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Mar 25th, 2025
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,045
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Joined: Jan 2005
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I am glad to hear good things about this community. I had an
appeal from them several months ago which gave rise to serious
misgivings about them for the following reasons:
1 No curriculum vitae for Fr. Daniel Mary
was given. Who is he? Where and when did he receive his
formation and to whom make his vows? From whom
did he receive permission to start a congregation of his own?
I was able, through our deacon,to verify that this group is canonically
recognised by the local bishop, but a bishop might have more
than one reason for extending recognition.
2) Their literature and website were both very professionally
done and expensive-looking. Where did this start-up
congregation get the money? They may, of course, have well-off
and generous supporters.
3)The tone of Fr. Daniel Mary's letter (adddressed to me by
name, but he could have gotten that from anywhere) I found
off-putting. It was rather patronizing, but this is a fault
not unknown among the clergy in general. What annoyed me most
was his announcement that his community intended to act as
"spiritual fathers" for us and invited me to send him the
names and addresses of my relatives and friends so that he and
his brothers could become "spiritual fathers" to them, too.
The appeal and the website both have lots of nice color
pictures of the group, which, except for Father himself, seems to
consist of very young men. Teen-aged spiritual fathers? I think
not. Maybe in thirty or forty years. How long did St. Seraphim
of Sarov spend "in the desert" before he undertook to be
a starets ? Granted that there have been those who
have been very young and yet deep in the Spirit (Therese
of Lisieux, for example) but they are very extraordinary cases.
4) It is eccentric, to the best of my knowledge, for Carmelites
to call themselves monks. This is a minor point, but unnecessary
singularity in such a group of unknowns I think imprudent,
especially in view of the other questions their
presentations raise.
5)This house does not appear to have any connections with
the Carmelite "establishment". If not, why not?
My doubts remain, I am sorry to say. We in this country are
in very great need of monastics and I would be happy
to be convinced that these men are the real thing. Can anyone
out there address these issues?
Edmac while you raise many valid questions, I would like to give these folks the benefit of the doubt, that everything is on the up and up. I have rec'd a couple of their appeals for funds, I suspect through one Trad Latin bookseller whose books I have purchased (as far as the books are germane to me, they are primarily Latin). perhaps some folks may want to go to their compound and check things out with a loving heart, but like you Ed, a realistic mind. Much Love, Jonn
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,461 Likes: 1
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,461 Likes: 1 |
Bishop David Ricken blessed the original foundation, and they are certainly canonical. I know of a young man who worked there for a summer while discerning a vocation, and the monks occasionally also provide some spiritual guidance for the Mt. Carmel Boys Ranch. One of the monks' father runs the Boys Ranch. Jerry has done some amazing work with some troubled boys there, and the monks offer very positive spiritual guidance for the boys. I believe they still have the mail-order coffee business: http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/index.htmlRegarding marketing - in this day and age if something is not professionally done it risks being overlooked.
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,214
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,214 |
"I will write to Fr. Daniel Mary to alert him to the fact that his presentations raised these doubts in my mind and our deacon's. There may be others who had similar reactions."
Are the doubts on the authenticity and credibility of the community rooted in speculation?
Terry
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 384
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 384 |
The reasons for my doubts I gave.
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