Carmelite QuotesQuote of the day, 11 November: The Carmelite Nuns of Mount Carmel
“This war will kill me.”
Saint Pius X
The saintly pope’s words were prophetic: he died on Thursday, 20 August 1914. The conclave assembled in Rome, and chose His Holiness Benedict XV as the saint’s successor. The moment was crucial.
The Carmelite nuns listened to the news as best they could. Things worsened day by day. The war seemed likely to drag on indefinitely, especially since the alliance of the Turks with the Germans. The battlefields embraced such a vast expanse that it necessarily divided the forces of the Allies and made operations more difficult, all the more so because the war took an unprecedented turn.
The Ottomans bombarded the Black Sea ports on 28 October, thus provoking war with the Triple Entente. Great Britain declared war on Turkey on 1 November. That very day, the French Consul in Haifa, Monsieur Maurice Grapin, had to leave his post in haste.
The Prioress received a letter from the assistant Dragoman (interpreter/translator) of the French Consulate informing her that from now on, all French interests were entrusted to the vice-Consul of America: “Your establishment being under the protectorate of America (United States), you may henceforth address yourself to Mr. Struve, vice-Consul of America, for all affairs that concern you. I believe it useful to add that you have been permitted to hoist the American flag at your establishment.” (Letter of 4 November 1914).
From that moment on, events unfolded rapidly.
Communications with France no longer existed, not even with families. Soon, the banks ceased functioning, and the nuns found themselves without resources, unable to access their usual income. The help of the Carmelite friars was precious. Trust in God and humble prayers for peace to return were the weapons of victory.
Around mid-November, the nuns were informed of what awaited them. The old agreements between the Ottomans and France had ended, and they had to await the official visit of Turkish soldiers. On 16 November, after Mass, the doorbell at the turn noisily announced this undesirable and unwanted visit.
The Prioress went to the parlor to see if she could persuade the visitors to be content with viewing the exterior of the monastery, without entering the cloister, but they refused to listen and even showed impatience.
One of them, more impatient than the others, had even climbed over the enclosure wall and found himself inside the monastery just as the nuns were about to open the enclosure door to let the soldiers inside; there were eleven of them in all.
They began visiting the house. They were very polite and discreet, and afterward, they proceeded to the garden. The Prioress asked the turn sister and the chaplain, Fr. Louis Marie-Joseph, to enter to accompany the soldiers. But the Turkish soldiers grew exasperated with the size of the surrounding enclosure wall they had to examine. Let us recall that the surface area of the Carmelite monastery and gardens was nine hectares—over 22 acres!
They divided the terrain. One of them went toward the hermitage dedicated to the holy Prophet Elijah, terror of the Turks, not without reason. This hermitage was a grotto dug into the earth and rock, which greatly intrigued the soldiers. Therefore, the explorer wanted to advance as far as possible, but at his approach, a large viper leaped from the stones, reared up before the soldier, and with a rather uninviting hiss, invited him to flee as quickly as possible. He saw that this serpent was not an ally! This unexpected encounter ended the visit.
In this small incident, the sisters saw the protection of St. Elijah. Along the way, however, the turn sister ventured to question a soldier: “Are you going to take the monastery?” His response: “No—we are going to take all of Mount Carmel!” The sister was dumbfounded.
From then on, the Carmelite nuns wondered what their fate would be.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Haifa
Près de la Source, pp. 84-85
Note: After receiving the Turkish decree on 23 November 1914 to vacate their monastery, the nuns departed on 4 December for Naples. Their final destination was a mansion at Manissy (Gard), France, owned by the Lafarge family.
Discalced Carmelite Nuns, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Monastery, Haifa 2017, Près de la Source, Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem Printery, Jerusalem.
Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: Main entrance of the original Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Haifa. The building now serves as an administration annex for Rambam Health Care Campus. Image credit: rndms / 123rf (Stock photo)
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