About Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus · Little Rock, Arkansas
The Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus is a cloistered monastery of Discalced Carmelite Nuns (OCD) in Little Rock, Arkansas, serving as a house of contemplative prayer for the Diocese of Little Rock since 1950. Founded from the Carmel of Loretto, Pennsylvania at the invitation of Bishop Albert L. Fletcher, the community of women religious live a hidden life of prayer, work, and silence on 22 wooded acres in southwest Little Rock. In addition to their prayer apostolate and large correspondence of prayer intentions, the nuns run a long-standing altar-bread ministry that supplies Catholic and other Christian churches in Arkansas and beyond.
- Established
- 1950
- Patron
- St. Teresa of Jesus (of Avila); also Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Rector
- Sr. Cecilia Chun, OCD (Prioress)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock
Why belong here
The Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus offers a rare and precious gift in the Diocese of Little Rock: a place where one can step out of the busyness of daily life and join in the prayer of a community of Discalced Carmelite nuns. Daily 7:30 a.m. Mass is open to all, the chapel is available throughout the day for quiet prayer, and visitors are warmly welcomed for the quarterly novenas in honor of St. Joseph, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sts. Teresa and Thérèse, and the Christmas Child Jesus. Faithful can also draw the community into their own lives by sending prayer requests — and can support the nuns' livelihood and altar-bread apostolate that serves parishes and churches across Arkansas and beyond.
Mass times at Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- The monastery chapel is open for prayer throughout the day; visitors may ring the doorbell at the monastery entrance if the door is locked.
History of the Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus
The community was founded in 1950 when Mother Mary Barrett, prioress of the Carmel of Loretto, Pennsylvania, accepted Bishop Albert L. Fletcher's invitation to plant a Carmelite foundation in Arkansas. Five sisters arrived in Little Rock on June 17, 1950, the first Mass was celebrated August 22, and the monastery was canonically erected on September 12. The young community endured the hardships of an inadequate temporary house near the Cathedral of St. Andrew on Louisiana Street before moving in 1959 to their present home on 22 wooded acres at 7201 West 32nd Street after the bombing of the neighboring Little Rock School Board offices that September. Ground was broken for the new monastery in October 1960, and the first Mass in the chapel was offered September 19, 1961.
- Founded 1950 from Carmel of Loretto, Pennsylvania
- Founding Prioress: Mother Mary Barrett, OCD
- Inviting Bishop: Albert L. Fletcher
- First community Mass: August 22, 1950
- Canonical erection: September 12, 1950
- Relocation to current site: 1959
- First Mass in new chapel: September 19, 1961
- Infirmary wing added: fall 1999
- Renovation and blessing by Bishop Peter Sartin: recent years
Our Life — Discalced Carmelite Vocation
The Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus is a small, autonomous Discalced Carmelite (OCD) monastery belonging to a worldwide order of men and women religious. The nuns' principal mission is service of the Church through a life of union with God in prayer, observing papal cloister through a balanced structure of solitude and community in liturgical prayer, private and communal, work and recreation. They strive to live a hidden life of prayer in a familial setting, following the teachings of their mother and foundress St. Teresa of Jesus and her companion St. John of the Cross, and pondering the word of God under the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Elijah.
- Order: Discalced Carmelites (OCD)
- Patroness: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
- Mother and Foundress: St. Teresa of Avila
- Companion: St. John of the Cross
- Size: small community (currently 13 professed members plus novices)
- Life: papal cloister, liturgical prayer, manual work, contemplative intercession
The Community
As of September 15, 2025 the community is led by Prioress Sr. Cecilia Chun, OCD and numbers about a dozen professed sisters along with two novices. The sisters come from a variety of backgrounds and countries — none of the 14 sisters listed in 2007 were native Arkansans, and today the community includes sisters from the Philippines, India, Vietnam, and across the United States.
- Prioress: Sr. Cecilia Chun, OCD
- Sr. Andrea Mary Fulmer, OCD
- Sr. Anu Maria Jose, OCD
- Sr. Camilla Mary Marney, OCD
- Sr. Maria Cruz DeLeón, OCD
- Sr. Mary Petra Masek, OCD
- Sr. Mercia Mary Bowie, OCD
- Sr. Stephanie Marie Turner, OCD
- Sr. Lucia Ellender, OCD
- Novice: Sr. Beatrice Yona Kendall
- Novice: Sr. Karith Michael Dizon
Quarterly Novenas and Special Devotions
Four times a year the Carmel welcomes the public to novenas in honor of beloved Carmelite and universal saints, with a printed bulletin and novena prayer mailed to friends and benefactors. Prayer requests can be added to the novena prayers by emailing [email protected].
- March — Novena to St. Joseph
- July 8–16 — Annual Public Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Mass each night)
- October — Novena to St. Teresa of Avila and St. Thérèse of Lisieux
- Advent / Christmas — Christmas Novena to the Child Jesus
Altar Bread Apostolate
Since 1950 the nuns' principal external work has been the distribution of communion / altar breads to churches — both Catholic parishes and those of other Christian denominations — in Arkansas and beyond, including out-of-state communities. The altar breads are supplied by the Benedictine nuns in Clyde, Missouri, and by OCO International in Vermont. Orders can be placed by emailing [email protected].
- Main external apostolate of the monastery
- Serves Catholic parishes and other Christian churches in Arkansas and beyond
- Suppliers: Benedictine nuns of Clyde, Missouri; OCO International (Vermont)
- Order email: [email protected]
Prayer Requests and Correspondence
The nuns maintain a large correspondence of prayer intentions as part of their apostolate of intercession for the Church, the world, and individuals. Prayer requests can be submitted by email at any time, and the community gladly adds them to their daily prayer and novena intentions.
- Prayer intention email: [email protected]
- General contact: [email protected]
- Vocations inquiries: [email protected]
- Quarterly bulletin mailed with each seasonal novena prayer
- Donations gratefully accepted though never required for prayer requests
Visiting the Carmel
The Carmel of St. Teresa of Jesus sits on 22 wooded acres in southwest Little Rock and welcomes visitors for daily Mass, Vespers, and the novena periods. The chapel is open throughout the day for personal prayer; if the door is locked, visitors ring the doorbell at the monastery entrance and a sister will let them into the chapel.
- Address: 7201 West 32nd Street, Little Rock, AR 72204-4716
- Phone: (501) 565-5121
- Daily public Mass: 7:30 AM
- Daily public Vespers: 4:30 PM
- Chapel open for personal prayer; ring doorbell if locked
Pastoral Bishops of the Community
Four bishops of the Diocese of Little Rock have served as true pastors to the community, supporting the foundation, guiding the nuns through major transitions, and blessing the property at key moments in its history.
- Bishop Albert L. Fletcher — founding bishop, invited the community in 1950
- Bishop Emeritus Andrew McDonald
- Bishop Peter Sartin — blessed the renovated monastery building and grounds
- Bishop Anthony B. Taylor — preached the homily for the Feast of St. Teresa of Avila, October 15, 2023
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Mother Mary Barrett, OCD1950–
Founding prioress from the Carmel of Loretto, Pennsylvania; led the five sisters who arrived in Little Rock on June 17, 1950 and saw the community canonically erected on September 12, 1950.