Secular Order Discalced Carmelites
Raleigh, North Carolina 1987
During 1987 the community continued to study The Way of Perfection. In addition, the practice was started of setting aside fifteen minutes of each meeting for a brief presentation on the Rule of Life. Each month a different person spoke on one or more articles of the Rule.
By the Spring of 1987 there were four aspirants ready to receive the scapular; Helena Blankenship Tom Coonan, and Susan Satterwhite. On May 3rd, Fr. Michael Griffin OCD came from DC for a visit and to present the scapulars. This was the first time the community had received a visit from a Carmelite priest.
In September the community received a nice letter of congratulations from Fr. Bill Healy OCD, the Provincial Delegate on the progress of the community.
Four members, Margaret, Kathy, Sandra, and Tom traveled to DC in November to attend the retreat sponsored by Our Lady of Mount Carmel community. When leaving DC Kathy became completely flustered at a gas station where one had to pay in advance. "But I don't know how much it will cost she kept explaining." When she finally got in the fueled up car one of the group remarked "I guess you've lost all the graces of the retreat already!"
In December the community received what could be called its first transfer, Myra Gettys. Myra had looked in vain for an OCDS Community years earlier and had been accepted as an Isolate in formation with Ruby Alexander OCDS, the director of Isolates[5] for the Province. Myra had found out about the community through the new candidates, Tom Coonan and Kathy Smith who often attended Mass at her parish, St. Thomas Moore in Chapel Hill. Several member of the community traveled to Chapel Hill to witness Myra's Temporary Promise at St. Thomas Moore. From then on Myra attended the community meetings and eventually made her Definitive Promise with the Raleigh Community. Myra was the first member of the community to pass into Eternal Life.
At the end of 1987 there were ten members of the community. The five new members were: Helena Blankenship, Tom Coonan, Susan Satterwhite, Kathy Smith and Myra Gettys. Two people, Edward and Jeanne Eberback withdrew.
May 3, 1987 the second class of aspirants received the
scapular.
Pictured are
Kathy Smith, Helena Blankenship, Fr. Michel Griffin OCD, Tom Coonan,
Susan Satterwhite, Sandra Malkovsky
[5] The practice of accepting members as "isolates" was phased out several years later.