About Carmel of St. Teresa · Alhambra, California
The Carmel of St. Teresa is a cloistered Discalced Carmelite (O.C.D.) monastery of consecrated women located at 215 East Alhambra Road in Alhambra, California, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Founded in 1913 when five nuns from the Carmel in St. Louis, Missouri came west to begin the Carmelite life in Southern California, it is the first Discalced Carmelite foundation in California and the spiritual wellspring of the Discalced Carmelite presence in the region. The chapel is open to the public Monday through Saturday for the 7:30 a.m. Mass, celebrated by a Discalced Carmelite Friar chaplain from nearby St. Therese Church, and the sisters live a hidden life of prayer, silence, penance and sacrifice in the tradition of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
- Established
- 1913
- Patron
- St. Teresa of Jesus (of Avila); chapel also dedicated to the Infant Jesus by Mother Baptista
- Rector
- Mother Brenda Marie, O.C.D. (Prioress; re-elected for another three-year term in 2020). Day-to-day chaplaincy for the public 7:30 a.m. Mass is provided by the Discalced Carmelite Friars of nearby St. Therese Church, Alhambra.
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Why belong here
The Carmel of St. Teresa invites the faithful to draw near to a hidden, prayerful witness at the heart of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Visitors may attend the public 7:30 a.m. Mass (Monday–Saturday) in the cloistered chapel, kept open each morning for prayer, and join the sisters in the Carmelite tradition of prayer, silence, penance and sacrifice. The community lives for the Church through a life totally consecrated to God in consecrated chastity, poverty and obedience, and supports its life of prayer by distributing altar breads and doing administrative work for the archdiocese — a small, faithful family committed to one another for life under the guidance of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross.
Mass times at Carmel of St. Teresa
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are NOT heard at the monastery chapel; visitors are directed to St. Therese Church, Alhambra, served by the Discalced Carmelite Friars.
Adoration times
- 7:30 a.m. Holy Mass / Thanksgiving (open to the public, Monday–Saturday)
About the Carmel of St. Teresa
The Carmel of St. Teresa is a cloistered Discalced Carmelite (O.C.D.) monastery in Alhambra, California, in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Founded in 1913, the community lives a hidden life of consecrated chastity, poverty and obedience, with the chapel open to the public each weekday morning for the 7:30 a.m. Mass. The website describes the sisters' vocation as 'a gift from God,' each one 'brought here by Our Lord for the same purpose of belonging to Him in a contemplative life of prayer.' The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was established on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land in the 13th century, 'near the spring of Elijah,' and was reformed in the 16th century by St. Teresa of Avila, from whose Spanish reform this community descends.
History & Founding
Five Discalced Carmelite nuns came west from the Carmel in St. Louis, Missouri in 1913 to found the first Discalced Carmelite community in California. They lived in three successive rented houses in Los Angeles for ten years before settling on three acres of fruit- and nut-tree-filled property in Alhambra, originally an orange grove with a sweeping view of the snow-capped San Gabriel mountains. Bishop John Cantwell broke ground on Easter Monday, April 17, 1922, and the cornerstone was laid in June 1922. The Spanish-style red-brick-and-tile-roof monastery was completed free of debt after Foundress Mother Baptista prayed to the Infant Jesus for the funds for the public chapel — a story still remembered locally as 'the miracle of the Infant Jesus.'
- Founded 1913 from the St. Louis, Missouri Discalced Carmelite monastery
- Five founding nuns led by Mother Baptista, O.C.D.
- Ground broken by Bishop John Cantwell on Easter Monday, April 17, 1922
- Cornerstone laid June 1922 with all LA-area Catholic orders present
- Spanish-style red-brick-and-tile-roof architecture
- Daughter foundations: Sacramento/Georgetown CA (1935), Long Beach CA (1949), Salt Lake City UT (1952), Eugene OR (1957)
- 100th Jubilee Year of Foundation celebrated in 2013 with Mass by Archbishop José H. Gomez
The Carmelite Vocation
The Carmel of St. Teresa's website describes the vocation of the Discalced Carmelite Nun as 'a gift from God' and 'a call to a hidden union with God' in friendship with Christ and in familiarity with the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the guidance of foundress St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross. Initial formation lasts about nine years: one year of Aspirancy, one year of Postulancy, two years of Novitiate, after which the nun makes Simple Vows for three years and renews her Vows for two more years before making Solemn Vows.
- Vocation Director: Sr. Teresita Nguyen, O.C.D. — 626-588-7048
- Discernment criteria: single woman, ages 20–35, in good health, with at least two years of college or work experience
- Aspirancy (1 year) → Postulancy (1 year) → Novitiate (2 years) → Simple Vows (3 years) → renewal (2 years) → Solemn Vows
Daily Life of the Sisters
The lifestyle of a cloistered Carmelite nun is, in the community's own words, 'almost as it was for St. Teresa: Prayer, Silence, Penance, and Sacrifice.' A typical day begins at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 10:00 p.m., filled with various forms of prayer: Mass, personal prayer, spiritual reading and the Divine Office. Manual labor — described as 'an external expression of the life of prayer and an expression of poverty' — occupies half of the day. The community sustains itself by distributing altar breads and by doing administrative work for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles via the internet.
- 5:30 a.m. Rise → 6:00 Matins & Lauds → 6:30 Mental Prayer → 7:30 Holy Mass
- 9:00–12:00 Work → 12:00 Dinner → 1:30 Work → 4:30 Vespers → 5:00 Spiritual Reading → 5:30 Mental Prayer → 6:30 Compline
- 8:15 Free time in great silence → 10:00 Retire
- Manual labor occupies half the day
- Community supports itself by distributing altar breads and remote administrative work for the archdiocese
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
The website features a full page on St. Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880–1906), the French Discalced Carmelite mystic whose Carmel of Dijon was, like Alhambra, rooted in the same contemplative tradition. Elizabeth entered Carmel in 1901 and died on November 9, 1906. She was beatified by St. John Paul II on November 25, 1984 and canonized by Pope Francis on October 16, 2016 — the Year of Mercy. Her famous reflection on heaven — 'my mission will be to draw souls into interior recollection … to praise the glory of God … to adore Him' — is featured on the monastery site as a model of the contemplative life the Alhambra community embraces.
- Entered the Carmel of Dijon in 1901
- Died November 9, 1906
- Beatified by St. John Paul II, November 25, 1984
- Canonized by Pope Francis, October 16, 2016 (Year of Mercy)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Carmel of St. Teresa's website devotes a full page to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, principal patroness of the Carmelite Order. The feast is celebrated solemnly on July 16, the principal feast of the entire Carmelite family since the General Chapter of the early 17th century declared it so, and was recognized as the feast of the Scapular Confraternity by Pope Paul V. The page recounts the Carmelite origin 'near the spring of Elijah' on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, where the prophet defended the faith of Israel in the living God, and includes the 'Novena to the Blessed' (Never Known to Fail).
- July 16 — Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (principal feast of the Order)
- Recognized as the feast of the Scapular Confraternity by Pope Paul V
- Novena to the Blessed Virgin ('Never Known to Fail') included on the website
Novena to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
The website publishes a 'Novena to St. Therese' as part of the monastery's devotional outreach. The prayer, 'O Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, please pick for me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me as a message of love,' is one of the most popular Catholic devotions in the world. The choice reflects the Alhambra community's close spiritual kinship with the Discalced Carmelite Friars who staff the neighboring parish of St. Therese Church (named for St. Thérèse of Lisieux, canonized 1925).
- Nine-day novena prayer to St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
- Petition intercessory prayer published on carmelteresa.org
Relationship with St. Therese Church, Alhambra
The Carmel of St. Teresa and St. Therese Roman Catholic Church, Alhambra, share a uniquely intertwined history. The Discalced Carmelite Friars of the Irish Province made their American foundation in 1924 at the urging of the Alhambra Nuns' Prioress, Mother Baptista; Bishop Cantwell reportedly said, 'I think that the Carmelite Nuns must be praying you into the diocese.' The Friars have served as chaplains to the Nuns ever since, and one of the Discalced Carmelite Friars of St. Therese Church comes each weekday to celebrate the public 7:30 a.m. Mass at the monastery. St. Therese Church is located about six blocks from the monastery, on North Alhambra Road. In 2013, the monastery marked its 100th Jubilee with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez and a reception that brought both communities together.
- Discalced Carmelite Friars of the Irish Province arrived Alhambra 1924, six blocks from the monastery
- Friars have served as chaplains to the Nuns continuously since 1924
- Daily 7:30 a.m. Mass at the monastery celebrated by a St. Therese Friar
- St. Therese Church founded December 25, 1924; first pastor Fr. Malachy Cranfield, O.C.D.
Contact & Visiting the Monastery
The monastery can be reached by mail, telephone or email, and welcomes visitors to the public 7:30 a.m. Mass Monday through Saturday. The site on East Alhambra Road in the city of Alhambra sits in the San Gabriel Valley, surrounded by the same middle- and upper-class residential character that the sisters chose in 1922 for its beauty and its view of the mountains. The chapel is closed to visitors on Sundays, and confessions are not available on site — the faithful are directed to St. Therese Church for the sacrament.
- Address: 215 East Alhambra Road, Alhambra, CA 91801
- Telephone: 626-282-2387
- Fax: 626-282-0144
- Email: teresacarm1913@gmail.com
- Vocations: Sr. Teresita Nguyen, O.C.D. — 626-588-7048
- Web: http://www.carmelteresa.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Mother Baptista, O.C.D.1913 –
Foundress and first Prioress; led the five founding nuns from St. Louis, Missouri; chose the Alhambra site; obtained the 'miracle of the Infant Jesus' funding for the public chapel; broke ground on the monastery on Easter Monday, April 17, 1922.
- Mother Maria, O.C.D.
Niece of Mother Agnes (one of the first Nuns to enter in Los Angeles); longtime leader described in the 2013 Jubilee article.
- Mother Agnes, O.C.D.
One of the first Nuns to enter in Los Angeles; great-aunt of Mother Maria.
- Sr. Brenda Marie, O.C.D.Prioress by 2013; re-elected June 2020 for another three-year term
Offered the reflection for the 100th Jubilee; re-elected Mother Superior and Prioress by the Discalced Carmelite Friars and parishioners of St. Therese Church in 2020.