Brother Tony Mazurkiewicz, O.Carm.

While Kenya and El Salvador were chosen destinations for some of the students in initial formation this summer, I hoped to discover a deeper understanding of our charism at the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien, Illinois. I joined the veteran team of Sister Jane Schlosser, Father Bob Colaresi, Father David Simpson and the rest of the staff for my 10 week supervised ministry through the Washington Theological Union (the school we attend in Washington, DC). Having lived in the “White House” (our nickname for the Carmelite residence in Darien) for my 30 day retreat last summer, I enjoyed a warm welcome back to a familiar and comfortable community.

The summer began with four weeks of preached retreats with the theme of the Liturgical Year. The presentations included Mary, the Saints, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Baptism of the Lord, Ordinary Time, Lent, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost. We celebrated the Eucharist each day and led several prayer services including Taize Prayer Services, an Anointing Service, Communal Reconciliation and a Prayer for Peace. We played a movie called “Stolen Summer” each week and provided plenty of time for rest, relaxation, silence and reflection.

One of the highlights for me was walking with so many religious women who have faithfully served the Church over the years. Their spirit, stories and joyful presence were a delight. One sister sent a letter claiming to be from the main office of the Holy Cross Sisters to three of her community members telling them they were no longer allowed on the retreat because their consistent excessive laughter over the years disturbed the “contemplative” spirit of the retreat. The three sisters were up in arms for days. They later realized their sister pulled another prank on them and enjoyed a few more laughs on the retreat.

On six Tuesday evenings we held short presentations on Christian meditation and provided time for a communal experience of silent, contemplative prayer. Carmelite Father Ernie Larkin’s new book, Christian Meditation: Contemplative Prayer for Today, served as the main content of these gatherings. Surprisingly, between thirty and fifty people came each Tuesday with a variety of experiences, insights and questions. We also received great reviews of the video from my internship experience at Saint Agnes Parish of working with children and Christian meditation. At the end of the summer, many wanted to continue with the contemplative prayer group throughout the year, so the interest is out there.

I also enjoyed providing a halfday Enneagram workshop, a talk on the Our Father at Carefree Village and visiting some of the Carmelites at Saint Patrick’s Retirement Facility. The internship ended with a wonderful experience of walking with several people on a week-long directed retreat. I felt humbled and blessed to accompany these people who were intent and committed to discern the movement of the Spirit in their lives and very attracted to our Carmelite spirituality.

All in all, I had a great experience at the Carmelite Spiritual Center. I really enjoyed working with the retreat team and the staff is very hospitable and inviting. The community in Darien also proved to be very welcoming yet again. I look forward to seeing how the Spiritual Center adapts to the changing face of the Church and the pressing changes in our ministerial commitments in the Province. Our charism is truly alive and present there and ready to be further tapped.