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By Erika Anderson, Staff Writer
ATLANTA-Five years ago, while living in Michigan, Mary Shusta was searching.
"I always wanted to pray more and to progress in my spiritual life," she said.
She began inquiring about secular religious orders and heard about the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. She knew right away that was where she belonged.
"I knew they were dedicated to contemplative prayer," she said. "It was exactly what I was looking for. They teach you how to pray."
Now a Georgia resident and a parishioner of the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta, Shusta has begun a new order in the metro Atlanta area, with the blessing of Archbishop John F. Donoghue.
According to the OCDS Rule, the order "welcomes those of the faithful who, by special vocation, undertake to live, in the world, an evangelical life of fraternal communion imbued with the spirit of contemplative prayer and apostolic zeal according to the example and teaching of the Carmelite saints."
The Carmelite order was founded by a group of hermits residing on Mount Carmel in Palestine in the early 13th century. They were men, many of whom were Crusaders who chose to dwell on Mount Carmel "after the example of that holy man and solitary prophet Elijah." Around the year 1210, the hermits were given a rule of life by St. Albert, the patriarch of Jerusalem. The hermits were told to "dwell in their cells pondering on the Lord's law day and night." As a place for prayer, they built an oratory dedicated to Mary. Because of this the Carmelites see themselves as sons and daughters of Mary, and reflect that in wearing the brown scapular.
The hermits began to move into Europe beginning in about 1238. In the 16th century, St. Teresa of Avila, a Spanish Carmelite nun, began a reform movement within the order, desiring to bring the order back to its roots and a more contemplative form of life. She began to found convents and, with the assistance of St. John of the Cross, was able to spread the reform to the friars as well. Eventually the reform was separated from the Carmelite order to form a new branch, the Discalced Carmelites. Discalced literally means "without shoes," which reflects the order's more austere way of life and the fact that members wore rope sandals instead of leather shoes. Today there are two branches of Carmelites, the Ancient Observance and the Discalced.
Third order Secular Carmelites are lay people and diocesan clergy who live the charism in a secular life. Pope John Paul II himself is a member of the third order. The third order secular is distinct from the third order religious, who are sisters who are not cloistered but serve the church in the world.
For Shusta, becoming a Secular Carmelite was like coming full circle.
"It was like coming home," she said. "It was as if I had found a deeper prayer life, a deeper peace."
Becoming a Secular Carmelite takes a serious commitment. Candidates must first undergo a period as an aspirant and meet regularly with a Secular Carmelite community for six months. At the end of the six months, an aspirant may request to enter formation. The formation period, which lasts two years, begins when an individual is clothed with the brown scapular of the order and given a copy of the Gospels and of the Rule. During this period, a member will more fully study the Rule, the Carmelite saints, Carmelite writings, the Liturgy of the Hours and contemplative prayer.
After initial formation, the individual may make public temporary promises, committing to "tend towards evangelical perfection in the spirit of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, obedience and of the Beatitudes, according to the Rule of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites, for three years." After three years, a member may make final promises, committing to the same promises as the temporary, but for "all of my life."
A year after final promises, a Secular Carmelite may also choose to make vows of chastity and obedience. The vow of chastity does not affect the rights and duties of married people, nor does it prevent a single person from marrying.
As a requirement, Secular Carmelites must wear the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, devote a half an hour to daily prayer and recite morning and evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours. Daily Mass is recommended.
Shusta, a project manager for an architectural firm, said she attends daily Mass and tries to incorporate the Carmelite spirituality into her everyday life.
"I think that it permeates everything I do," she said.
Secular Carmelites are made up of people from all walks of life, with the only requirement that they are "over 18 and in good standing in the church," Shusta said.
Shusta and others who are interested are meeting at the Cathedral on the first Saturday of the month.
"It will be an exciting time that will provide many warm memories for all that participate in these early formative meetings, similar to what many pioneers must have experienced," she said.
Anyone who is seeking "personal happiness through union with God" should consider the order, Shusta said.
"The church has an answer on how to achieve peace of heart and happiness," she said. "Prayer and union with God are indispensable for this. We as a third order go into the deep with his holiness, John Paul II, teaching deeper prayer, deeper spirituality and deeper union with God."
And Shusta knows, having experienced this firsthand.
"I wanted to learn how to pray, to be closer to God, but I didn't know how or where to begin," she said. "When I found the Carmelites, I knew I had found what I had been searching for and it brings me great joy to be able to share and bring it to others."
For information contact Shusta at (404) 351-6075 or by e-mail at mshusta@yahoo.com.
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SPEARHEADING THE EFFORT--Mary Shusta is presently a member of the Secular Carmelite Community in Flint, Mich.; however, with approval from Archbishop John F. Donoghue last September, she is working toward initiating a local community in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Members of the community gather once a month for fellowship, prayer and the study of Carmelite spirituality. (Photos by Michael Alexander)