Daniel’s clothing
Our little community gathered for 1st vespers of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel yesterday evening in the newly created Victorine Oratory. Fr. Sam Anthony was delighted to find his first summer job at Marylake was to design a chapel where we could comfortably pray vespers as the air-conditioner in our upstairs choir cannot keep up with the intense heat of an Arkansas summer. We gave him Brother Victor’s old cell. I believe this is the room in which Brother died, so we named our new oratory in his honor.

This evening was special since it was the date assigned to clothe our postulant, Daniel Lacourrege in the habit of our order. Father Sam had come from our student house in New Orleans, and Fr. Provincial (Gregory) came to invest our new novice. Fr. Bonventure was in Baltimore for an OCDS Congress, Fr. John Magdalene was giving a novena at our nuns in Terre Haute, and Fr. Raphael was up in Minnesota on vacation, so our community was diminished for this solemn occasion. We have not had two novices in years. Our senior novice, Br. Juan Guillermo, is taking a picture behind Gregory and Daniel.

The ceremony began with Our Father Provincial asking the postulant: “Dear Brother, what do you ask from us?” Daniel answered, “I wish to try your way of life, and am willing to be tested, that I may follow Christ wholeheartedly, in this order of Discalced friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt Carmel.”

Fr. Gregory then blessed the habit, made by Sebastiana, one of our parishioners at Little Flower church in Oklahoma City. Here the Provincial clothes Daniel in Our Lady’s scapular, the principal part of the five piece habit.

Juan Guillermo, left, helped with the final investiture of the white ceremonial mantle. The new novice was given the religious name, Brother Daniel Marie of the Cross. Brother was born in December 1987. He’s now 21.

After the clothing we prayed first vespers of the feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel. Pray that Brother Daniel may persevere through his year novitiate and come next year’s feast make his vows as a Carmelite friar. After praying the divine office, Fr. Provincial herded us outside in the intense Arkansas heat to have our picture taken. Gregory impressed me with his technological savvy in getting his camera to take the picture automatically: Juan Guillermo, Daniel Marie, Gregory, John Michael & Sam Anthony.