About Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns · San Antonio, Texas
The Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns (formally the Carmel of the Infant Jesus of Prague and of Our Lady of Guadalupe) is a cloistered, bilingual contemplative community of women religious located at 6301 Culebra Road at St. Joseph Way in San Antonio, Texas. The nuns live a hidden life of unceasing prayer for the Church and the world, with their day divided between solitude, communal liturgical prayer, work, and recreation. They support themselves principally by packing and distributing altar breads, liturgical sewing, ceramics, and other handcrafts sold through their gift shop. Daily Mass is open to the public, and visitors are warmly welcomed to join the nuns in prayer in their chapel.
- Established
- 1934 (in San Antonio; parent community founded in Durango, Mexico in 1853)
- Patron
- Infant Jesus of Prague and Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Antonio
Why belong here
The monastery extends a warm welcome to the faithful who wish to join them in prayer. Their chapel is open for private prayer and the public is invited to attend daily Mass, which is the spiritual heart of the community's life. Visitors can also support the nuns by purchasing their handmade ceramics, liturgical sewing, altar breads, and other religious items from the monastery gift shop, helping the cloistered community earn its living in solidarity with the poor. Carmelite young adults and other groups regularly make pilgrimages to the monastery for Mass followed by fellowship in the surrounding area.
Mass times at Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns
Weekly Mass schedule
Carmel of the Infant Jesus of Prague and Our Lady of Guadalupe
The official title of the community is the Discalced Carmelites of the Infant Jesus of Prague and of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The nuns describe themselves as 'a small community, sharing who we are and what we have with one another, helping one another along the path of holiness.' They live in simplicity, in the silent presence of Christ, working to earn their living in solidarity with the poor of the world, and call their way of life 'a joyful life of loving and giving.' Members range in age from 28 to 92. The community belongs to the (Arch)Diocese of San Antonio, Texas, and forms part of the worldwide family of Discalced Carmelite monasteries, which traces back to St. Teresa of Avila's reform of 1562.
Origins in Durango, Mexico (1853)
In 1850, Bishop José Antonio Zubiría of Durango, devoted to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and to St. Teresa of Jesus, petitioned Rome for permission to found a Discalced Carmelite monastery. On August 15, 1850, Pope Pius IX granted permission under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. With the approval of the Archbishop of Mexico City, two nuns from Mexico City and three from Querétaro traveled to Durango. On June 16, 1853, Mother Catalina, four professed nuns, and two young postulants inaugurated the community. The enclosure went into effect on June 26, 1853, and the Blessed Sacrament was placed in their chapel on July 2 of the same year.
Flight to San Antonio (1934)
Religious persecution in Mexico in the 1930s forced the Durango community into exile. The sisters were led in solemn procession by all the religious and civil leaders of Durango, with a large crowd of citizens, to the Cathedral, where the bells of every church rang out and the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. After a homily and Benediction by Archbishop Zubiría, a military band accompanied the nuns back to their home. The first group departed Durango by train on November 7, 1934, and arrived on November 9. Three Discalced Carmelite fathers — Fathers Bernardo, Sebastian and Eduardo — met them. Father Bernardo decided the community would not continue to Oklahoma, but would settle in San Antonio, where the Discalced Carmelite Friars already had a house.
- Left Durango by train: November 7, 1934
- Arrived: November 9, 1934
- First San Antonio residence: rented single-story house at Hamilton Street and Kentucky Avenue (November 24, 1934)
- First parish home: a block from the friars' parish, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower
Life and Daily Rhythm
The nuns' day is divided between solitude and silence, private and communal prayer, work, and recreation. Their principal means of support are the packing and distribution of altar breads, liturgical sewing, ceramics, and other handcrafts. Their chapel is open for private prayer and the faithful are welcome to join them at daily Mass. As a Carmelite community, they are consecrated women of the Teresian Carmel living in sisterly communion, 'holding the lamp of contemplation until we become a living flame of love.'
- Bilingual community: English and Spanish used in daily conversation and liturgy
- Packing and distribution of altar breads
- Liturgical sewing and vestments
- Ceramics and handcrafts
- Private and communal prayer; Eucharistic celebration
Gift Shop and Workshops
The nuns maintain a gift shop offering religious items, ceramics, handcrafts, scapulars, and other devotional goods produced in their workshops. Proceeds from these sales, along with the packing and distribution of altar breads and the making of liturgical linens and vestments, provide the community's principal means of support and connect them to parishes and the faithful across the region.
- Religious gifts and devotional items
- Ceramics
- Scapulars (including Carmelite scapulars)
- Altar breads for parishes
- Liturgical sewing (albs, altar cloths, corporals, purifiers, vestments on order)
Shrine of St. Joseph
A Shrine to St. Joseph stands in front of the Monastery on Culebra Road, marking the entrance to the contemplative community and inviting passing travelers to pause in prayer.
Carmelite Young Adults and Pilgrimages
The monastery is a regular destination for Carmelite young adults and other parish groups in the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Events such as 'Mass + Hike' begin with the 7:00 AM Mass at the monastery, followed by breakfast and a walk at nearby Phil Hardberger Park. These pilgrimages connect cloistered prayer with the broader Carmelite family in South Texas.
- Carmelite Young Adults Mass + Hike events
- Hosted by Little Flower Basilica and other parishes
Connection to the Wider Carmelite Family
The San Antonio monastery is part of the worldwide family of Discalced Carmelite nuns, whose way of life traces back to St. Teresa of Avila's 1562 reform. In San Antonio the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) — Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and St. Thérèse Community — was canonically installed in 1956 and works alongside the friars of St. Thérèse Province to share the Carmelite charism of prayer with lay people in South Texas. The friars' parish, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower, was the community's first spiritual home in San Antonio.
- Worldwide Discalced Carmelite family founded by St. Teresa of Jesus, 1562
- Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) in San Antonio, canonically installed 1956
- Discalced Carmelite Friars of St. Thérèse Province (824 Kentucky Ave., San Antonio)
Visiting the Monastery
The monastery is located at 6301 Culebra Road at St. Joseph Way on the west side of San Antonio. Visitors are welcome to attend daily Mass or to stop in for private prayer in the chapel. The address for mail and visits is 6301 Culebra at St. Joseph Way, San Antonio, TX 78238; the published telephone number is (210) 680-1834. The community kindly asks media not to enter the convent grounds or attempt to contact the nuns, in respect for their cloistered vocation.
- Address: 6301 Culebra at St. Joseph Way, San Antonio, TX 78238
- Phone: (210) 680-1834
- Website: www.carmelsanantonio.org
- Chapel open for private prayer