who did it. As for myself, I cannot even compare
my religious life to the religiosity of a fervent postulant. And
when I read what St Therese said that since the age of three she
never refused anything to Jesus, I think of how many times I refused,
not only 7 times, but seventy times seven. For when I look at the
footprints in the sand, there were not two pairs of foot prints
all along but only one pair though some times there were several
foot prints muddled together. That was when Jesus was stumbling
under the weight of my infidelity and my feet reached the sand.
So Jesus reached the 50 years carrying me through.
Then also my gratitude goes to my beloved community. To them my
very big thank you for celebrating my Jubilee especially with the
lovely liturgy presided by the Bishop concelebrating with 6 different
religious priests. And in spite of being few in the community and
none really young, the sisters amazed me by decorating the sanctuary,
the choir, even my doorway, all worthy of the Queen of Carmel. They
even prepared some refreshments for those who attended the ceremony
in our small chapel and a festive meal for us.
So all my gratitude goes from God to my community and back from
them to God.
May I ask you all to pray for me that I may carry my Jubilee grace
and blessing to the end of my life. Thank you.
4. Sister Susana [niece of Mary Aloysia]
Silver Jubilee, feast of the Immaculate Conception, 1977 - 2002
The celebration of my Silver Jubilee came as a surprise to me. Having
been told that a silver jubilee was not as important as a golden
one, I had concluded that there was no celebration, except with
the Community. So to have the papal Nuncio as main Celebrant was
still more surprising.
Early October, Sr Eliane asked me if I would be happy to have the
Nuncio as main Celebrant as he is a Filipino. At first I felt embarrassed
to have a Nuncio for my Silver Jubilee because I did not feel ready
for a celebration. Even after 25 years, I felt I haven’t started
yet! On the other hand it was a good reason to invite him as we
had not met him yet, and we shall find out afterwards he was also
wishing for an occasion to visit our Carmel. So I didn’t make
any objection but took it as a smile from our Lord and the Blessed
Mother. It turned out to be a real blessing. He was happy to be
invited, appreciated our life very much and gave a beautiful homily
during mass. One Deacon and three priests concelebrated with him
while a couple of priests preferred to stand with the people in
the chapel.
The community worked very hard to decorate the Chapel and made a
lot of fuss to make the day special. It was a great blessing indeed.
Thank you.
Sr Susana Serafina of Jesus
Carmelite Monastery,
Bomana
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