ART, FRIENDSHIP, AND FIFTY YEARS IN CARMEL
The following was written in 2007 by one of our beloved Sisters.
Once upon a time, there was a young French woman named Adrienne Lincoln, living on
a small island in the Indian Ocean who yearned to travel to farther places. She began
by sailing to England for studies in international politics at London’s School of Economics.
Both England and her home Island were not exactly sun-drenched areas of our huge
world, and she longed to live in a place where the sun shone often and long.
Enter Anne Blakemore, a roving artist from America, a non-Catholic, touring the
Catholic churches in Europe to study the beautiful art-work present in so many of the
cathedrals there. The two young women became good friends, and when Anne spoke of
returning to America, she invited Adrienne to visit her there.
At the end of the school year, Adrienne accepted Anne’s invitation to visit America;
and they visited not only Anne’s home in Richmond, Virginia, but went "out west"
to California where the sun was supposed to shine rather frequently. Anne was impressed
by her new-found friend’s habit of going to daily Mass, and little-by-little she began to
be interested in the Catholic Faith. Soon, she was taking instructions from a priest whom
Adrienne had met. Meanwhile, Adrienne had been making inquiries about contemplative places
in California and chose to visit Carmel-by-the-Sea. Fortunately, it was a nice sunny day
when she visited; and she was happy to meet the prioress of this Monastery, who at that
time was Mother Marie Aimee of Jesus, a lovely soul who welcomed this new aspirant with a
sunny smile that warmed Adrienne’s heart immediately!
She entered the Monastery in 1957 . . . and Anne visited her several times. As Adrienne
described the daily routine of the Monastery, Anne became more and more interested in the
rhythmical pattern of life that her friend described. Before too many months had passed,
Anne asked to be admitted to the monastery, also!
Time passes quickly! Adrienne . . . now Sr. Marie-Cecile of Jesus Crucified . . . will
celebrate 50 years of Carmelite life with a special Mass and Ceremony on September 12
the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The principal celebrant of the Mass at 9 o’clock will be Very Rev. Gerald Werner, OCD,
Provincial of the Western Province of the Carmelite Fathers. He will be joined at the
altar by several priest-friends of Sister Marie Cecile, including Fr. Donald Kinney, OCD,
who will preach the homily for this special occasion. Father Patrick Dooling from nearby
Monterey will be one of the concelebrants.
This year is an auspicious time of celebration for the entire Carmelite Order. It is the
80th anniversary of St. Therese as Patroness of the Missions, and the 800th anniversary of
the beginning of the Rule of Carmel . . .
The above picture shows our good friends today: Sr. Anne Marie (on the left) and Sr.
Marie-Cecile (on the right)
Visit our
Meditations Page (to see a painting of St. Teresa
of Avila by our own Sr. Anne Marie, the former Anne Blakemore).
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