The daily critic., 1890-09-30
THE CARMELITE NUNS.
AN APPROACHING CENTENNIAL OF
PECULIAR INTEREST.
HOW tho Ordor was EstabIished In tho
United states-Tho BeautituI Cere-
mony Of Admitting novice
to the Convent.

religious women established in the
United States, viii celebrate the ceutan-
ary Of their foundation In this country
on October 10. Baltimore has the old
est convent Of the order and there the
principal celebration viii be held.
There are but three other converts Ia
the United States, one in St. Louis, one
IN New orleans and one IN Boston the
latter having BEEN established only a
month ago.
The Carmelite sisteihood is perhaps
the strictest Of any The nuns are
cloistered, and once they enter their
convent they never leave &C. To prop
erly celebrate the centennial, Cardinal
Gibbons has applied to Rome for
THE NECESSARY GNDULeENCEs
that will admit Of the departure from
the regular routine Of convent life.
Before the indulgences from Rome can
be avsiled Of they will be preceded by
a novena, or nine days devotion, in
which the nuns will prepare themselves
by prayer.
Although the centenary will be com
memorated on October 10, the found
ing Of the first convent In the United
States was on July II, 1900, when four
women, three Of whom we're Americans
who had taken nuns vows in Belgium,
landed in Maryland and took up their
abode in Charles County, near Port
Tobacco. The three Americans were
NATIVES OF MARYLAND,
an aunt and her two nieces Of the name
Of Mathews. The fourth founder was
native Of London. They were accom-
panied to America by the Rev. Charles
Neale, S. J., brother Of Archbishop
Neale Of Baltimore, and he gave his
entire patrimonv i'm Maryland to begin
the foundation. Until his death i'm 1923
he devoted himself to the spiritual and
temporal welfare Of the Carmelites.
Since the landing Of
THE FIRST NUN,
the Baltimore community have had
three habitatiuns, the one In Charles
County, the convent In Aisquith street
upon the site now occupied by the
German Orphan Asylum, and the
present convent In Biddle street
The present home Of the nuns was first
occupied on March 81, 1878. The st.
Louis Carmelite Convent was founded
in 1868 by five nuns from the Balti-
more Carmel at the invitation OF
Archbishop Kcurick, the present ven.
erable head of the st. Louis arch.
diocese. The convent at New Orleans
was established I'm 1877 by the first four
proiessed nuns Of the St. Louis Carmel
The Carmellte order IS devoted to
RELIGIOUS MEDITATION
and does not, as a rule, give instruction
20 the young or engage In public work,
as do the other more familiar orders.
The Maryland CarmClites. however.
having become impoverished after the
death Of the Rev. Charles Neale, oh
tanned upon their removal % Baltimore
an Indulgence 10 permit them 10 teach.
They conducted a school In Alsqulth
street for twenty years, giving II up In
1850.
One Of the chief essentials OF the
order Is that the members shall be
cloistered, and neither permitted 10
leave the premises throughout their
lives nor to have any dealings whatso-
ever with persons In the ordinary walks
OF life. Their lives are spent I'm con-
temptation and prayer, the manual
labors being limited to such light work
as embroidery and the making OF vest.
ments and other religious articles.
Outsiders are permitted TO attend
mass In the Chapels Of the nuns con,
vents, but they do not see the sisters,
who are separated from them by
grating In the rear Of the chapels. Zach
convent has what Is called
A SPEAK ROOM.
II Is separated from the inner portion
Of the convent by a grating. near
relative or friend OF a CaTmelite nun
may enter the speak room. and be re-
eeived by the nun at the other side Of
the grating. During the progress Of
the interview the nun remains veIled.
The face is uncovered only In excep-
tional cases, such as the reception Of a
priest.
According to the rules Of the order.
one inmate OF each convent Is allowed
10 leave the premises The transaction
of household business makes this neCes-
sary. Everything pertaining to the do
nestle arrangements of each convent Is
conducted very simply. The food Is Of
the plainest description, aud 10 some
cases is furnished by some Charitably
disposed people. In the early history
of the order In this country, the nuns
we're often Obliged
TO FAST WHOLE DAYS,
because they had no food. They have
been known 10 assemble I'm the dining
room, to say grace, siI In silence over an
empty board and retire 10 their clOisteFs.
The nuns never eat any flesh, and their
habits are Of the cOarsest serge. Their
beds are made of straw and are covered
with serge
The ceremony Of admitting a novice
into this order is a peculiarly impres-
siye one. II is performed after mass,
al which the postulant assists,
ARRAYED AS A BRIDE,
and attended BY maids After listen
ing 10 an eXhoTtatiOn on the life she Is
about 10 enter, the novice accompanied
BY her maids, and bearing with her the
habit and sCapular of the order.
blessed BY The eelebrant OF the mass.
approaches the door Of the clOister,
bids adieu % her relatives and friends,
and then the door opening 10 receive
her passes into the Cl0ister whose
portals are
CLOSED TO BIER UNTIL DEATH.
The reception Of a nun into the Car
melite Order is q rare occurrence iu this
country, owing % the fact that the or
der has So few converts here and also
10 the Circumstance that each separate
convent can only receive eighteen Sis
teTs Al consequence "a Carmelite re-
CepuOu never fails % attract q large
congregation whenever 10 occurs.