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| Monastery of the Incarnation Beacon, New York Carmelite Nuns Redemptoristine Nuns |
Redemptoristines of New York Rejoice in New Home
It has been
a long and difficult journey. But now our community (formerly of Esopus) has
finally found its way to a proper monastic home in the city of Beacon, New
York. We are sharing sacramental and liturgical life, beauty, silence, and
spaciousness in the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation. We are making history in this arrangement; two
different canonical religious groups living under the same roof. We have
received the blessing of our Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the diocesan Vicar for
Religious who view this development as a healthy response to the signs of the
times. We would like to share with you how we came to this decision for our
community.
In January
of 2011, we were informed by the Baltimore Province of the Redemptorists that
they would be leasing the property of Mount St. Alphonsus and that we would
have to find a new home within 2 to 3 years. Four months later we learned that
we would have only one year to relocate. The decision made by the Redemptorists
was a wise and prudent one, but not without difficulties all around. In the end
the property was sold. A bit of gold in this story is that the buyers invested
a great deal of money in restoring the building and are lovingly caring for the
property. The seminary building is now a private Christian high school.
We searched
long and hard for a new home; a suitable monastery. We visited over 40 sites in
five states and researched many others via the Internet. By the spring of 2012
we were ready to purchase a Franciscan friary in an urban New Jersey parish. At
the last minute we had to give up that plan due to environmental contamination
problems with the property. Having only 5 weeks to find a place to live we were
fortunate to arrange rental of space in a building owned by the Missionary
Sisters of the Sacred Heart only 5 miles south of Mount St. Alphonsus. We moved
on June 25, 2012. All of our furniture was stored in a gymnasium in the same
building. It was a crowded and very awkward space for our life but it did offer
spectacular views of the Hudson River.
In January
of this year the Missionary Sisters informed us that we would have to leave the
property by the end of June. We had already hired professional consultants who
work with religious communities to create relocation plans. Everyone went full
speed ahead to find the right place for us in a very short period of time.
Through the months of searching we learned that private homes require too much
remodeling for monastic use and local laws can sometimes interfere in that
process. We also learned that former convents, novitiates, etc., required a
great deal of repair and adaptation to accommodate the elderly and handicapped.
We also knew that it would be very difficult to have daily Mass wherever we
went. As the process went on we saw our personal resources diminish as sisters
aged and required more care. We had to ask ourselves, “Is it realistic for us
to buy a property and take care of it into the future?” Our consultants found
situations for us in a few continuing care retirement communities which offer
independent or assisted living as well as nursing home care at the same
location. These facilities offered great care for our sisters needing
assistance. However, the rest of us would have been separated into various
buildings. In such an arrangement our communal contemplative monastic life
would have been destroyed. By April of this year, we were disheartened and very
discouraged. We had two months to find a new home and move.
From
September of 2012 through 2013 the Carmelite community of Beacon was prudently
examining their own future and their ability to remain on their lovely
property. Our two communities have enjoyed close friendship since the 1960’s as
members of the Metropolitan Association of Contemplative Communities (MACC). In
1985, the Carmel of New York City moved to a former Ursuline Novitiate in
Beacon. During the 1990’s they merged with two other Carmels, added a new wing
to their building to accommodate a total of 30 nuns and redesigned the chapel. By
September of last year there were only 15 sisters living in the monastery. They
wondered how long they would be able to stay in a half empty building. Their
options were to rent space in the building or move to a smaller place. Neither
option was an attractive one. During this time they followed with heavy hearts
our story of disappointment and displacement. At an April community meeting
with their professional facilitator present they spontaneously put the planned
agenda aside and began talking about what it would be like if they invited us
to come and share the house with them. By the end of the meeting they voted
unanimously to issue an invitation. Within two weeks the councils of the
communities met and the generous invitation was accepted. We had exactly seven
weeks to plan the move and make all arrangements.
Two other
big decisions were made. Three of our sisters (Sisters Mary McCaffrey, Mary
Anne Reed, and Lydia Lojo) would move to Meadowview, an assisted living
facility in Mt. Vernon, New York. At
Meadowview they receive all the care they need and join many Franciscan and
Dominican sisters in residence there. The second decision was to retire from
our work producing ceremonial capes for the Knights and Ladies of the Holy
Sepulchre. We have done this work since 1985. It was a good monastic work, well
organized by Sr. Maria Paz and then passed on to others. But we had to
recognize that we no longer had the number of sisters required to produce 200
capes a year.
On June 11
three sisters moved into Meadowview Assisted Living. On June 23-24 six sisters
moved to Beacon and received a most loving welcome from Carmelite community. We
have lovely bedrooms in their new wing, a community room now called Celeste
Hall, and offices for prioress, treasurer and secretary. We are blessed here to
have Mass every day provided by a delightful rotation of priest. Only two days
after moving in we had a wonderful celebration for the Feast of Our Mother of
Perpetual Help in a Mass concelebrated by the Redemptorist Provincial, Rev.
Kevin Moley, and his Council.
In our
decision to accept the Carmelite invitation we were acknowledging the signs of
the times; fewer vocations, fewer priests, aging sisters. We were also
acknowledging our deep desire to preserve our contemplative vocation. We saw
that we could do that by joining forces with another contemplative community
and sharing the sacramental, liturgical life already established in their
horarium.
This is not
the ideal that we had in mind when we set out on our journey in search of a new
home. But we came to see that given our circumstances, resources and the
limited choices before us this arrangement was the most life-giving for us all.
We believe the Holy Spirit worked mightily in the hearts and minds of each
sister in both communities. We have had to accept losses but we have also
embraced new life and welcomed with grateful hearts the opportunity to live out
our Redemptoristine vocation. Jesus Christ is the center of everything in this
Monastery of the Incarnation. Could we ask for more?
“It is our desire to create together an environment
that fosters the growth and well-being
of each Sister’s contemplative life as lived in the
Carmelite and Redemptoristine traditions
and that has the potential for creating together
opportunities for effective outreach
to the larger community and Church.”
89
Hiddenbrooke Drive
Beacon,
New York 12508
845-831-3132
Fax
845-831-5579
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