“The history of the Order of Carmel overflows with the presence of the Virgin Mary.
It began with the presence of the Virgin Mary on Mount Carmel, where the first hermits dedicated to her a little Chapel.” (Constitutions)
Our Monastery was founded in 1916 when 16 Carmelites fled to the United States during the persecution of the Church in Queretaro, Mexico . After much terror and suffering, the sisters were finally able to resume their religious life due to the kindness of Bishop Henry Joseph Richter, then Bishop of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who invited them to stay in his Diocese.
Our Monastery is placed under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a title dear to their hearts. The little house on Valley Avenue in Grand Rapids, was added onto many times in the following years, until in 1991, the 75th year of belonging to the diocese, a new monastery was built in Parnell, a rural area just northeast of Grand Rapids.
If you are interested in reading the full story of how Mother Mary Elias led the exiled community to settle here in Grand Rapids, Michigan, please write and ask for a copy of our 100 year Anniversary booklet. It contains facts from Mother Mary Elias’ own written accounts and from supporting documents of that same time period.
Mother Mary Elias is laid to rest beside her companions in our cemetery within our Enclosure.
Of all the images and statues in our own Carmel, one of our most cherished is our so called, ‘miraculous Infant Jesus statue’. The statue is sculptured out of wood, the size of a real infant in a slumbering position. It had been treasured in the Monastery of Queretaro and was handed down from generation to generation. It is now at least 300 years old.
While still in Queretaro, the finish on the face began to peel and Mother Mary Elias was anxious to have it refinished. She contacted a woman artist for this and when she came to the Monastery, Mother passed the statue through the turn explaining what she wanted done. Upon seeing it the woman asked Mother again what was to be done, for the face of the Infant was in perfect condition and very beautiful. Receiving the statue back through the turn, Mother was amazed to find that it had been instantly restored. Mother was in awe at its great beauty, which continues the same to this day.
As explained above, our Monastery is dedicated to Our Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Our Chapel is dedicated to both Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Michael the Archangel.
Mass of Thanksgiving for our first 100 years in our Diocese