Vicki Richards and Katherine Catugal took part in the rite of admission.
Jennie Roller and Mary Ann Gauyan made their first promise.
Alda Mae Takabayashi and Celia Ona made their definitive promise. Father Francis Sanchez led all three ceremonies. (Photos courtesy Darlene Tvrdy)
By Darlene Tvrdy
Special to the Herald
The Discalced Carmelite Secular Group of Hawaii held a triple ceremony June 1 at the Carmelite monastery chapel on the grounds of St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kaneohe.
The group welcomed two new members, Katherine Catugal and Vicki Richards, in a rite of admission ceremony. Jennie Roller and Mary Ann Gauyan, meanwhile, made their first promise, and Alda Mae Takabayashi and Celia Ona made their definitive promise.
The first promise is a three-year commitment and the definitive promise is a lifelong commitment to pursue personal holiness through Carmelite spirituality and to care for others with prayer and good works.
Father Francis Sanchez was the celebrant for the three ceremonies.
The monastery at St. Stephen, Carmel of the Holy Trinity, is where Discalced Carmelite nuns live in a cloistered community. (“Discalced” means “without shoes.”)
The Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS), commonly known as secular Carmelites, is a branch and an integral part of the Carmelite order. The seculars are lay Catholics, men and women, married and single, from all walks of life, who integrate the Carmelite spirituality into their daily lives in order to seek God and share him with others through prayer and apostolate.
The life of a Discalced Carmelite secular includes:
- Daily prayer and meditation
- Frequent participation in the celebration of Mass
- Study and reflection of Scripture and the writings of Carmelite saints
- Devotion to and imitation of Mary
- Confraternity with the Discalced Carmelite secular community through monthly meetings
- Participation in individual and community apostolate through prayer and service for family, neighbors and society
- Discalced Carmelite seculars are spread throughout the world in various communities, with each community canonically established under the direction of the general superior of the Discalced Carmelite Order.
The name of Hawaii’s community is the Flos Carmeli and St. Joseph Group. The group meets monthly at the Carmelite monastery chapel at St. Stephen Diocesan Center.
For more information about the Discalced Carmelite seculars, contact Darlene Tvrdy, OCDS, Hawaii Discalced Carmelite Secular Group leader, at ocdshawaii@gmail.com or (808) 254-6677.
