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Pietro Novelli

Prayer to the Holy Virgin of Mount Carmel

O Most Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, ornament and splendor of Carmel, thou who regardest with an eye of special kindness those who wear thy blessed habit, look down also benignly upon me and cover me with the mantle of thy special protection. Strengthen my weakness with thy power; enlighten the darkness of my mind with thy wisdom; increase in me faith, hope, and charity. Adorn my soul with such graces and virtues as will ever be pleasing to thy divine Son and to thee. Assist me in life, and console me in death, with thy most amiable presence, and present me to the most august Trinity as thy devoted servant and child; that I may eternally bless and praise thee in paradise. Amen
2 Hail Marys and Glory be to the Father.  The New Raccolta 1903

Bring back the Cloistered Nuns! (Sensus Fidelium Video)

From the Past: Carmelites in North Carolina

Seven Carmelite Nuns of the Strict Ancien observance of the Mother-Carmel at Lanark, Allentown, Pa., will soon be transferred to Asheville, N.C. , to found a new Carmelite Monastery there under the title of "Carmel of St. Joseph and the Holy Child."
The nuns are going to North Carolina at the invitation of the Most Rev. Vincent S. Waters, Bishop of Raleigh. Their establishment in the Raleigh Diocese will be the first monastery for strictly cloistered nuns in North Carolina.

Bishop to Pontificate
Solemn opening services and the first Mass will be celebrated at the new Asheville Carmel by Bishop Waters on March 19..
Authorization for the new monastery has come from Pope Pius XII through the Sacred Congregation for the Religious, since the nuns are members of a Papal Institute. Previous approval had been granted by the most Rev. John F. O'Hara, C.S.C., Archbishop of Philadelphia.
This will be the second Carmelite monastery to be founded in the United States from the Allentown Mother-Carmel. In November 1954, seven nuns left there to establish a new Carmel in Wahpeton, North Dakota.

Departure Ceremonies
Special departure ceremonies were conducted at the Allentown Monastery on March 7. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Leo G. Fink, P.A., V.F., presided and presented Mission Crosses to the seven nuns who will form the new North Carolina community. They are: Reverend Mother M. Bernadette of Our Lady of Lourdes, a native of Philadelphia, who entered the Allentown Carmel on March 5, 1934. She will serve as Mother Prioress to the new community.
Sister Mary Magdalen of Jesus, of Allentown, who entered the Allentown Carmel on July 16, 1933, Assistant to the Mother Prioress.
Also, Sister Mary Anne of St. Bartholomew, of Philadelphia; Sister Mary Veronica of the Holy Face, Jersey City, N.J.; Sister Mary Patricia of the Nativity, of Philadelphia; Sister Mary Genevieve of the Holy Face, of Philadelphia; and Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart, candidate for the new novitiate of New Bedford, Mass.

Note 25th Anniversary
The Allentown Carmelites are currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of their establishment in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which marks their first foundation in the United State, under the leadership of the late Reverend Mother Therese of Jesus and her companion, Mother Clement Mary of the Guardian Angel. The Carmelites were established by the General of the Carmelite Order, Blessed John Soreth, Ord. Carm. , on October 14, 1453, at Guelder, Holland. About 26 years before, St. Teresa of Avila began her reform of the Carmelites, in Spain, a branch of the original monastery was founded in Naples, Italy, in 1536. it was from this Carmelite Monastery of Naples in Italy that Carmel of the Strict Ancient Observance extended to American soil its first Foundation on May 22, 1931, at Lanark, near Allentown.

Life of a Carmelite
These Carmelite nuns take Solemn Vows of obedience, chastity and poverty, and observe strict Papal Enclosure. The choir religious chant the Divine Office in common. In addition to the Divine office, the cloistered religious observe perpetual adoration of the Holy Sacrament. Day and night, one or two Sisters kneel before the tabernacle, adoring, praising, petitioning for the needs of Mother Church throughout the world, for the Vicar of Christ on earth, for personal sanctification, and for the sanctification of all. The greater part of the day and night of the cloistered nuns is spent in prayer, meditation and other spiritual exercises. A certain part of the day is devoted to manual labor.

Source: The Catholic Standard and Times, Vol. 61, 9 March 1956

Bishop Leo Haid, Wikipedia

"Belmont, NC July 25.
The Rt. Rev. Leo Haid, OSB, Abbot of Belmont Abbey and Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina, died at the abbey here last night. He was 75 years old and one of the oldest and best known members of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States. For the past thirty-six years he had presided over the vicariate of North Carolina.
The venerable abbot was known chiefly as a result of his labors in the cause of Catholic education. He either founded or had a prominent part in the establishment of the following institutions: Belmont abbey and the college in connection with it; St. Leo's abbey and college, Fla; the Benedictine school, Savannah, GA; Benedictine college, Richmond, VA; and St. Joseph's industrial school, Bristow, VA.
Abbot Leo was a native of Latrobe, Pa, and received his early education under the direction of the Benedictines. He joined that order in 1860 at St. Vincent's abbey, PA, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1872. During the thirteen years immediately following his ordination he spent most of his time at St. Vincent's college as chaplain and professor. When, in 1885, the Benedictines undertook the establishment of Belmont abbey, Father Haid was chosen as superior of the new community. Under his guidance the abbey has become one of the great centers of Catholicity in the South. His appointment as Titular Bishop of Messene and Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina was announced December 7, 1887. He was consecrated July 1, 1888, in the Cathedral of Baltimore with the late Cardinal Gibbons as the consecrating prelate. Two weeks later the Cardinal went to Wilmington, NC, where the newly consecrated prelate was solemnly enthroned in St. Thomas' Pro-Cathedral.
Abbot Leo was the only prelate in the United States to whom the Pope has ever granted the distinction of presiding over an "Abbatia Nullius," or Cathedral-Abbey. Such an abbey is one "having its own domain and jurisdiction therein, subject only to the Holy Father himself. " He was also made an assistant to the Pontifical throne, a distinction which carried with it a title of Papal nobility.
In 1919 the abbot celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his affiliation with the Benedictine order and in April, 1923, another celebration marked his golden sacerdotal jubilee."
Denver Catholic Register July 31, 1924

"One of the most illustrious members of the Order of Servites was St. Philip Benizi, who exercised the office of General after St. Benedict de Lantella, and who was elected in 1267. St. Philip sent his religious to Poland, Hungary, and even the Indies. He arranged the first constitutions of the order, or rather gathered into one the regulations of his predecessors, and decreed that they should be read in the refectory every Saturday.

About this time, the institution of the Servites was threatened with destruction. In 1215, the Council of Lateran had forbidden the establishment of new religious orders, and this had been confirmed by that of Lyons in 1274. Innocent V, who had become Pope in 1274, took it for granted that the Servites were included in this prohibition, and therefore determined to suppress them. He drew the attention of Cardinal Otthoboni, Protector of the order, to the decree, and having cited St. Philip Benizi to Rome, he forbade him to receive novices or to sell any of the goods of the order, which he confiscated in favor of the Holy See. He at the same time forbade the Servites to hear confessions.

Fortunately for these religious, the Pope lived but a short time, and his successor John XXII, did not press the affair. It was agitated under Nicholas III, Martin IV, and Honorius IV, during which time the Servites had much to suffer on the side of some of the Bishops. Finally, after much deliberation, it was settled in favor of the Servites by Honorius IV, in 1286." [Source: History of Religious Orders, by Rev. Charles Warren Currier 1896 Page 323.]

"Philip Benizi was about to die, and Julianna was but fifteen years of age. Nevertheless, enlightened from on high, the Saint hesitated not: he confided the Order to Juliana's hands, and so slept in the peace of our Lord.
(...)
Benedict XI, in 1304, gave to the Servites the definitive sanction of the Church.

So true is it, that in the counsels of divine Providence, nor rank, nor age, not sex, count for aught! The simplicity of a soul that has wounded the Heart of the Spouse is stronger in her humble submission that highest authority; and her unknown prayer prevails over powers established by God Himself." [ Source: The Liturgical Year: The time after Pentecost, by Dom Gueranger]

 “There is good reason for Christ’s weeping over Jerusalem and all our cities today. Christ sees not only the externals, He sees all His human creatures, all mankind, their sins and their souls. All mankind is His creation and all in the city of man is not beautiful or good".(...)

"Let us look up to the mystical city of man which faces Christ today and over which we weep. (...) Man behaves self-centered, independent of God, a self-seeker going to the limit. A confused man not knowing his purpose, gives up to satisfaction and so his passions prevail. He becomes not only a danger to himself but to those who live with him,” Bishop Waters declared, emphasizing that lust, anger, hatred and injustice are symptomatic of our times."

"Christ is weeping today because He has provided the means to change all this for every man, woman, and child,(...) But man must cooperate. Man must help save man. It should be His city, He labored for it, He died for it. Christ is speaking to us through His gospel, also weeping for us and our lack of love. He is living, we are living. He is the living head of our living body. We can convert the world through Him, for Him and by Him if we love Him enough." (...) “Love Him in deed and in truth. Christ has the power, through you, to change great sinners into saints through love. This is the strength of the love of God through you. The city of God is with us, the city of God is built up by consolation and help given one another. Think of the joy of all the converts discovering this living body of Christ for the first time. Think of the power of this living body in the Mass."

"We are His Church, His family, His people and we are His body. In this ordered body there is no real competition only cooperation with the emphasis on the common good and the common cause which is Christ for one and all."

Source: The Voice, July 24, 1964

Bishop's Letter March 13, 1956

My dear Brethren:

On Thursday of this week there will arrive in Asheville six professed nuns and one postulant of the cloistered Carmelite Nuns of Strict Observance, to make the first foundation of cloistered contemplatives in the Diocese of Raleigh. These good nuns will arrive from the Carmelite Monastery of St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus, and St. Magdalene de Pazzi of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Through the efforts of Fr. Fred Stanton of New York and Mother Elizabeth of the Trinity of Allentown, a cloistered convent site has been found and purchased on the outskirts of Asheville.
It is fitting that our first contemplative group of sisters should come from a Monastery under the title of St. Therese, Little Flower of Jesus, who is the Patroness of the Missions, and that the sisters should be of the Little Flower's own religious order.
It is also fitting that the first Mother Prioress of the new community should be called "Mother M. Bernadette of Our Lady of Lourdes," one of the special titles of Our Blessed Mother, so near to the heart of Father Price, our pioneer missionary, and also the Little Bernadette to whom he was especially devoted.
It is also fitting that the new monastery be dedicated to "Saint Joseph and the Child Jesus," since the Church is still in its infancy here in the missions, and Saint Joseph is the Patron of the Universal Church, and no doubt Our Blessed Mother, the Patroness of the Diocese of Raleigh, under so many titles, has been instrumental in honoring her Divine Son and her Holy Spouse by the beginning of this good work for God and souls in our midst.
The Rule of the Carmelite cloistered nuns is the Holy Rule of Saint Albert, as given to Saint Brocard, O. Carm., on Mount Carmel in Palestine. It is a penitential life, devoted to Prayer, Mortification, and Self-Denial. The choir religious are bound to the recitation or chanting of the Divine Office, of which Matins and Lauds are said at midnight. These sisters will also enjoy the privilege of Perpetual Adoration when they are sufficiently numerous for that devotion. Day and night one or two sisters will kneel, hour by hour, in Prayer and Adoration before Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
When not engaged in mental or vocal prayer, the nuns will engage in manual labor, such as making or mending vestments, making altar breads, maintaining mission correspondence, publishing books on the order, pamphlets on prayer, etc. Some nuns do artistic painting on reliquaries and vestments, and the nuns usually tend their own garden of shrubs, fruit trees, and vegetables, etc.
(...)
We are privileged beyond measure in being given a foundation of Carmel in the Missions of North Carolina. Our obligation will be to help these good nuns by our interest, our alms, our prayers, and our support, for they are ours and have been given to us in the Diocese of Raleigh by our Holy Father who is their Major Superior.
I am sure that our good priests and people will welcome these Carmelites with open arms and that this Carmel of "St. Joseph and the Child Jesus" will blossom forth in our mission territory and obtain good contemplative vocations in numbers. By their good prayers and sacrifices the Church in the Diocese will produce fruit a hundredfold.
May I commend, especially, these nuns to our good people in and around Asheville. You are privileged above the rest of the Diocese in getting this first foundation of contemplatives. Though they will pray and sacrifice for all of us, they are closer to you. Please assist them in every way possible in name of Christ and the Church.
Thanking God through His holy Mother for this special sign of His Benevolence to us of the Diocese of Raleigh, and praying His Divine Blessing on the beginning of this good work, I remain sincerely yours in Christ, Bishop Vincent Waters Bishop of Raleigh.

Source: North Carolina Catholic

Nazareth, NC, Nov 29 1946
The twins returned to Nazareth on Thanksgiving Day. It was near Thanksgiving Day in 1924 when Lawrence and Clarence Hill first arrived at Catholic Orphanage here, the little Catholic community on the hill outside of Raleigh. Looking so much alike that the Sisters could not tell them apart, they were only six years old then.

When they returned on Thanksgiving Day, 1946, it was for the celebration of Father Clarence Hill’s first High Mass. Father Lawrence Hill, who was ordained a year before his brother, was deacon.

The twins were at the orphanage for 13 years. It was while they were at Nazareth that they made their separate decisions to become priests – Father Lawrence Hill deciding first and Father Clarence Hill making the same decision shortly after.
Lawrence enrolled at Belmont Abbey, the Benedictine school in North Carolina, after his graduation in 1937. Clarence worked for a year, then followed his brother to Belmont. In 1939, Clarence enrolled at St. Gregory’s Seminary near Cincinnati. He completed his work at Mount St. Mary’s of the West. Lawrence studied at Our Lady of Angels seminary in Niagara Falls.

The mother of the twins, Mrs. Mary Hill, lives at Lansing, Michigan. Both priests are now in the Diocese of Raleigh. Father Lawrence Hill is at St. Lawrence’s in Asheville as assistant pastor. He was assigned there recently after a year a High Point, which is where he lived before entering the orphanage. Father Clarence is assigned to the Home Mission Apostolate at Whiteville, N.C.

Source: Catholic News

"There is only one objective norm for truth, justice, liberty, law-namely, God's eternal Order. (...) Atheistic secularism like atheistic communism, believes in no rights. All legal procedure is a mockery of justice where civil law is cut off from the source of morality: God. When men throw away this external objective, unbiased norm of justice, justice becomes what is expedient for the State and we have a substitute for God in the deification of the State we have arrived back at pagan times of the Roman Empire.

Under such a form of modern negation where truth, where justice, where nature, where liberty, where God, is denied we find no God-given rights of man, no unchangeable code of morality, no freedom under God or man, no will directed toward universal goodness, but instead we find law a caprice, might is right, evil is called good and good, evil, and so the will to evil is employed absolutely by atheistic governments
Now is the time to call a halt to this destruction of man and the world and to set about to rebuild man, society, and the world. Instead of negation, affirmation is necessary.

Men should make a definite and vigorous affirmation of the existence of God and an equally strong affirmation of the existence of God's order visible in the universe and in man. There should also be the affirmation "that man's will, directed to universal goodness or happiness, also participates in God's order. (...)

Then and then only we shall have peace. peace which is the work of justice. Divine justice. Peace which St. Augustine defined as the tranquility of order. Not the order of man, or of nations, or of mere human society, but peace, the tranquility of God's order in the universe."

Source NCWC News Service. Washington, Jan 14, 1952 page 7

Source: The Bulletin June 1945

Source: Bulletin of Catholic Laymen, Raleigh Diocese September 1945

Raleigh, N.C. (NC) - Bishop Vincent S.Waters - who earlier required Sisters in the Raleigh, N.C., diocese to wear identifiable religious garb - has made the same demand of his priests.

In a recent letter to diocesan priests, pastors and heads of Religious orders, Bishop Waters called it "important for the good of souls of priests, as well as the people they serve," that priests wear clerical garb except for recreational activities.

The bishop's directive says pastors "should report to me Sisters working in their parishes - studying or doing secular work - who are not complying with this request."

Noting that similar clothing regulations are contained in canon law and were reaffirmed by the last Raleigh diocesan synod, held in 1948, Bishop Waters said any priest who disregards the regulation is "subject to the withdrawal of this diocesan faculties." These faculties include such clerical functions as preaching and hearing confessions.

The Raleigh diocese - comprising the whole state of North Carolina - has 66,933 Catholics out of total state population of more than five million.

Source:December 3, 1971 Small Town Papers

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The cleric should wear "suitable clerical clothing, according to the norms issued by the Episcopal Conference and according to legitimate local customs." (Canon #284) This means that such clothing, when it is not the cassock, should be distinct from the manner in which laymen dress, and in conformity with the dignity and sacredness of the ministry.

Apart from entirely exceptional circumstances, the non-use of clerical clothing on the part of the cleric can manifest a weak sense of his own identity as a pastor completely dedicated to the service of the Church (# 66).

Source: EWTN

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Outside liturgical functions, a black suit and Roman collar are the usual attire for priests. The use of the cassock is at the discretion of the cleric.

Source: USCCB