This is an Indianapolis newspaper.
Cloistered Carmelite nuns fill life with prayer, silence, community
Now, 11 nuns, from ages 38 to 85 live in the Catholic monastery. They are a multicultural community representing five countries.
Sister Anne, 85, has lived at the Terre Haute monastery for 67 years. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” she says. “It’s been very challenging but extremely fulfilling.” She even helped with the construction of the Terre Haute building in the late 1960s. She and Sisters did the work of the day laborers, including hoisting bricks up to the second floor with ropes. Sometimes she thought she would never be alive to see it completed. But it was dedicated in 1970.
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The Sisters embody a unique culture of prayer, silence, solitude and community, living in a contemplative and cloistered order. They pray together seven times a day and privately twice a day. They pray for the church, the priests and the world. They don’t always see the result of their prayer, says Sister Marianna.
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“We feel there is no limit for us,” says Sister Marianna. “We embrace the whole world.” They follow the news and pray for local events like the recent Indiana flooding. They also received requests for prayer from those affected by the storms including those without power for extended time.
They also follow the world in news events like the wars in Iran and Ukraine, praying for the leaders to work together for peace. They pray for Pope Leo XIV, the newest Pope and leader of the Catholic Church. They pray for those in need of prayer.
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When not picking zucchini, asparagus or other vegetables, Sister Clare Joseph runs the monastery infirmary. One of her most meaningful times was tending to two Sisters as they neared death. She recalls that it was the greatest gift and hardest work she had ever done. And she was moved by their grace. The honor was like “escorting them to heaven,” she remembers.
Together the Sisters are community. Living together in the monastery, they are family.