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<p>On Feb. 2, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, celebrated a solemn pontifical Mass of thanksgiving for Mother Teresa of Jesus, former prioress of the Carmelite Sisters at the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Valparaiso, Nebraska. </p>
<p>The Mass celebrated Mother Teresa of Jesus’ 70 years of vowed religious life. The order is discalced and cloistered, and this foundation was established in the diocese in 1999 under the charism of doctor of the Church St. Teresa of Avila.</p>
<p>Bishop Conley talked about how he has been blessed to know Mother Teresa. </p>
<p>“When I came to the Diocese of Lincoln, Mother Teresa of Jesus was the prioress and from the very first time I met her, I saw her as a very humble, faith-filled, joyful, wise woman,” Bishop Conley told the Register. “There is a wisdom and a joy that strikes me about her, and she sees the world through a supernatural vision.”</p>
<p>“I listen to her counsel often, and since she arrived in 1999, there have been four foundations that have been founded while she has been prioress here and they continue to attract vocations,” the bishop added. “I think a lot of that is due to her leadership. Her perseverance in her vocation all these years with joy and wisdom has been an inspiring thing for me.”</p>
<p>Before arriving in the Diocese of Lincoln in 1999, Mother Teresa of Jesus resided at the Carmel in Las Vegas. New Carmelite foundations have been started in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, (now Fairfield), Kensington, California, and Post Falls, Idaho, as well as New South Wales, Australia.</p>
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<figure><img src="https://publisher-ncreg.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pb-ncregister/swp/hv9hms/media/20250203160236_9a9f24b9934575ceafe5a38f2284e423b19b0437510adcccb83864a955725102.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20250203160236_9a9f24b9934575ceafe5a38f2284e423b19b0437510adcccb83864a955725102" data-rendition-name="original" width="3024" height="4032" loading="lazy" alt="Lincoln Carmelite anniversary Mass"/><figcaption>Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, celebrates a solemn pontifical Mass of thanksgiving for Mother Teresa of Jesus, on Feb. 2, 2025. <span>(Photo: Photographer Timothy Ecoff)</span></figcaption></figure>
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<h3><b>‘A Kind of Life That Would Last Forever’</b></h3>
<p>Reflecting on her call to religious life, Mother Teresa of Jesus, a native of Chile, told the Register in writing, “I loved to ride horses as a young girl at my grandfather’s farm in Chile, but at some point I realized that this can’t last forever, so I wanted a kind of life that would last forever.” </p>
<p>Following her experiences at college in the United States and her contact with Carmelite religious, her heart was drawn to the Carmelites, who she said “were always my favorite. Also, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patroness of Chile.” </p>
<p>According to an <a href="https://www.lincolndiocese.org/news/diocesan-news/18482-a-sacrifice-of-praise-carmelite-to-celebrate-70th-anniversary-of-vows">article</a> by Father Kenneth Borowiak<i> </i>for the <i>Southern Catholic Register</i>, newspaper of the Diocese of Lincoln, Mother Teresa of Jesus found further resonance between her call to religious life and her roots: “She encountered the Carmel of Cristo Rey in San Francisco. That Carmelite community came from Mexico. Their first language was Spanish, which was to Mother Teresa of Jesus’ advantage, since she was from Chile.”</p>
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<h3><b>Model of Carmelite Spirituality</b></h3>
<p>Mother Agnes of the Cross, subprioress of the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph at Valparaiso, shared in writing how the former prioress exemplifies the Carmelite spirituality. </p>
<p>“First and foremost by her charity — her love for God, for the Church, for each person with whom she comes in contact. She is truly interested in others and their interests — however simple and human — their needs, their hopes, their sorrows.” </p>
<p>“On the other hand, she is very forgetful of self — never drawing attention to herself or worrying about what others think of her. She is not one anxious to give her opinions; rather, her words are few and beautiful. Very positive. Always pointing to God,” she added. </p>
<p>“All this is our hidden life in Carmel,” Mother Agnes said. “God using souls willing to be very, very little — allowing him to do great things in our world through such a simple thing as a prayer lifted to God in love.”</p>
<p>Mother Agnes described some of the preparations the monastery made for the celebration of Mother Teresa of Jesus’ vows: “Mother Teresa made a little silent retreat of three days in preparation, and the day before the Mass we presented to her a beautiful new chasuble that the sisters embroidered as a gift for her jubilee, which our bishop wore for the first time at the Pontifical Mass.” </p>
<p>The sisters also incorporated the order’s historical roots in the Mexican tradition into their celebration, Mother Agnes outlined.</p>
<p>“On the morning of the 2nd we sang <i>Mañanitas </i>(pious Spanish songs) to wake her up,” she said. “We also had a festive meal when we could speak to each other (normally our meals are in silence while listening to table reading), having a very joyous recreation together. The community also prepared a musical concert to perform during recreation as a surprise for Mother.” </p>
<h3><b>‘Constantly in Conversation With God’</b></h3>
<p>Cloistered nuns have a special calling to prayer, as Mother Teresa of Jesus has done for 70 years. </p>
<p>“Knowing that these prayer warriors are constantly in conversation with God, praying for me, praying for the diocese, praying for the Church, praying for the world, has been a tremendous consolation to me and I consider it one of the greatest blessings in my time here in Lincoln to have the Carmelites,” said Bishop Conley.</p>
<p>Reflecting on the joy of living a cloistered religious life, Mother Teresa of Jesus sees the beauty of “being able to center my attention and desires on Our Lord Jesus Christ, and knowing He takes care of everything that is good for us. As Our Holy Mother <a href="https://www.lincolndiocese.org/directory/religious/217-carmelite-sisters">St. Teresa</a> says: ‘Just look at Him.’” </p>
<p>One vital lesson she has learned in 70 years of vowed religious life — “That He chose me first.”</p>
<p><i>With special thanks to Dennis Kellogg, director of communications of the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln, for his kind assistance with this article.</i></p>
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<br /><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/news/carmelite-celebrates-70-years-of-being-wedded-to-christ">Source link </a></p>
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Carmelite Celebrates 70 Years of Being Wedded to Christ| National Catholic Register
