While the demographics of the Carmelite community members have changed over the years, their life of prayer in intimate friendship with Christ remains constant.
These are some of the reflections of the Prioress, Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD on the 50th anniversary of the blessing and opening of the Carmelite Monastery in West Launceston.
The Carmelite Monastery in Launceston, Tasmania. PHOTO: Supplied/Archdiocese of Hobart.
Launceston Parish assistant priest Fr Vinco Muriyadan was the celebrant at a Mass of Thanksgiving on 7 June to mark the occasion. As it was only two years on from celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Carmelites in Tasmania, and as community members were in retreat between Ascension and Pentecost, celebrations were low key.
“Being in retreat, preparing for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, was a most fitting way to mark this significant milestone, as we used the occasion to recommit ourselves to our hidden life of prayer and sacrifice,” Mother Teresa Benedicta explained.
“Later, when we were out of retreat, we spent some very enjoyable time as a community looking back over our archive photos and sharing stories that had been handed on to us by the Sisters who formed the community at the time of the move from Longford in 1975.”
The Carmelite Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was founded at Longford in Northern Tasmania in 1948 and moved to Launceston in 1975 to be nearer to the priests and parishioners.
“In terms of similarities, our life is essentially the same as it was 50 years ago: that is, a harmonious rhythm of prayer, manual work, silence, solitude and community life, all of which elements tend towards making possible a life of prayer understood as intimate friendship with Christ so as to be transformed by His grace for the sake of the Church, especially in Tasmania, and for the whole world,” Mother Teresa Benedicta said.
“The same desires, albeit expressed in unique ways for each Sister, have brought our current community members to our Tasmanian Carmel, and this was the case also for each Sister who lived in the Longford monastery and who brought the community to Launceston.”
The blessing and opening of the monastery in 1975. PHOTO: Supplied/Archdiocese of Hobart.
The differences are in the type of work the community does to help support itself, which was mainly farm work and printing at Longford and the provision of liturgical items and artwork now, as well as the demographic of the community itself.
“In 1975, the community was larger but also older, with several Sisters in their twilight years, some needing significant medical care, whereas we are now beginning a new cycle of community life and are a young community once again,” Mother explained.
“Only two of our current Sisters were born when the monastery in Launceston was opened in 1975.”
The Prioress hopes that the next phase of the community will see the “same commitment to prayer and our hidden life of service of the Church that has characterised every stage of our history since we first came from Adelaide in 1948” and that it “will continue to deepen and mature in each Sister’s personal journey towards holiness, as well as having the capacity to be guided by the Holy Spirit to respond to the challenges that modern life in the 21st century presents to those seeking to live the purely contemplative life”.
“I hope we move into this next period of our community’s life full of hope and daring trust in God’s loving providence in our lives, and that many more young women, touched by the Spirit of the Lord to want to give themselves totally to Christ through a life of prayer, will come to join us and continue the life of praise, adoration and thanksgiving that has been lived with joy for 50 years in Launceston and 77 years in Tasmania.
“I also hope and pray that our monastery will continue to provide an oasis of peace and prayer for our priests and lay people as they follow the Lord in the midst of their own busy lives in the world. And in the context of a secular society where so many people struggle to come to faith in the Lord, I hope that our community’s discreet presence overlooking our city, and our silent witness to prayer, will also be a reminder of the truth of God’s existence to all people.”
The Prioress paid tribute to supporters of the community during the move to Launceston, the construction of the new monastery, the establishment of the extensive gardens, and the later additions of the hermitage and the spire over the sanctuary.
She acknowledged: architect Clarry Pryor, Jan and Mary Siejka and their construction firm who built the monastery, and the Auxiliary Committee and other friends who have assisted with fundraising and practical support.
“We also wish to give thanks to the Lord for each of the Sisters who have gone before us and who brought our community to Launceston. In particular, Mother Mary Stephanie of Divine Providence played a particularly important role in leading the community through this crucial stage of our history, not only with tremendous insights into the practical challenges of building a new monastery, but also guiding the spiritual development and growth of the community at the same time.
“Without the fidelity and courage of every Sister who has gone before us, we would not have had this precious charism of prayer at the heart of the Church handed on to us, the next generation of Carmelites in Tasmania.”
This article by Wendy Shaw was published on the website of the Archdiocese of Hobart.