DALLAS DISCALCED CARMELITE RETREAT - PART TWO

FOR PART ONE
SEE POST FOR 10-16-16


THE CARMELITE RETREAT THIS WEEK IS BEING HELD AT THE 
NAZARETH RETREAT HOUSE OUTSIDE DALLAS

There are various groups of Carmelite priests, brothers, sisters and lay members. This community of priests and one brother does not have direct ties to the Carmelite Community of Sisters (formally of Newburg Road in Louisville).  They are from a different Province even though they both  use the letters OCD , Order of Discalced Carmelites, after their names. The Carmelites who ran Our Lady of Carmel Parish and DeSales High School  in Louisville are of a different group. They used the letters O. Carm. Order of Carmelites, after their names. 

This retreat is being held at the Provincial House for Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
It is a Polish Community of Sisters

Almost everything here is Texas is bi-lingual including this community of Carmelite Friars.

This retreat property is wonderfully new and clean. It was built by the Sisters right before the decline in numbers and their merge with another community. They turned their Novitiate into a Retreat House. It is very well kept - buildings and grounds.



Here is a shot of one of the morning conferences on the first day.



Table Number One



Table number two.
On the right is the Provincial Superior. 
On the left, in the white beard, is the only Brother in the Province.



Table number three.
Second on the right is the only Vietnamese member of the Community who escaped Vietnam in an open boat at the end of the war, after being caught, arrested and imprisoned two times. 



Doing my thing at a typical morning session. We had two sessions each morning. 



The other side of the room. For a complete view, see above. 




I caught Vietnamese Father Marion Joseph "working out" with a wooden pole in the parking lot late last evening. He was twisting wildly as he stretched his body. He had no idea I was watching in fascination. It was completely dark except for the parking lot lights. It took me a while to figure out what was going on! 



On the final today, went went to one of the local "houses," Mount Carmel Center, which also serves as a retreat house.  It was built as a minor seminary originally. 



One of the art pieces of Mount Carmel Center is an old "altar piece" from Spain depicting the giving of the Rule by Bishop (Saint) Albert of Jerusalem to the Carmelites between 1206-1214. The panel shows the balance of Church (right side) and State (left side) and the Carmelite origins of hermits living in caves on Mount Carmel along the top.  
Notice the stripped capes that they originally wore over their brown habits. They were replaced later with a simple white cape which resulted in them being nicknamed "white monks." The Dominicans wear a black cape over their white habits. 



Another three art pieces from Spain at Mount Carmel Center are these two heavily carved wood panels and an icon of the Blessed Mother and Child. 
This Province of Carmelite Priests and Brothers, founded originally in Oklahoma City, identifies especially with the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux, the "Little Flower." 




IT MUST HAVE GONE WELL. I WAS ASKED WHETHER I MIGHT CONSIDER COMING BACK FOR ANOTHER  COMMUNITY EVENT IF ASKED. 

OF COURSE I WOULD, IF SCHEDULED WELL IN ADVANCE.