Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
Promoting a Deeper Spiritual Life through Healthcare, Education and Retreats
The way of life of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles is rooted in the Gospel, the Church, and the spirituality of Carmel as lived out through the charism of our foundress, Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament. In His merciful goodness, God has graced our Institute with the Carmelite charism which has its foundation in a long history and living tradition.
The spirituality of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross is rooted in this tradition. Carmel means enclosed garden in which God Himself dwells. The divine indwelling in the soul is the foundation of Teresa’s doctrine. Thus, our vocation is a grace by which contemplation and action are blended to become an apostolic service of the Church as we promote a deeper spiritual life among God’s people through education, healthcare, and spiritual retreats.
We are called by God to be a presence inflamed within our world, witnessing to God’s love through prayer, joyful witness and loving service. Our mission is a God-given mission which overflows from each sister’s profound life of prayer. It is a mission of the heart, a mission of loving service in the fields of healthcare, education and spiritual retreats. Mother Luisita, our foundress, used this analogy to describe our mission, “the soul of each Carmelite raises herself to Christ, Who is her heaven, while her shadow falls in charity upon earth doing good to all people.”
Our life is characterized by:
– A life of prayer and union with God
– A deep love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist
– Devotion to our Blessed Mother
– Steadfast fidelity to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church
– Praying for priests
– Commitment to apostolic service of the Church through healthcare, education, and spiritual retreats
– Daily prayer together: Holy Hour, with Eucharistic adoration and rosary; chanting of the Divine Office; and two ½ hour periods of meditation (one is included during Holy Hour)
For more information about the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, please click here.
Our Foundress and Our Child Care Centers
The Religious Community of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles was founded by Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament, affectionately known as Mother Luisita. On July 1, 2000, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II promulgated that Mother Luisita be called Venerable, which means that it has been proven that Mother Luisita practiced her virtues to a heroic degree. She is now a candidate for beatification.
Venerable Mother Luisita always had a special place in her heart for the care of young children. In the early nineteenth century, she cared for poor orphaned children in Mexico and gave support to families in their task of preserving and passing on the faith to their children. This charism has been given to us, and we continue to serve the Church faithfully as she did. Little Flower Missionary House began as an orphanage in the 30s, transitioned to an elementary school in the 50s and then to an early child care center in 1970. We also opened Hayden Child Care Center in 1967 to provide care for the children of the staff of Santa Teresita Hospital in Duarte, California and for the families in the surrounding communities.
