Among the religious orders dedicated to the contemplative life, the Carmelites have a special role. Carmelite convents are found all over the world. They have given the Church countless saints and models.
Many Carmelite convents are now in crisis because they have no vocations. The nuns are dying off. Convent after convent is closing. Each closure represents a tragedy and the end of the convent’s intercession before God for the local community, the Church, and the world.
The Convent in Lisieux Is Declining
However, the wave of closing is now affecting historical convents—what might be called the order’s crown jewels. Even Saint Therese’s convent at Lisieux, France, is edging toward decline.
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This cloistered convent was where Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus was formed and sanctified at the age of 15. Here, she developed the Little Way spirituality that spread throughout the world. She lived in this convent with her three siblings—Marie, Pauline and Celine—who were also Carmelite nuns. She also died there at the age of 24. The chapel is blessed with her tomb, which is visited by 150,000 pilgrims yearly.
Major Changes Coming
The convent is not closing…for now.
However, the Carmel of Lisieux has announced major changes since it has not received any vocations for several years. It seems that not even the fame of its celebrated saint is enough to attract young ladies to join.
To deal with its declining numbers, the convent is affiliating with a Carmelite federation of convents covering northern France. This affiliation, the Fédération Thérèse-Elizabeth des Carmélites de France-Nord, brings together 32 Carmelite foundations in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania to “foster communion and mutual aid.” The association allows struggling member convents some flexibility in dealing with decline by pooling resources.
In the case of the convent at Lisieux, there are now only 14 sisters remaining. Eight older sisters are expected to leave for resettlement in retirement homes. Six sisters will stay to ensure the continuity of the famous convent.
A New Schedule and Leadership Structure
Reflecting the difficulty of functioning with this bare minimum, the Carmelite schedule will be changed. The sisters will no longer be required to sing morning Lauds and evening Vespers in choir, which has been done since the convent’s founding in 1835. The president of the Carmelite Fédération, Sister Marie-Gabrielle de la Sainte-Croix, will serve as the convent’s major superior. She will be helped on-site by a local superior who will oversee daily activities.
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The major superior says the changes will provide a period of respite “to reflect on the future of the Carmel and the community that will inhabit it.”
Saved for Now
For now, it appears Lisieux is saved. However, with no new vocations, a later phase might force it to close like so many others. Then, the premises would become a kind of museum for the massive number of pilgrims to visit.
Lisieux is not alone in its crisis. Others face similar dilemmas but are not so lucky. Venerable old convents like the Discalced Carmelites of Lucena, Spain, have announced that they will soon leave the convent they have occupied uninterrupted for 412 years.
With the death of its prioress, only three aging nuns remained to occupy the huge convent. With great pain and sadness, the nuns agreed to “conclude their mission” at the venerable site.
A Progressive Narrative
As convents worldwide close, a progressive narrative has taken hold to help explain why they are shutting down. Some congregations claim that the time of celibate life in common may be over. The Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of New York, for example, believe they are fated to take a “path to completion” as they close the final chapters of their two-hundred-year-old history. Some orders no longer have novitiate programs or accept new vocations.
The same narrative also claims that the hard life of prayer, contemplation, and penance no longer attracts postmodern youth who would prefer to enjoy life.
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Thus, some orders watered down their programs and modified their habits to accommodate more modern times and tastes. Others have changed entirely and adopted radical agendas of social justice and eco-activism that have nothing to do with the orders’ original charisms—and attract no one.
Empty Convents
The result is empty convents, aging nuns, and dashed hopes.
This tragic trend suggests that something is terribly wrong. Someone should at least acknowledge the trend as a failure.
However, no one dares suggest that modern changes might be responsible for this massive spiritual catastrophe. Instead, congregations treat the “lack of vocation” as if it were like a climate-change condition over which they have no control. They accept their demise with resignation.
An Attraction to the Supernatural Life
Of course, everyone knows what the solution is. It’s been known for decades. It is not found among the radical progressive nuns, who have doubled down in promoting “social justice” programs to attract new postulants who never come.
What has consistently worked to rejuvenate convents has been a return to tradition. The more traditional the programs are, the greater the number of novices flocking to the convents. Some traditional Carmelite convents are even building new foundations to accommodate the young women who joyfully want to enter.
These young women are attracted to the idea of giving themselves to the task of prayer, adoration, and sacrifice by isolating themselves from the world. They desire to engage in their supernatural role of interceding before God for a sinful humanity.
Instead of recognizing and reinforcing this success, liberal Church officials are suppressing it. They want to change the Church structures to reflect modern and erroneous theologies—that never yield good fruit.
Recourse to Saint Therese
One way to reverse the trend of empty convents is to have recourse to Saint Therese. She is the ideal saint for the task.
The stories of her intercession fill volumes. Indeed, today, Saint Therese remains wildly popular among Catholics worldwide. Her relics have traveled to nearly 70 countries, often drawing huge crowds. People cannot get enough of this saint, who taught that heroic sanctity is possible by turning the ordinary tasks and sacrifices of daily life into great feats of love and devotion.
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She was ardent in her desire to enter the Carmel at the age of 15. It is not unreasonable that she would fill souls with the desire to return to a life of prayer, adoration, and sacrifice discarded by the modern world. She would be a natural and powerful advocate for sending these souls to Lisieux.
The Little Flower also promised to send a shower of roses to do good on Earth. What fairer rose than a vocation to be a bride of Christ!
The crown jewel Carmelite convents are failing because there are no Saint Thereses to save them. She gave the formula that opened the way for even weak souls to practice heroic virtue in daily life. Her Little Way is not a “path to completion” but a road to sanctification.
Serious prayer in expectation of spectacular miracles is what is needed to fill these convents and convert the postmodern world. What is missing are souls of faith, both inside and outside the convents, who believe Saint Therese is all-powerful and faithful to her promises.