Dulaney Valley monastery welcomes two Carmelites

Bridget Rickard first set foot in the Carmelite Monastery in Dulaney Valley on Pentecost Sunday in 2019. Her plan was to meet a friend, Sister Denise Lyon of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for Mass and then, discuss over breakfast a long-time “itch” she was exploring.

The Holy Spirit had a bigger plan.

In March, following a year of postulancy, the 26-year-old woman became a novice, Sister Bridget of Holy Mystery, with the Carmelite Sisters of Baltimore.

Sister Bridget explained that the seed of a vocation had been planted many years ago by the Irish Sisters of Mercy who taught at St. Joan of Arc school in Boca Raton, Fla., where she grew up. But the seed has been watered and fed over the years by the joyful demeanor of several religious sisters.

“I don’t know what it is about nuns,” Sister Bridget said, “but there’s something in the joyful witness of them that absolutely pulls you in.”

That decision to meet her friend at the Carmelite Monastery brought about a surprise encounter with another Carmelite, Sister Constance FitzGerald.

“It was a light-bulb moment for me because in class we had read some of her writings,” Sister Bridget said. “I read the forward to one of her essays and it described her life in the community and there was something in me that thought ‘Isn’t that beautiful.’ So, in that moment, I guess to me, that was the beginning of my love story with God.”

In addition to Sister Bridget, Kelly Ulloque Romano, a native of Barranquilla, Colombia, has also recently joined the Carmelite Sisters of Baltimore. Known as Sister Kelly of the Child Jesus, she had lived in a Carmelite religious community in Bogotá, Colombia, for more than 20 years, but sought a more contemporary expression of contemplative life. The Dulaney Valley location where the Baltimore sisters reside was a perfect match because there were already Spanish-speaking sisters in the community.

Each Carmelite community is autonomous, explained Sister Cecilia of the Cosmic Christ, one of the newer members of the Baltimore monastery. The community focuses on a contemplative life centered around prayer and union with the heart of God, she said. In contrast to what many consider a life of solitude, the community focuses on a creative balance between solitude and communion with others.

“Our life is all about love,” Sister Bridget said. “We try, when we’re at our best, to be God’s midwives, bringing the love of God to others in skin form. I think we try it both for ourselves, and to walk with others as they discover the fire of God’s love.”

She pointed out that there is often a misconception about contemplative life, specifically about solitude, that it is private for oneself.

“I can appreciate how one comes to that,” Sister Bridget said, “but I don’t think that true solitude is ever for itself. It’s a means of communing with God and with the world.”  

With the addition of Sister Bridget and Sister Kelly, the Baltimore community now numbers 17. This summer, the community will be offering Monastic Experience, an opportunity to share with those who are seeking to know a little more about life in the community.

“Interested women can come for a day, a weekend, a week or up to six weeks,” Sister Cecilia explained. “We have a handful of applicants already, even one from Ireland.”

The schedule gives visitors an opportunity to experience the life of a religious sister, and to attend some classes that are being planned.

“You come and experience a little bit, and it gives them a little exposure,” Sister Cecilia said. “So maybe they’ll think, ‘I want to come back.’”

Information about Monastic Experience can be obtained by contacting the community by phone at 410-823-7415 or by email to info@baltimorecarmel.org.

Editor’s note: This story was updated June 15, 2023, at 2:58 p.m. to correct the spelling of names and to clarify information.

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