Woman witnesses sign of hope as clean up began at Carmelite Shrine
MUNSTER – An EF-1 tornado that hit Munster on Aug. 11 is said to have reached a maximum width of 300 yards. More than a week later, many community members continued to clean debris from around their homes as they waited for power to be restored.
The Carmelite Monastery located along Ridge Road was also affected by the storm that came through Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Like neighboring areas, the monastery’s beautiful gardens no longer looked the same after the high winds impacted the landscape.
The sanctuary complex comprises the Marian Grotto, the Stations of the Cross, the monastery church, the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy and the Highlanders’ Chapel. Hidden among the trees in the serenity of the garden are statues of saints: St. Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Raphael Kalinowski, St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. John Paul II.
The grotto, statues of the Blessed Mother/Our Lady of Mount Carmel, statues of saints and all the Stations of the Cross were left intact and unharmed except for one. The Seventh Station: Jesus Falls the Second Time was destroyed. Only the kneeler remained in place amidst the rubble.
Theresa Melcarek, who attends Mass at the Carmelite Monastery regularly and voluntarily looks after the flowers on the property, said she went to check the monastery grounds and stopped to view the damage to the seventh station. A short time later, as she was praying the prayer/reflection from St. Alphonsus Liguori, she felt moved by the Holy Spirit to share the sign of hope that touched her heart.
“Jesus in His second fall under the weight of the wood, during His passion and weakness, got up. We too fall and need to get up,” she said, referencing the Way of the Cross booklet by St. Alphonsus. “Consider the second fall of Jesus under the Cross a fall which renews the pain of all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.”
Melcarek noted there is much to receive, spiritually, by reflecting on the significance of the seventh station and the fact that it was the only one to be demolished in the storm. The message of continuing when all feels lost is something, she said, that can help everyone in their daily faith journey.
Father Andrzej Gbur, O.C.D., confirmed the monastery buildings escaped damage, but approximately half the trees (if not more) in the garden were uprooted, blown down or lost limbs. The statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was buried under limbs but later found undamaged when all the debris was cleared away. And, of course, power was knocked out.
Father Francis Czaicki, O.C.D, who is chaplain of the Highlanders, an organization of Polish people who worship at the shrines, contacted the Highlander President for assistance. Volunteer members immediately took the next several days off from their own work to clean up the garden using their own heavy equipment and co-workers.
“Despite the difficulties caused by the storm's aftereffects, the Carmelite Shrine has been operating as usual, celebrating daily Masses, hearing confessions and hosting devotions and events,” Father Gbur said.
The Carmelite Fathers Shrine is open for visitors every Sunday (from Easter to Nov. 1) from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Carmelite Monastery is located at 1628 Ridge Road in Munster. For more information, call (219) 838-7111.