The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-12-01
To understand this thoroughly read the
discourse carefully.
The Disealeed Carmelites.

, oou oPPnhShuy oo o'Aobeo 'oAioSSS "ANA 49,
Repu blican instiI Iutions.
The ceremony, performed by the Most Rev
Arch bishop, assisted by the Very Rev. G. A
Rouxel, YIoar-General, Father Hubert, 81
Con fessor of the Carmelites, and other distir
gushed clergymen of tae city, consisted in
CLOSING THE DOORS OF The CLo1sTERs
10 which were four nuns-and in .olemn nll
announcing that, henceforth, no one, under
penalty of exoommunioation, could pass it,
threshold, unless by special disrensation. Th,
enclosed portion of the convent includes q
moderate sized yard in which the Nuns pss
their short time of recreation and in which il
an oratory dedicated to the Blessed Virgin
The exterior chapel is open to the public, the
Nuns literally hearing Mass in their grated
| room behind the Altar.
| The Archbishop explained in few eloquent
| words the object of the Order, its salutsry in
! fluence upon the world at large, and the bles-
sings which it's establish ment here in our
midst would be likely to draw down upon
the city and people. Hs humorously alluded
to those good people who sometimes suggest
''What if all the world should become Religi-
ons 2" and effectually allsyed such fears by the
assurance that it would always be only the .fe,c
who would choose to lead retired and peniten-
tial lives, and that the religious vocation being
SO very slightly contagious, would in all hu-
man probability-at least in pleasure loving
Louisiana-never become epidemic.
When the cloister dool-the sole means of
egress or ipgrese-was sealed by the sign Of
the cross, glorious hymn OF thanksgiving,
the Tie Dtnm of the Church, was chanted by
the choir and, although to us of the world
the joyous strains seemed strangely out of
place with the stern surroundings, yet we
had enough of Faith to feel that there are
some souls privileged as to despise the
world and to find in sacrifice the only true and
abiding happinese.
We all have somewhat vague idea that this
Order is one of the most sustere in the Church
and that it's members are drones upon society,
leading lives devoted solely to prayer and con-
temptation. As regards
THE SEVERE DISCIPLINE OF THE ORDER,
our ideas are generally correct, only they are
apt to fall very far below the reality; but as to
the uselessness of its members to society, we
will have word to say later or.
The Carmelite Nun is literally the perfect
of the Mary of the Gospel, Of her
Who sat at the Masters feet, not busyiug her
elf about many things, but lost in adoring
of that one thing necessary which |
Divine Wisdom had assured her, was indeed
he better part.
When Carmelite Nun bids farewell to her |
lome and loved ones, she is truly dead to the |
World. Once within the cloister, she is seen |
'nly from behind a repulsive grating, and |
1nder heavy veil. And when she dies, no |
me from the outside world is permitted to look |
ipoh her face; even in death, she hides herself |
n silence and in gloom.
According to the rules of the Order, tie use |
If meat is never allowed, except in case of
--' and from the 14sh of September to !
10 Easter, only one meal day is allowed {; |
from Easter to September sgsin, in addition to |
the meal o small evening COLLATION. is permit
ted.
These Nups wear no under-linen, are urshod
all the year round, hence their name, dis and
ca1cens. stripped of the shoes. They sleep on
two planks, keep perpetual silence except dur
ing two hours day. Their morning toilet is
made with q common bucket of water, their
single meal Is eaten eff of q bare board, their
rest is taken on hard, bsckless bench, and
walls and floor are as bare and bleak as any
prison cell
What poverty! what destitution! what
And this in our age of comfortable
inventions, in the midst of luxuries without
number, in the heart of o city renowned for
its love of ease, of elegance and of pleasure!
The Carme!ite Nuns recite the Divine Off ce
daily, observing the canonical hours even
during the night, so that
AN UNCEAsING VOICE OF PRAYER
ascends to God from their holy cloisters
through all the hours of their existence. AS
their lives are thus devoted to prayer, they
live on the aims of generous Christians.
although they will gladly take any sewing
that may be brought to them, 80 % to be as
little as possible burden to the community.
They also perform all the manual labor of the
house, such as scrubbing, cleaning, washing,
cooking, etc.
a full community of Carmelites numbers
something like twenty members, with three
Law Siaters within the eucIoRure-th ia