By Emily Clark
FAIRFIELD—Behind a row of bushes, just above busy Kings Highway sits the former rectory of St. Emery Church, now a small, refurbished monastery for two cloistered Carmelites of Mary Ever Virgin. This quiet sanctuary amidst retail buildings and modest residences has become home to Sister Maria and Sister Mary Ruth, where they can quietly and simply continue dedicating their lives to God.
Since their arrival on April 15, the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday, the sisters have been embraced by the church community.
“Our parishioners have really adopted them. ‘What do they need? What can we do?’ they ask me,” said Father Sean Kulacz, pastor at Holy Family-St. Emery Parish. “We’re blessed to have them.”
Originally from North Dakota, the sisters spent four years in rural Texas and then several months in New York before Bishop Frank J. Caggiano invited them to create this residence in Fairfield where they hope to grow their community to include eight Carmelites, an order committed to a life of silent prayer, removed from the outside world. According to Father Kulacz, the diocese has not had a cloistered order in decades.
To convert the 100-year-old rectory into a private space for monastic life, Father Kulacz said the Knights of Columbus, parishioners, and diocesan staff painted rooms, removed rugs, and made repairs to the building. A refectory (dining room), individual cells (bedrooms), an office for clerical work, and several other rooms complete what Father Kulacz calls a “beautiful space.” A separate chapel allows for Mass within the small monastery, and soon a fenced-in yard and large trees will give them the opportunity to get outdoors in a private area.
Additionally, there is a sunroom with sliding glass doors where the sisters find joy in greeting visitors for short periods throughout the day. Here, they can remain cloistered behind a screen and still converse openly.
“We are thrilled to be here and are starting to get to know the laity,” Sister Mary Ruth said one recent afternoon. “The bishop understands that a contemplative, cloistered community is an integral part of Catholic life. That is us. That is why we are here. This will be the spiritual powerhouse of the diocese.”
It is that secluded, monastic life–marked by prolonged periods of uninterrupted silence and prayer–that sets the Carmelite nuns apart from other sects and is why creating this separate space for them was so essential. This call, said Sister Maria, requires much psychological stamina.
“It’s a capacity for silence and a desire to be alone with the Lord,” she said. “The more you have it, the more you need it.”
Sister Mary Ruth nodded in agreement, adding, “The silence and solitude, living a whole life of withdrawal, eliminates a lot of disruption. It helps us listen to God on another level and enriches our prayer life with a deeper devotion to Him.”
Such devotion is present in all facets of the nuns’ lives, beginning with waking at midnight to pray in the ancient monastic tradition, chanting the hours of the Divine Office, and attending Mass together. They also make time for study, rest, and exercise, all in strict silence and enclosure, as well as preparing meatless meals and attending to administrative work. This includes answering emails and using the internet sparingly to remain in touch with the modern world so they can share word of their vocation. An interdependence exists, said Sister Mary Ruth, between the nuns and the greater community, similar to the Carmelite tradition whose roots were established in cities.
“They give us food and supplies, and we give them our prayers,” she said.
Though the sisters rely on almsgiving for support, they do generate a small income by sewing altar linens, receiving orders from priests interested in corporals, purificators, and palls. While they use a machine for the hems, they hand-embroider a tiny red cross in the center of each cloth. Sister Maria recalls the first order they received – on their first day at Holy Family-St. Emery.
“There was a note from the mother of a young man about to be ordained asking us to sew a pall for him. It was a very busy time since we just arrived, but of course we said yes!” she said, adding that doing so gave them the chance to pray for all of the newly ordained priests.
Though they visit their small chapel daily, the sisters also join the congregation and Father Kulacz to chant at the 10 am Sunday Mass where they sit in a cloistered area on the altar, thanks to a screen constructed by a parishioner. On the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16, Bishop Caggiano celebrated Mass at St. Emery, expressing appreciation to Sister Maria and Sister Mary Ruth for their presence and their prayers.
“We come today to give thanks to almighty God that we have a contemplative order which represents the very heart of Carmel,” the bishop said. Using the metaphor of yeast in baking to represent the Carmelites’ importance to the diocese, he added, “They are our spiritual yeast. You don’t see or hear them. They are hidden, but the sisters are essential, and we are grateful for their presence and for all they do.”
Though their intentions may go unnoticed by most, the sisters’ prayers extend well beyond their tiny community. Thousands of vehicles pass the monastery each day, speeding up Kings Highway, and Sister Maria offers a prayer for each one.
“When I hear a car or a motorcycle go by, I think ‘I need to pray for that person,’” she said. “We hope to reach them all.”
The Carmelite sisters said they plan to have an Open House this fall to welcome the community and let them see “the great things God has done for us in his mercy.”
