Our community began with one isolated Secular Discalced Carmelite, Margareta Svagintsev. In 1983, several people expressed their desire to join our order. Fr. John Michael Payne, Provincial Delegate at that time, appointed Reta as Formation Director for these 18 isolate candidates. In 1986, these isolates took the first steps towards becoming a canonical community when several made their Temporary Promises at a community retreat. The group also elected its first council that summer. At the time we met once a month at Reta's home for formation and once a month in a small room at St Edward's University for our regular meeting.
On 3 December 1989, we joyfully celebrated our canonical establishment taking the name of OCDS Community of Blessed Teresa Benedicta a Cruce. The reason for choosing Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) as our patroness comes partly from the fact that Reta, our foundress, is German and like Edith, lived through the Nazi time and World War II. We also chose Edith Stein because she was motivated by a passion to seek truth, getting to its roots and once finding it, submitted herself to it as the highest principle. She was vigilant not to contaminate charity and truth with self-serving and wishful thinking. Such honest is ascetical. Edith recognized truth when she met St Teresa in her writings. She entered the Carmel of Cologne in 1933. St. John of the Cross became very dear for her, for she encountered Christ crucified long before her death. She came to love the Cross as the gate to ultimate meaning as we can see in her work, The Science of the Cross. Blessed Teresa Benedicta died a martyr's death in Auschwitz.
Our community has met in different places over the years. For awhile we met at St Theresa's Parish. Currently we meet at St Josef's Clinic. Our meeting space and space for a library is generously provided by Dr. Enrique Martinez and his wife, Matilde, who is currently President of the community. We also gather occasionally for lunch by way of celebrating major feast days of the Carmelite Order.
In October 1995, the Austin community had the great pleasure of being host to the 17th Regional Congress of the OCDS in the Central Province. After three years of planning and tons of work, about 150+ Secular Carmelites, friars, and nuns gathered in the beautiful fall weather to celebrate our Carmelite vocations. Despite our exhaustion after four glorious days, we in Austin felt extremely blessed to have had such an opportunity to meet so many of our Carmelite brothers and sisters.
In 1997, to celebrate the Centenary of the death of St Therese of Liseaux, Mary Horrigan wrote a play about Therese and somehow managed to convince several members to perform it. First we performed for the rest of the community and friends and family. But then, we went for the big time. On 30 Sept, the troop hit the road for San Antonio. First, that afternoon we performed in the small visiting room for our nuns. An interesting experience since we had to improvise the scenery. We also greatly concerned a couple visitors who were not expecting to encounter a bunch of "nuns" out in the lobby area. Although we still have our doubts about our own talent, apparently we did well as we left one young novice in tears during the death scene. With a very brief break for dinner, we then raced back over to Little Flower Parish for an evening performance on a real stage for approximately 200 people. This time, while we couldn't see the audience, we did hear plenty of sniffles during the death scene. What can we say? Karen Phipps who played Therese has very similar looks and did a great job. The play was alot of work and left a few frayed nerves at times (everyone wants to direct) but we had a great time presenting the story of Therese. Most of us stayed in San Antonio overnight to attend the day-long symposium on Therese as well.
Presently we have around 20 members in the community. We have recently accepted into our community a small group from Waco who do not yet have enough people to form their own community. They drive down each month for our regular meeting and sometimes for the formation meeting as well. We feel that the community is about the right size and if we continue to grow plan to start another group.
On 11 Oct 1998, our patroness, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) was canonized by Pope John Paul II. Needless to say, we are quite excited about this and will be having a special Mass with a reception afterwards to celebrate.
Beginning in the fall of 1999, the community is forming a School
of Prayer. For many years it has been our dream to found a center
of some sort for Carmelite spirituality. As our first steps in
that direction, we have formed a committee to develop a curriculum
which we can then offer to parishes, groups, etc around the diocese.
We know that we have been gifted in many ways by God and wish
to share those gifts with the larger Church community.
history based oin part on an account written
by Margareta Svaginstev for Flos Carmeli newsletter, V.5, no.1,
Winter 1995
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Last update 11/12/99