Newsletter #13 - Autumn of 2017
J.M. + J.T.
A Letter from Mother Mary Bethany
Dear Friends of Mary,
Cooler nights and shorter days signal the turning of another season, and it is time to turn to all of you with gratitude for your friendship this past year. The 2nd Annual Benefit Luncheon held October 7th was a resounding success. Thank you for your dedicated work and preparation for the event; all the time planning, communicating, and networking really paid off! The Sisters and I are very grateful to all of you, and for our connection with you.
Our holy mother Saint Teresa says to the nuns in The Way of Perfection, “This is what we must strive for earnestly, to be affable, agreeable, and pleasing to persons with whom we deal…” (Chap. 41, #7) and she says of the nuns axiomatically, “the holier they are, the more sociable they are…”. Well, by those standards, the members of the Auxiliary are making their way up Mount Carmel with wings on their heels – for you are all certainly very pleasant to deal with, very loving to us and to each other!
Our postulant Anna Kresslins received the Carmelite habit on July 23rd and became Sister Margaret of the Cross. Two more postulants, Ruth and Kelly, are waiting for their time to come, so please keep them in your prayers. A baby fox decided to try joining our community in July, having fallen into an inner patio by sliding on the solar panels. He was caught by the Sisters and set free outside, where his Mama was awaiting him. But then, for a couple of weeks, the young foxes took our roof for their private playground, enjoying themselves on the solar panels, and depositing half-eaten orchard fruits in the patio for payment. They decided ultimately that they didn’t have the Carmelite vocation, and have left for other greener pastures…!
Again, we repeat our gratitude for all of you, and assure you that our commitment to pray for you is not an idle one. May our good God grant you all a beautiful autumn, a happy Thanksgiving, and a blessed Advent! God bless you.
-Mother Mary Bethany and Sisters
Auxiliary News
The Second Annual Luncheon was a wonderful event, just like last year, with delicious food provided by the Knights of Columbus, Auburn Chapter. The programs, tickets, and flyers were provided by Advantage Print, Marketing &More in Auburn. The flowers on the tables were provided by O’Shay’s Flowers & Antiques, Auburn, and the delicious bundt cake desserts were made by Nothing Bundt Cakes in Roseville and obtained for us by the Italian Catholic Federation at St. Joseph’s Church. We are very grateful! I encourage you to support these vendors, as well as our sponsors Leatherby’s Ice Cream and Easter’s Catholic Books and Gifts. We also wish to thank The Squires and Teens from St. Joseph’s and St. Teresa’s parishes who helped us serve and clean up.
The attendance was slightly lower than last year, with 133 seats sold. But the proceeds were still very good, including all donations. We will be able to give the Sisters the same amount as last year, even with fewer seats sold. We were able to show a slide show of the Monastery, and the Sisters at work and play. It was very well received!
I also wish to thank the following people for their great service toward making this luncheon a success: Bill Gilsdorf, Tim Schott, Philip Fontes, Jana and Steven Devereux, Toni and Kim Collins, Henry Luckie, Robin Van Hook, Brenda McCollum and Carla Pelka, Barbara Sloan, Pat Boynton, Richard Queen and Faber Eaves; Kathleen, Katie, and Father Cesar from St. Joseph’s. And a huge “Thank You” to everyone who attended and donated and helped make this year’s luncheon so wonderful. God bless you!
We hope to be able to build a sidewalk down to the St. John Villa, but that may wait ‘til next year, when we can find someone to do the work. If you know of someone who builds sidewalks, please contact us!
Auxiliary Board Replacements
Serving on the Auxiliary Board is not a hard job, and is fun! We currently have 9 members, and some of them will be retiring at the end of this year. Serving on the Board can be thought of as more of a decision-making position than a worker bee position. We can use the talents of lawyers, accountants, builders, secretaries, and mom-and-dad parishioners too! We especially need a treasurer. If you are interested in serving on the Auxiliary Board, please contact me at 916-207-8141. Everyone is welcome to attend Board meetings, and invited to be a voting board member too.
501C3 Application
No, we have not filed for this yet. We hope to be able to file for this status once we grow a little larger.
Growth and Prayer
If you know of friends who would like to join our organization, please invite them to visit our website and sign up! We can always use more participants to support the Carmelite Sisters. And remember that you can call the Sisters to ask for prayer: 530-333-1617. Just remember to call them back when your prayers have been answered!
In Christ,
Patty MacEgan
Carmelite Auxiliary
carmlitehelpers@gmail.com
www.carmeliteauxiliary.org