To our dear readers of the Northwest Indiana Catholic:
When kindly invited to write an open letter from our Carmelite Sisters to the readership of our Catholic newspaper, my response was an immediate “Yes!” – but then came the daunting task of trying to sum up for the readers our feelings and the “good-bye” message that we would hope to accomplish.
A “goodbye” of course can never occur without the first “hello,” which in our case occurred in 1913 when our foundress, Blessed Maria Teresa of St. Joseph, was introduced to an Irish Catholic gentleman who took great interest in assisting Mother and her other nuns to locate two tiny worker's homes that were nearing completion. Colonel Walter J. Riley, together with the sisters, worked diligently to prepare the new homes for “God’s favorites”... our children! These two dwellings were located in Calumet and the area itself was scantily populated at that time.
Mother wrote in her autobiography, “As far as the eye could see there was nothing but flat, sandy land, no trees, no buildings, nothing – hence we called our new home “The Desert.”
Poverty was a major factor in the lives of the sisters and children. A kind Jewish lady gave them their first loaf of bread! Eventually, our merciful God worked within the hearts of countless faithful benefactors who believed in our mission and saw that the sisters were working very hard to help the little ones who were entrusted to their care. And so … the years passed and many changes occurred within the ministry: additional land on which to build, additional sisters from Europe and America who entered the congregation and settled in East Chicago, and finally, the transition from a group home into a residential treatment center in the mid-1980’s, which has continued until this day!
With all this being said … the life breath of the Carmelite Home has been the countless people who embraced our sisters and never let go. The leaven of that first loaf of bread has multiplied beyond description. The guardianship of St. Joseph, with a father’s love, has provided us with countless people who have “adopted our sisters and children” and provided us with the means of moving forward. This letter could easily become a book which in turn would become several volumes that would describe the goodness and kindness of our five bishops, our priests, the religious congregations, and countless people from every walk of life who have “discovered us” and given, truly from their hearts, to our ministry with children and youth.
Mother Maria Teresa continued, “In just a few weeks, the house was filled with children whose fathers worked in the mills and whose mothers had died. The sisters were always busy, and even during recreation, they had to fight with mosquitoes. Yet, they loved their life in the “Indiana desert.” They felt that they could now understand the life of the ancient hermits. The solitude and beauty of the natural surroundings of East Chicago were so well appreciated and even the “King of the Desert” was for our sisters a pleasant part of all that made up Indiana. The roaring sound of the seven railroad lines that connected New York with Chicago passed only a few hundred yards behind our property.”
These are Mother’s words, but I close with mine: Please accept my humble desire to thank you – each and every person – who has accepted, loved, and contributed to our vital ministry with God’s children and youth. Although no longer physically among you … we will ALWAYS be among you in our thoughts and prayers. May Jesus, Mary, and Joseph (our special guardian) watch over each one of you and give you peace!
With our Respect, Gratitude, and Love,
Sister Maria Giuseppe and Carmelite Sisters DCJ in East Chicago