When people ask what it means to be a Carmelite nun, we often find ourselves searching for words that can hold both the simplicity and the depth of this life. Carmel is hidden, quiet, and ordinary — yet it is also vast, like a deep well where God waits in silence. Our vocation is a great gift, and every day we discover it anew.

A Life Shaped by Friendship with God

St Teresa of Jesus describes prayer as ‘a friendly conversation with the One we know loves us.’

That is the heart of our life.

This friendship is not an idea but something that grows in the small, faithful moments of each day: the early-morning darkness of the chapel, the quiet rustle of habits as the sisters gather, the steady rhythm of the psalms. Sometimes prayer is full of light; sometimes it is dry as dust. But even in dryness, there is a quiet certainty that Jesus is there, waiting.

The Mass at the Centre

Everything in our day flows from the Eucharist. When the priest lifts the Host and chalice, I often think of St Thérèse’s words about standing at the foot of the Cross to ‘receive the divine dew.’

There are days when one can feel the weight of the world’s suffering very keenly — the prayer requests pinned to our bulletin boards, the letters from families in distress, the photos of sick children. During the consecration, we can place them all in the chalice. It is a hidden offering, but we trust that grace flows where we cannot see.

Mary, Our Mother and Companion

Carmel belongs to Mary. An old Carmelite motto reads: Carmelus totus Marianus, which means that Carmel is entirely devoted to Mary. Carmelite nuns regard Mary as their Mother, Queen, and Sister. From the very beginning, at the founding of the order, the first hermits on Mount Carmel chose the Virgin Mary as their patroness. They were given the name Brothers of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel. As a Carmelite nun, one wants to live the life of the Virgin Mary; the nun wants to imitate her in her response at the Annunciation, when she unreservedly placed her whole life at God’s disposal. She wants to imitate her during the thirty years she lived in obscurity, close to Jesus and Joseph in Nazareth. She wants to imitate her when she followed Jesus all the way to the Cross and the tomb. She wants to stand there with her; to remain steadfast in faith – and to participate with Jesus in his work of salvation. The Virgin Mary is also the Carmelite nun’s role model as she is depicted in the Book of Revelation, where she is described as the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars around her head. She is pregnant and cries out in childbirth pains. The nun wants to be with her in this, she desires to participate in this work for the salvation of souls. This is what she does in Carmel.

Her life in Nazareth — the long, ordinary years of cooking, cleaning, praying, waiting — was in so many ways like our own. There is something profoundly consoling in knowing that she lived most of her life in obscurity. When we struggle with our own limitations or with our daily tasks, we like to unite ourselves to her as she sanctified the ordinary simply by offering it to God.

Sometimes, during the Rosary, you can almost feel her walking beside you in the cloister garden. She doesn’t say much — she simply accompanies. That is very Carmelite.

Silence That Opens the Heart

The call to Carmel is a call to a life of constant prayer. Prayer is the Carmelite nun’s calling. It is how she becomes the love in the heart of the Church. Without prayer, Carmel is nothing.

According to St Teresa of Jesus, prayer is a friendly relationship and intimate conversation in solitude with the one we know loves us.

We want to live in this friendship with Jesus Christ every moment of the day, every moment of our life. Union with Jesus in prayer bears fruit for others. Many people turn to our monastery and ask for intercession. We have three large bulletin boards in the cloister with notes from people who have asked for prayers. These boards are always full of notes and photos we have received from those who ask for prayers.

The call to Carmel is a call to a life of enclosure. It is a life that takes place in silence, far from the gaze of others. The monastery walls enclose the entire monastery area, and we remain here for our entire lives. Jesus often withdrew from the crowds to pray in solitude; He lived a hidden life in Nazareth for thirty years — that is, almost His entire life on earth. We want to follow Him in this.

The call to Carmel is a call to a life of silence. Silence makes it possible to hear God’s gentle and unobtrusive voice, which always wants to speak to our hearts. As St John of the Cross says: ‘The Father has spoken one word, and that word is his Son, and he continues to speak it in eternal silence, and it is in silence that it must be heard by the soul.’ 

People often imagine silence as something heavy or severe. But for us, silence is spacious. It is like a room where God can speak. Inner and outer silence are necessary in order to listen, to hear. That is why we strive to live in silence. We preserve silence during the day, during work. The silence in Carmel is not empty; it is meant to be filled with God’s presence. It creates an atmosphere that makes it easier to pray, to open our hearts to Jesus.

‘The life of a Carmelite nun is silence; she loves it above all else’ is a saying of St Elizabeth of the Trinity, which expresses it very well.

Of course, silence also reveals your own heart. You cannot hide from yourself here. But even that is grace, because God meets us in truth.

Community: A School of Love

Even though Carmelite nuns have an eremitical calling, we live a life in community. It is an incredible support to live together, walking together toward the same goal. The silent communion during the day with the other sisters is a great gift. And it is also a challenge, because you cannot escape from yourself, and it is more difficult to live in an illusion about yourself when you live with others. 

Community is both a refuge and a refining fire. There are days when a sister’s small kindness lifts your whole spirit — a smile, a shared joke during recreation… And there are days when community life shows me my own rough edges. As St Teresa says, ‘Everyone must be friends, everyone must love each other.’ That is easier said than done, but it is precisely in the trying that love grows.

One of the fine moments of the day is recreation. After hours of silence, the room fills with laughter, stories, and the simple joy of being together. We read letters from our families to each other, tell jokes or discuss anything from the weather to politics.  It is a reminder that holiness is not dour; it is deeply human. 

Work That Grounds Us

We live a simple life in Carmel and work for our livelihood. We have a large garden where we grow fruit and vegetables that last almost the whole year. We paint icons, sew liturgical vestments, and make other items for sale. We run a publishing house together with our Carmelite brothers and publish a spiritual magazine. All this, together with some sisters’ pensions and generous gifts from many who want to support the monastery, keeps us going.

Our work is simple. It is so good to work in the garden. There is something sacramental about touching the earth, watching seeds sprout, harvesting vegetables that will feed the community. It reminds us that God works slowly, patiently, and often in hidden ways — just like in the soul.

A Day in Our Carmel

The day begins at 5:00 a.m. and we gather to pray the first liturgy of the day, Lauds, at 5:30 a.m. The day continues with breakfast in silence—all meals are eaten in silence or with readings aloud. At 6:45 a.m., the bell rings for an hour of silent prayer. This is followed by the Terce prayer and Holy Mass at 8:00 a.m. After Mass, we go about our work. At 10:30 a.m., the bell rings again, signalling an hour of spiritual reading in our cells. At 11:25 a.m., we pray the Liturgy of the Hours, Sext, followed by lunch. After lunch and washing up together, we meet for recreation. This is a time for spontaneous exchange and fellowship, when we talk to each other, share things with each other, for example, reading a letter aloud from someone’s family, singing, etc. Then it is time for the afternoon rest. At 2:00 p.m., the bell rings for the None prayer, and then everyone works until 4:45 p.m., when work ends. At 5 p.m., the bell rings for an hour of silent prayer, followed by Vespers and supper. After washing up together, we meet for the second recreation of the day. The day ends with Compline at 7:55 p.m. and the reading of the Liturgy of the Hours — the last prayers of the day. Between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., we have an hour of quiet time in our cells. The time between Compline and Lauds the following day is known as the Great Silence, during which we do not speak to each other at all except through sign language or notes. It is a time of total silence and quiet. Then the Great Silence continues until dawn. It is a rhythm that shapes you gently but firmly, like water shaping stone. Over time, you begin to feel that the day itself is praying.

Why We Are Here

With her reform, St Teresa wanted Carmel to assist the Church in its great need. We are called here to pray, sacrifice ourselves, and do penance for the priests and all who preach the Gospel. The high, thick walls, the grilles, and all the external features that limit our contact with the outside world are outward signs and important means that lead to the goal: union with God.People sometimes ask whether our hidden life makes any difference in the world.
I can only say this: every day we receive letters from people who feel carried, comforted, or strengthened by our prayer. We are not the ones doing the work — God is. But we stand in the quiet places where grace can enter. Carmel is not spectacular. It is not meant to be. It is a small, steady flame burning in the heart of the Church. This is the deep meaning of our lives, and it brings with it a greater happiness than anything the world can give