Brother Daryl Moresco, O.Carm., at Carith House.

On August 6th, 2007, on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Carmelite Pre- Novitiate for the Most Pure Heart of Mary Province (Chicago), officially commenced at its new location in Hyde Park in the former Sinsinawa Dominican Convent, and is part of the larger complex of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish.

The pre-novitiate prepares candidates for entry into the novitiate of the Carmelite Order. Pre-novices deepen their faith and learn to own it more personally, so that they can listen to the voice of Jesus, who calls them to follow him. It is also a time for the prenovices to come to a deeper knowledge of themselves especially as this is, more than likely, their first experience of communal life. They learn and grow in their understanding of the charism and spirituality of Carmel. It is a time of continuing discernment of their vocation. (RATIO: Carmelite Formation: A Journey of Transformation)

Five years ago the Carmelites were asked, by Cardinal Francis George, to close the Parish of Saint Gelasius on Woodlawn Avenue and to take responsibility for the Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle in the Hyde Park area of Chicago. Father Michael Mulhall, O.Carm., the pastor, and Father Kevin McBrien, O.Carm., the associate pastor, form part of the larger community of the pre-novitiate.

Hyde Park is a very diverse neighborhood on Chicago’s Southside. It is home to the Catholic Theological Union as well as various other Protestant schools of theology, the University of Chicago, The Museum of Science and Industry, and the DuSable African American Museum. Only ten blocks away is the Saint Cyril Community and Mount Carmel High School. Many religious communities of women and men also have their houses of formation in Hyde Park. It is a neighborhood rich in its diversity.

The name Carith?

Leave here, go east and hide in the wadi Cherith (Carith), east of Jordan. You shall drink from the stream, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there. (NAB)

After much consideration the name Carith was chosen. In medieval Carmelite tradition the text given above (1 Kings 17:3-4) is very important: it is God’s first word to Elijah, and obeying this command Elijah begins the spiritual journey which makes him the founder of the Carmelite way of life. At God’s command, Elijah was sent to Carith (charity) and so he finds himself drawn on a journey to God, and therefore finds himself living in caritate—in love. So too, the pre-novice begins his journey to God in Carmel in allegiance to Jesus Christ. According to Paul Chandler, O.Carm., it is a name that draws on the rich biblical sources of our Carmelite tradition.

The biblical concept of journey reminds us of the first Carmelites pilgrimage to Jerusalem and of their forced return to Europe. It also reminds us of the inner journey, which requires us to seek God, undergoing the purification of the desert and of the dark night. With those who journey alongside us, we discern the way ahead. This same concept of journey is a characteristic for the work that is undertaken in the pre-novitiate. The name Carith in a way of captures the essence of this stage of pre-novitiate formation that begins their journey into Carmel.

Brother Daryl Moresco, O.Carm., at the doorway of Carith House.

Life at Carith

Currently, there are five men in the pre-novitiate who come from various parts of the United States. Four pre-novices live at Carith and one in Houston where the previous pre-novitiate community, Casa Santa Teresita, was located..

In addition to academic studies, the pre-novices are engaged in a ministry of their choice as part of the service to the Church. The Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle, and the surrounding neighborhood, provide ample opportunities for ministry from singing in the choir, involvement in campus ministry at the University of Chicago, being a sponsor in RCIA, teaching CCD classes, just to mention a few.

Every Thursday night is set aside for formation in the Carmelite charism consisting of community meetings, Scripture reflections, lectio divina, history and spirituality of the Carmelite Order which is followed by an hour of prayer. In addition to these evenings, one weekend a month is scheduled for more intensive exploration of human and Christian growth helping them discover within themselves the value and possibilities which will make them able and sufficiently mature to live the Carmelite life at the service of the Church.

A regular schedule of communal prayer: daily Mass, morning, evening and night prayer, along with communal meals and recreation, enrich the pre-novices on-going discernment and introduction to Carmelite life. Interaction with other Carmelites from Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish, Mount Carmel High School and the National Shrine of Saint Therese in Darien, Illinois, enables the pre-novice to learn from the wisdom of the larger Carmelite community.