CARMELITE SISTER OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Carmelite of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus –  Sister Mari-Carmen de Cristo Rey, O.C.D.                                                        “Being at the service of family for life”                                                                                          “Educating for life with the Mind and Heart of Christ”                                               “I am a beggar before the Blessed Sacrament always praying for you.” – Mother Luisita

Foundress:  Venerable Mother María Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament, O.C.D.                                 A religious refugee known as “the heart and soul of Atotonilco”

Place:  Los Angeles, California

Year:  1921 A.D.

Her Charism:  Realizing the Jesus Christ is true God and true man, this Sister comes to know her Heavenly Father through the humanity of Jesus.  Devotion to Christ’s human Heart is her God-given mission – a mission of the heart and of loving service –  which overflows from a life of profound and intense prayer.  Eremetical, Prophetic, and Marian, this Sister is deeply and passionately committed to serving everyone from newborns to families and the elderly, through healthcare, education, and retreats, she is called to be a presence enflamed within our world, and a witness to God’s love through her joyful service of fostering a deeper spiritual life.  Her message to the world is that the pain God feels in His heart at humanity’s waywardness is not simply hurt or anger, but the anguish of a loving parent.  With her maternal, Eucharistic, and spiritual strength this Sister is always a channel of the Lord’s consoling presence, a joyful witness of the Gospel, a prophetess of peace amid the storms of violence, and a a disciple of love – ever ready to care for the wounds of the poor and suffering.                                                                                                                                                        These three powerful sentences written by Mother Luisita would sustain her Sisters  during the dark days of the Cristero Uprising or Cristiada – a time when the Catholic Church  went under the iron heel of  bitter persecution, torturing and murdering religious, Sisters and priests  and scattering their flocks.                                                                                                                         “Form a beautiful and rich tabernacle within your heart for Our Lord and then                                       do not let Him go.  In that way, you will always have Him with you.                                             Enter within yourself, and meeting Him, tell Him all your experiences.”                                 * This at that time captured the very essence of her spirituality and continues to this day.