Editorial

An editorial by Reverend Gregory Houck, O.Carm., consulting editor

Almost ten years ago, Reverend Daniel O’Neill, O.Carm., initiated a focused effort at long-range planning in our Carmelite province which he then called “re-alignment.” The first part of this effort was to vote on our many institutional ministries—our parishes, high schools, retreat centers—to see which ones the men of the Province would want to keep staffed in the light of an aging membership and fewer vocations. Each Carmelite was given a set number of votes and told to vote for the ministries we should maintain five years down the road. Then we did that exercise again, this time looking ten years down the road.

After these two exercises, the tallies were added up and the results published—there’s not space for all those to be given here, and, besides, the results are almost ten years old now. it was a good exercise and gave us good data with which to face the future. That was only one side of the coin though.

The most often heard critique of the process was that it was “too negative”— that its focus was on our departure from the sites that garnered low numbers. Besides the ‘negative’ exercise which told where we need to cut back, we also needed a “proactive” (or positive) process that would tell us where we want to grow. And that’s the other side of the coin.

My observation, though, is that the proactive part (the positve part) of long-range planning, seemingly never comes from the group. Instead it starts as the vision of one Carmelite who sees a need or sees an opportunity and ‘runs with it.’ Besides ‘running with it,’ he gets other Carmelites involved, and the ministry in time becomes a part of the Province (or sometimes not). As an example, I’m thinking of Reverend Howard Rafferty, O.Carm., who began a retreat house in Darien, Illinois. A lot of naysayers at the time tried to dissuade him, but he stuck to it, got others involved, and now its our Provincial headquarters. Another example is Reverend Bryce Riordan, O.Carm., who began another retreat house in Mahwah, New Jersey. He met the same opposition, but he stuck to it, got others involved, and now it is a thriving and successful facility. The list goes on and on, be it our Carmelite ministries in Kansas (Reverend Cyril Knoll), Florida (Reverend Joel Scheevers), in Mexico (Reverend Vicente Lopez) or these new and thriving hermitages in Texas (Reverend Fabian Rosetti) or Minnesota (Reverend John Burns). It seems that each time there is growth it comes from the vision, then the initiative, combined with the ‘chutzpah’ of an individual Carmelite.

We have withdrawn or are withdrawing from some long-held ministries in the Province such as in Louisville, Kentucky, or Houston, Texas. Yet, there are currently a number of growth initiatives now ‘on the table:’ an “Urban Contemplative Community” in Chicago, a “Prayer House” in Kansas, a new ministry in Atlanta staffed by both North American Provinces. Besides those, there is a lot of recent growth in Mississauga, Ontario (see Canadian Expansion). Some of these initiatives will “fly” and some will not.

It is good to see that, despite an aging membership and lower vocation numbers, the spirit of initiative and those Carmelites with ‘chutzpah’ has not declined. Yes, it is very good to dream dreams and have visions; and it is very, very good to then strive to make those real.

Letters to the Editor

Father Marcel Dube, O.Carm., Grove City, FL, writes, “I was impressed by the article in the November, 2005, issue of the Carmelite Review, which described the dedication ceremony for Mount Carmel High School’s new Convocation Center. I look forward to seeing it some day. As a former faculty member I can appreciate the joy and pride of the Carmelites, teachers, students and alumni in their accomplishment. I was pleased to read that tributes were given to the Carmelites and teachers of the past as well as the present and generous donors who helped to bring about this new addition to the school. Many of us older Carmelites recall the hard work and dedication involved in soliciting funds in a capital campaign drive back in the ‘60’s. After long days in the classroom, we Carmelites would devote entire evenings traveling around the south side of Chicago visiting alumni, parents, friends of Carmel, and businesses to solicit financial pledges for Mount Carmel’s Building Program. It involved many hours and sacrifice on our part. This allowed the school community to purchase property and buildings on Dante Avenue which were later to be demolished so as to prepare for the future development which followed in subsequent decades. In a real sense we former faculty members can share in the joy and pride of Mount Carmel’s new Convocation Center and athletic fields.”

Sister Bernadine Juarez, O.Carm., Quezon City, Philippines, writes, “I have been an avid reader of the Carmelite Review news magazine. Articles and pictures are colorful and extensively informative. Please accept our heartfelt congratulations for the work well-done. At the same time we express our sincere gratitude on behalf of the Sisters of Mount Carmel from the Philippines to all the members of the “Project Hope” team. For almost a year they untiringly and zealously made extensive repairs to our Motherhouse in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Without your enthusiastic assistance, the Sisters of Mount Carmel in Louisiana would never be able to recover that soon. Keep up the good work, dear brothers and sisters in Carmel.”