2021 Lay Carmelite Workshop

LAY CARMELITE WORKSHOP, November 13^th, 2021

St, Edith Stein Church, Katy Texas

VOCATIONS & FORMATION

PROGRAM

As a beautiful autumn Saturday morning unfolded, our Lay Carmelite

family began to arrive at St. Edith Stein Catholic Church in Katy.

Our “Workshop” order of the day included celebration of the Eucharist

in Holy Mass, Final Professions, and speakers from several communities.

We opened with the Holy Mass at which two of our

Temporary Professed candidates, Ophelia Alvarez

and Sheryl Japczynski, made their Final Professions.

Observing the Carmelite Way of Life as a lifelong

journey, they signed their written professions and each

received a lit candle representing Jesus Christ, the

Light of the world, their guide and great reward.

November being a month remembering

our deceased members and family

members, we opened our prayers with

Morning Prayer for the Deceased.

We also displayed photos in their

memory to reflect and reminisce.

Carmelite formation was the theme of our morning session

from a candidate’s initial formation through Final Profession

and ongoing for life. Jacque Espinoza’s presentation covered

our journey of discernment, discovery, and initial stage of

formation (Phase 1).

She then led us through practical exercises to improve our

teaching skills and effective communication.

A presentation by Roger Morris and Therese Thomas

on the next stage of formation (Phase 2) showed us

how to feel comfortable teaching and gave us tips to

be better formators. These tips included being welcoming,

knowing our material, staying on topic, and encouraging

students’ participation. They described Carmel as a

priority and lifelong vocation, a journey we walk together.

Ongoing formation in the community meeting was addressed by Yajaira Ayala.

She referenced Sister Libby Dahlstrom’s “Gumbo” technique for good participation

in the reflection on the study materials. She expressed the need to follow technique,

coming prepared, sharing significant ideas from assigned readings, and being open

to the material speaking to us on our Carmelite journey.

Gertrude Peacock closed the morning

session with her presentation “When Carmelites Pray”.

She reviewed her handout on Ongoing Formation with

personal reflections. Her theme was making God a

priority by continuously balancing and nourishing the

spiritual, the bodily, and intellectual component of our lives.

As we moved into the afternoon session,

Margaret Looper challenged us in breakout

sessions on spiritual development in our

communities. In randomly assigned groups

of 4-6, we brainstormed ideas on finding

new vocations to bring new members to our

communities and how to nurture those new

vocations. It was informative, creative, and

fun discovering new ideas to bless our

communities and others.

Closing prayer ended the workshop with the joy of renewed friendships, fresh information, and newly Final Professed members! We gave thanks to all who contributed their time and talents in every way to make this day a success. We were grateful and blessed!

Reflection & Images

Provided by

Elaine Herd