On October 15, the feast day of St. Teresa of Jesus, the Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of St. Teresa in Santo Domingo celebrated the 40th anniversary of their foundation. With great joy, the Carmelite community of the Mount Carmel House of Formation participated in the Holy Eucharist which was presided by Bishop Faustino Burgos Brisman, CM, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo.
In his homily the bishop emphasized the life of St. Teresa of Jesus, her service to the Church, her teachings and her writings as the first doctor of the Church. The spiritual depth of her doctrine makes us taste the living source that is Christ. Her encounter with the humanity of Jesus changed her life, showing him to the world as a reference not only for the consecrated life, but for every Christian.
The bishop then gave thanks to God for the 40th anniversary. The Carmelite nuns of the capital of St. Dominic have become throughout these years a channel of intercession for all of us. In the afternoon the nuns celebrated together, as a community, with Fr. Ignatius, at St. Teresa of Jesus Parish in Santo Domingo, the patroness day.
History of the Foundation
Bishop Octavio Antonio Beras Rojas had a great love for St. Teresa of Jesus, which gave him the desire to found a monastery of Carmelite nuns in the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. This dream was shared by his successor, Msgr. Nicolás de Jesús and Cardinal López Rodríguez, who, with great interest and enthusiasm, also desired a foundation of contemplative Carmelite Nuns. He asked the prior general at the time, Falco Thuis to initiate the foundation. The prior general authorized the foundation and the community of Carmelite nuns began on October 15, 1982. This was the IV Centenary of the death of St. Teresa. For this reason, Cardinal López Rodríguez suggested that this saint be the titular of this monastery, and Fr. Falco agreed to the request.
The community was formed by six sisters coming from three monasteries: the monastery of Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic, the monastery of Villalba del Alcor in Huelva, Spain, and the monastery of Utrera in Seville, Spain.
The community moved into its own house in Villa Mella for two years. From there they moved to Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Altagracia, for three years. By that time, the new monastery was being built in Engombe, where by the immense grace of God and the blessing of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Carmelite nuns currently reside.
