The Little Way to Carmel

My sister, Gina Marie Vasquez, has been accepted to the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Elysburg, PA. She has felt a calling to the interior life for some time and, by the grace of God, will be entering in January, 2018.
Please help us raise money to pay off her school loans as well as help with the cost of items she will need for her life in Carmel.
Since her entrance is nearing we are asking for your generosity so that she may enter as scheduled. All of the benefactors can be assured of her loving prayers.
Please keep Gina Marie and the Vasquez family in your prayers, and thank you for your kind generosity! May God bless and reward you!

J.M.J.


Below is an email written by Reverend Michael F. Flick, FSSP:

Dear Family, Friends and Associates,

Praised be Jesus Christ!

A former and dear parishioner of mine, Gina Marie Vasquez, has been accepted to Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Elysburg, PA. She resides in San Diego and attends the parish where I was previously assigned. The delay of a religious vocation is dangerous; it leaves one open to contingencies and needless problems in discernment. Following the advice of the great saints, it is best to enter religious life and discern prayerfully under the prudence of a good superior. I also know this because it was something I experienced in my critical years before entering the seminary.

Despite the dire need of souls willing to consecrate their lives to God in this modern world, there are few willing to make the sacrifice of self and therefore: few vocations. Those who do have vocations are often impeded by the world. Among other things, college debt is one of these impediments. Gina Marie is at a point where it has been determined that she is ready to enter religious life. This decision has been concluded by me and the Carmelite sisters in Elysburg where she has been accepted. Her debt is not too substantial in my estimation that it is unreasonable to rely on the generosity of others to diminish and hopefully eliminate the problem so that she may enter on time in January. I hold that it would be imprudent to delay any longer and though nothing is certain in this life, I believe she should have this rare privilege to offer herself to the King of Kings as His Carmelite Spouse. In union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, it is this selfless gift of love that brings the Mercy of God down upon this world. Every vocation is different; a romance between God and the individual soul. I didn't know my vocation was certain until the day of ordination, and will leave Gina Marie to the mercy of Christ and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Having worked near and with cloistered, traditional Carmelites, I don't know of any more beautiful vocation. I can attest to the power of their prayers and the good it contributes to the priesthood. It is for the cloistered religious to love Christ and know Him deep within the Heart of Holy Mother Church. It was the love and prayer of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, hidden in the cloister, that earned her the title "Patroness of Missions". The religious life is an inestimable benefit to the Church and the Priesthood, one we will only know in Blessed Eternity.

It would be my hope that if you are receiving this message, you are willing to contribute in some way. If you are unable to contribute financially, your prayers are greatly appreciated as well as passing this to anyone willing you may know that may have an interest. Please be assured of my prayers and those of Gina Marie as well.

May God reward you!
--
Rev. Michael F. Flick, FSSP