Secreted away off of a dirt road in Lowell, the Carmel of Saint Joseph is easy to miss if one isn’t looking for it.

The Discalced Carmelites have had a presence in Vermont since 1946; initially based in Barre, they relocated to their current monastery in Lowell during the episcopacy of Bishop Kenneth Angell. In 2012, a major expansion was completed, adding a chapel and chantry to the complex. Today, the Carmelites of Vermont are experiencing a quiet, gradual revival, continuing the mission they began in the state almost 80 years ago.

“The charism of the Discalced Carmelites, first and foremost, is to pray for the Church” explained Sister Diane of Jesus. “That was the original goal of our founder, Saint Teresa of Avila, and that’s the mission we carry out today as well.” The Carmelite Order has a storied history; established at Mount Carmel in the Levant in the early 12th century, the original Carmelites — known sometimes today as the Carmelites of the Ancient Observance — became a mendicant order across the Holy Land. Following the fall of Jerusalem to Saracen forces in 1244, the Carmelites were expelled from the Holy Land, and thereafter established a widespread presence in Europe.

By the late 1400s, the Carmelites had succumbed increasingly to contemporary secular attitudes and fashions, “mitigating” their original Rule many times over the following century until they scarcely resembled the original order. To combat this decline, and to pray for an increase of priestly vocations amidst the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation, Saint Teresa of Avila founded the Discalced Carmelites in 1562, restoring the original observance of the Rule of Saint Albert and imbuing the order with renewed vigor and character. Saint John of the Cross founded the first community of Discalced Carmelite friars just six years later in Spain, and the order was officially separated from the “old” Carmelites by papal decree in 1580. Visibly, the Discalced Carmelites differ from the ancient Carmelites by either going barefoot or wearing only simple sandals — hence the use of the word “discalced,” a portmanteau of the Latin words “dis” (without) and “calceus” (shoe).

“We were actually the first order of nuns in the United States” Sister Diane said. “We first established a community in a town called Port Tobacco, of all things, in Maryland.” The order’s first community in the fledgling republic was established in 1790; today, there are 60 Carmelite monasteries in the United States, across almost every state.

Life in the monastery follows a rhythm which remains relatively unchanged since the days of the order’s founding. The nuns begin each day with Eucharistic Adoration, beginning at 6:30 a.m.; the Liturgy of the Hours, daily Mass, and private prayer and study punctuate the day, with periodic “breaks” for work, until the Great Silence commences in the evening. The monastery’s chapel is adorned with icons, written in Byzantine style, which were all created by one of the sisters. “The creation of an icon is itself an act of prayer” explained Sister Marie Susanne of the Eucharist; “There’s a very specific process which has to be undertaken, a very specific way it’s done … People think it must be horrible for an artist to limit themselves so severely, but really, it frees the artist to imbue the piece with more meaning. There’s nothing accidental in these pieces … the position of the hands, the expression of the eyes, even how the head is tilted, it’s all designed to teach and tell a story.” The other work of note the nuns perform is the weaving of vestments for priests. “We pray for all of the priests of our diocese, and for our bishop” said Sister Diane; “That is our most important work, always. But this physical work is a way we can support them concretely, as well.”

The way of Carmel is, by the sisters’ own admission, a narrow path; though vocations are once again growing after years of decline, they make it clear that theirs is not a numbers game. “We never set out to be the biggest or the grandest” Sister Diane said. “We are most comfortable with between, I’d say, five and 10 sisters living here. We have six right now, a tremendous blessing, and a few women discerning.” The nuns currently at the Carmel of Saint Joseph came to the order by many paths — some, like Sister Marie Susanne, discerned a calling early and clearly. “I remember one evening, as I was discerning (religious life), I firmly believe I received an interlocution, a voice asked me, ‘Is this truly what you want?’ I knew in that moment my answer had to be ‘Yes.’” Others, such as Sister Diane herself, came the long way around; “I had, from a secular point of view, everything a young woman could ask for. And yet, I couldn’t escape the feeling I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.” The common thread between every nun’s story is the sense of a call that could, at a certain point, no longer be denied or avoided. “It’s easy to focus on all the things we have to give up” Sister Marie Susanne said. “What I want people to know is what we’ve gained. We are brides of Christ — nothing can compare to that!”

As the Diocese of Burlington heads into its Year of Vocations, the Discalced Carmelites prepare to continue their mission as they have always done; quiet, even hidden at times, but persistent and efficacious. “In our prayer, in our work, in everything we do,” Sister Diane said in conclusion, “we offer everything we have for the diocese and for the whole world.”