On this special feast of our Most Holy Mother, under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I take time to celebrate and reflect on my path to profession as a Third Order Carmelite (O.Carm., or the Ancient Observance Carmelites).
So writes Bianca Bekke, pictured, who is Executive Director of Mother Teresa House, which provides compassionate, free end-of-life care in homes in Lansing and Williamston.
Although I was not professed on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, I most definitely rejoice in and honor the Patroness of our Order every year on this date and give thanks to her for always keeping me under her protective mantle.
For several years now, I have found myself camping on Grand Traverse Bay on this blessed day, which happens to be in the Diocese of Gaylord. It is a great gift to be in northern Michigan in July, but it is extra special for me on this particular feast day to be able to spend it doing some of my favorite things, like spending time with family, camping, and attending daily Mass!
The extra-special blessing about being in the Diocese of Gaylord on this feast day is that Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patroness of the diocese, so the prayers at Mass are tailored to honor her and seek her intercession for the faithful under this specific title. Her patronage is so deeply embodied in the diocese that its coat of arms incorporates elements of the Carmelite coat of arms by featuring the six-pointed stars.
Outside of July 16, most of my days are spent working, living, and moving about in the great Diocese of Lansing! I say "great" because of the wonderfully faith-filled people who serve throughout the diocese, whom I have had the privilege to work with and know, but also because of our wonderful bishop, the Most Reverend Earl Boyea. He truly has a heart for his people.
I credit Our Lady with bringing me safely back to my home diocese, as my journey to profession with the Carmelites began while I was residing in California. I most definitely did not want to come back, but God's plan is always perfect, even though we cannot always see it in the midst of things.
The Third Order Carmelite community I belong to is based in Douglas, Michigan, in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Although I live and work in the Diocese of Lansing, I own property within the Diocese of Saginaw. Our Good Lord and his dear Mother often remind me how very connected we, the faithful, truly are and that we really are a pilgrim people while on this earth, moving about under the docile guidance of the Holy Spirit, by the will of the Father, striving to share the Good News with all those we encounter.
As Executive Director of Mother Teresa House, an end-of-life care home, I definitely bring my Carmelite spirituality into my professional domain. To truly live out my profession as a Carmelite, it is imperative that it touch all aspects of my daily life. At Mother Teresa House, we have been blessed to witness non-practicing Catholics return to the faith, individuals be baptized into the Church, and many other graces the Lord and Our Lady have bestowed upon our ministry.
Whenever someone returns to or enters the Catholic Church, I always gift them a brown scapular, a sacramental given to the 13th-century English Carmelite friar and mystic, Saint Simon Stock, by the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Most often, the individual graciously receives this gift and asks me to help them put it on. If they are unsure, I simply leave it in their room or pin it to their pillow. As death becomes imminent, I usually take the initiative to place the scapular around the individual's neck. At the point when a guest becomes unable to advocate for their own physical, spiritual, and emotional needs, we at Mother Teresa House step in and fill that role, provided doing so is not in conflict with their final wishes, ensuring we do all within our power to make the transition into eternal life as smooth as possible.
So this year, although I won't be camping on Grand Traverse Bay, I will once again find myself in the Diocese of Gaylord on July 16 and am very much looking forward to celebrating this feast day with Mass, spending time with my family, and enjoying all that northern Michigan has to offer!
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us!
* For more about Mother Teresa House, go to: https://motherteresahouse.org/
