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Though I have been in the Lay Carmelite office for only three years,” says Sister Mary Martin, O.Carm., “I have been in contact with Lay Carmelites since I was a child.” A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Mary and her family moved to Los Angeles, California. Settling within the Carmelite parish of Saint Raphael’s, she attended school there for the next seven years. During that time, both of her parents became Third Order members. After high school, wanting to be a Carmelite sister, she entered the Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in New Orleans, Louisiana. With credentials in elementary teaching, guidance and counseling, administration and theology, most of Sister Mary’s years have been spent in the ministry of education—teaching junior high students, working as a religion coordinator, and serving as an elementary school principal.
Sister Mary connected with the Lay Carmelites once again while working in a parish in Louisiana. She thought it would be an interesting change to work with adults on a wider scale, so after spending several years as a primary caregiver for her mother, she looked around for another ministry. Her search was for one that would be more involved with the spiritual development of adults rather than the intellectual formation of children.
“I see the ministry appointment of Provincial Delegate to be a challenge in helping Lay Carmelites to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, more fully conforming themselves to Living the Carmelite Way,” Sister Mary stated. Her responsibilities as Provincial Delegate include four major aspects: that of teaching, communicating, outreach, and financial planning.
Teaching means both spiritual formation and how to live as a Lay Carmelite. Some of the tasks that fall into this category are official visitations to each Lay Carmelite community, formation materials, reflection days, weekend retreats, and the periodic Lay Carmelite Convocation.
Communicating involves appointments, correspondence and meetings with regional coordinators/ formation coordinators, and the use of information pieces such as the Lay Carmelite newsletter.
Outreach involves prison ministry and keeping in touch with Lay Carmelites in isolated areas, and establishing new or dissolving existing Lay Carmelite groups.
Financial planning includes formulating an annual working budget, setting and collecting annual dues, selling Lay Carmelite books and materials, providing seasonal “prayer cards”, setting salaries, storing books and materials, and setting travel expenses which include visitation costs.
Basically, these are the responsibilities of the Provincial Delegate to the Lay Carmelites. Because the staff is minimal, some of these responsibilities that would automatically be given to them need to be “set up” in such a way that they can be overseen by regional coordinators, local communities, or individual Lay Carmelites. Sister Mary stated that, “she looks forward to this becoming a reality!”
Formerly, the Provincial Delegate to the Lay Carmelites was a Carmelite Friar appointed to this position by the Prior Provincial. This is the first time the appointment is given to someone other than a friar. “I appreciate the confidence placed in me with this appointment,” Sister Mary said.
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