Carith House in Chicago, Illinois, welcomes five pre-novices

Marc Bernhard Bell was born in 1966 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne (United Kingdom) of a British father and German mother and raised in England, Germany, and Canada. After obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in botany from the University of Toronto, he worked several years for Agriculture Canada. He left this career to spend a year doing volunteer work for the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Connecticut. After that year, he was invited to an internship with a consulting firm run by Franciscans. Since then, he has changed his career to specialize in information technology, which he has worked in for over a decade. In December of 2005, Marc attended a seminar at the Carmelite Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and Blessed Titus Brandsma. Through that seminar God called him to consider the Carmelites. In May of last year, he contacted the Order to begin discernment. He says that he is very happy about his call and although he probably doesn’t show it—stiff upper lip and all that—he is excited to be in the pre-novitiate.

Dominic Nguyen is 34 years old. He was originally from Vietnam. He came to the United States with his family in 1991 and lived in Phoenix, Arizona. He became acquainted with the Carmelites through the Discalced Carmelite Order. He likes to sing in the church choir, loves to read romance novels, and is a computer “geek.” Before joining the Carmelites, he was working for Chase Bank in data entry. He also worked for Western Container Company and later Saint Jude Medical which makes pacemakers. He entered the pre-novitiate in Houston, Texas, in 2005.

John Howell was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and baptized at Wesley United Methodist Church, also in Salem. He went through the Salem Public School System and says that his religious formation was limited. A dramatic experience during his senior year at high school caused John to seek Christ having never done so before consciously in his life. Now, ten years later he is at Carith House with a special thanks to Father Herb Jones, O.Carm., who he met about 5 years ago. John says that the Blessed Virgin Mary has had a profound influence in his life. He is grateful to God for the opportunity to climb Mount Carmel asking Our Lady of Mount Carmel to guide him every step of the way.

Allen Martin is a 22 year old who was born in Tacoma, Washington. He has lived in quite a few different places in his life, but he calls Virginia Beach, Virginia, his home. Allen is of Irish descent, with his family originally hailing from Maine. Before he entered the pre-novitiate he spent two years studying at Saint Andrew’s College Seminary at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, as a seminarian for the Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina. It was during his time at Saint Andrew’s that he began to hear a call to Carmel. The vocation to contemplative prayer and community are the main aspects of the Carmelite life that he is attracted to. After much prayer and discernment Allen decided to enter the pre-novitiate with the Carmelites. He is now a senior at Saint Joseph’s College Seminary at Loyola University in Chicago.

Arturo Amador is a native Californian. He has lived in the Los Angeles County area for 13 years before moving to Moreno Valley, California, where he has lived for the past 17 years. Arturo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from the University of California, at Riverside. He also has a minor in education, and an emphasis in Spanish. Shortly after graduating from college he worked for the local school district as a substitute teacher for kindergarten through twelfth grades. He also worked for his home parish, Saint Christopher, in Moreno Valley, California. He consulted the internet and the Religious Education Congress of Anaheim, California, to find out about different options as far as religious orders are concerned. That led him to join the Carmelite pre-novitiate in Chicago. “Yo hablo español.”

Casa del Carmen in Mexico City, Mexico, welcomes four pre-novices

Pedro Nunez was born in Salta, Argentina, and came to Carmel by means of Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Joliet, Illinois. Pedro has always felt called by the Lord. He says that, thanks to the Carmelites in Joliet, his faith has greatly increased. His favorite biblical passage is: Luke 5.1-11: The miraculous catch of fish and the vocations of Peter and the first apostles. Peter said: “Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man.” Jesus responded: “Do not be afraid; from now on it is people you will be catching. Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.” His biggest dream is to bring the word of God to those who need it most, and to work with people who are defenseless and discriminated against. Pedro enjoys reading, going to movies and soccer.

Rafael David Cartagena Portillo was born in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador on October 16, 1985. His favorite hobbies are computers, surfing the internet for programs to design web pages, and photography. He says everything about communications thrills him. Rafael also likes to play football, volleyball and ping pong. What brought him to Carmel initially was feeling called by God to serve others. Moreover, he holds the firm conviction that the Lord has a plan for him to be a religious and a priest in the Carmelite Order. His favorite biblical passage is Proverbs 3. 5-6: “Trust wholeheartedly in Yahweh, put no faith in your own perception; acknowledge him in every course you take, and he will see that your paths are smooth.” God goes beyond everything else we know. He believes that if we trust in our own intelligence rather than in the Lord, our plans will not succeed.

Jorge Monterroso comes from Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. It is the spirituality of Carmel which attracted him and has brought him to the pre-novitiate. His favorite bible passage is Psalm 51; a prayer of contrition because it reflects the burden of his own sins and at the very same time reveals the power of the Lord´s forgiveness by renewing our hearts. He hopes that the order will help him to discover his vocation more deeply, so that he can one day become a formation director himself. His pastimes are walking, writing and reading.

Luis Alejandro Fernandez Cardona was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. He really enjoys listening to music and also sharing information, ideas and experiences with his friends. He came to Carmel predominantly because of his desire to live in community and to share with others the same desire of following in the footsteps of Our Creator. His expectation is that the Carmelites will help him to keep growing personally in order to become a good instrument of God. He has two favorite bible passages. John 3. 16 “For this is how God so loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” This passage for him reflects clearly the love of God for us by giving us such an incredibly beautiful gift. The second is Proverbs 17. 17: “A friend is a friend at all times; it is for adversity that a brother is born.” In this passage Luis finds the answer to the question: Who is my true friend? He hopes to accomplish works of solidarity which will help provide people with what they really need. And secondly, to learn how to evangelize communities in such a way that they can look through the lense with a new perspective!