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Yesterday’s mass at the Carmelite Monastery was very beautiful and they celebrated not only the Feast of St. Therese but their 144th year of being founded in Saint Louis. The sisters came here from the first Carmel in the United States which was in Baltimore, Maryland. If we wish to work further backward in history, Carmel came to the United States from the Belgium (English speaking) Carmel of Hoogstraet. The Hoogstraet foundress was Mother Ann of Our Lady and that Carmel came from the Carmel at Hopeland-Antwerp whose first Prioress was Blessed Mother Anne of St. Bartholomew. Now, Blessed Mother Anne of St. Bartholomew, (read more here) was the right hand, nurse and closes confidant of Holy Mother Teresa of Avila. WOW, now that is a great history!

In honor of this feast day the Sister’s sung “The Canticle of Love” by Sr. Marie Therese Sokol (of fame for her glorious musical compositions in the film by Luke Productions of St. Therese’s life.) I wish I could hum the tune, but you can go to the film’s website to hear a clip of it. Sr. Marie Therese is and accomplished composer and musician. She had degrees in Music Performance from Indiana University and performed as a cellist with the Omaha, Winnnipeg and Vancouver Symphonies but she left that life in search of the quiet of Carmel where she could devote herself only to serving her Beloved. We are thankful that despite her cloistered life, the Lord made it possible for her to compose the music for the movie and help the world to know Therese through such beautiful music. AMEN!! [Thanks to the Immaculate Heart of Mary's Hermitage Blog for the report on Sr. Marie Therese!]You can purchase a CD of the Soundtrack here. But getting back to the hymn, Canticle of Love, the Sisters sung this lovely piece of music with such perfection and love that I thought my heart would burst. Thank you Sister’s I hope to hear you sing this again soon!!

One more note on the Feast day. When my daughter came home from school we immediately got busy in the kitchen. As I wrote earlier looking for a Feast Day recipe for Saint Therese I thought I would post a photo of our efforts. Please understand my talent lies NOT in the baking department. However, I think the pretty roses and the little image of the Good Shepperd are special details which make the cake taste even better than Betty Crocker predicted! Here is a close-up of the center of the cake. Thanks to all who sent in their suggestions to put on the roses!

BENEDICT XVI’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR OCTOBER

VATICAN CITY, OCT 1, 2007 (VIS) - Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for October is: “That the Christians who are in minority situations may have the strength and courage to live their faith and persevere in bearing witness to it.”

His mission intention is: “That Missionary Day may be a propitious occasion for kindling an ever greater missionary awareness in every baptized person.”

The photo above, in case it is not obvious, is from the Chapel of St. Therese at the Carmelite Monastery in Saint Louis, Missouri.