Seventy-two years. That’s how long the Carmelite Monastery of Santa Fe has been a haven of prayer. It is nestled in the foothills. These are the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Here in the high desert of northern New Mexico, the monastery embodies solitude. It embraces poverty and simplicity. The lifestyle is faithful to enclosure. A warm family spirit thrives in this community.
The Mount Carmel Chapel follows a daily rhythm. It starts before dawn. A united chorus of praise rises to God. This is followed by quiet communion in personal prayer. The community gathers around the altar for Holy Mass. Simple manual work fills the hours. The Divine Office is recited. The Carmelites share the day’s fruits in the evening. They return to community prayer. Lectio Divina closes the day before retiring.
The Carmel of Santa Fe reflects the spirit of Elijah the Prophet. Its founders lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the 12th century. The landscape mirrors their rugged simplicity. The monastery is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Saint Teresa. The presence of past Carmelites permeates each day. Saints John of the Cross, Therese the Little Flower, and Elizabeth of the Trinity guide them. They see themselves as a vine. Saint Teresa planted it. Its roots extend back to Spain.
The Santa Fe monastery follows the Spanish Carmelite tradition. Saint Teresa de Ávila established this order in the 16th century. She entered the convent in 1535. Born Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada in Ávila, Spain, she was a writer and mystic. Saint Teresa reformed the Carmelite Order. In 1568, with Saint John of the Cross, she restored ancient practices. Pope Gregory XV canonized her in 1622. Pope Paul VI named her a Doctor of the Church in 1970.
The Carmelites also have a strong French tradition. Therese Martin was born in Lisieux. She entered a Carmelite monastery in 1873. Pope Pius XI canonized Saint Therese in 1925. Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church in 1997.
The Carmelites consist of friars, nuns, and laypeople. There are two thousand friars. They live an active parish life. Seven hundred nuns live a cloistered life. Approximately 30000 members belong to the Laypeople of the Secular Order. They have provinces worldwide. They have missions from Bolivia to Zimbabwe. In New Mexico, Carmelite monasteries exist in Santa Fe and Las Cruces.
In 1945, the Carmelites came to Santa Fe. Mother Mary Teresa and five sisters established a monastery on Mount Carmel Road. Mother Mary Teresa’s given name was Guadalupe De Leon. She entered a monastery in Mexico at 19. In 1926, President Plutarco Elias Calles led a repressive, anti-Catholic regime. The young nun fled persecution to the U.S. She became the prioress of the Carmelite monastery in Dallas. In 1960, she left Santa Fe. She founded a new monastery in Jefferson City, MO. She died there on July 15, 1997, at 94.
The nuns of Mount Carmel Chapel live in fidelity to the Church. They embrace the evangelical counsels. These are obedience, chastity, and poverty. They entrust themselves to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The Carmelites seek to draw all into the search for God. They believe that He is the one thing necessary. God is. This is the silent message of Mount Carmel Chapel.