A bit of background...

Several times during the past 19 years that we have been in Benoni the suggestion was made to us: “You sisters should make a CD of your singing”.  The Liturgy, so central to our life, has always been a joy to us and we are aware of how those who come to pray with us appreciate it.  For a long time we resisted the idea and just did not see how it could be possible.  But last year that changed when our friend Trevor Nasser, a well-known and accomplished musician, brought Lydia van Vuuren to meet us and join us for Vespers.  The simple chants accompanied by the Kora (Senegalese harp) touched her deeply and she agreed to work with us on the production of a CD.

The 500th anniversary of the birth of St Teresa of Avila gave us the opportunity of doing something in her honour and so the songs, canticles and psalms were recorded in Lydia’s studio near Pretoria between April and August 2014.  The CD was mastered by Clive Smith and we awaited with great expectation the arrival of the finished product.  There was a lot of excitement on the 18th October when the truck arrived to deliver the CDs, much to the amusement of the driver.

Since then the CD has reached many people in different walks of life in different parts of the world.  The feed-back we receive is positive as they tell us how they use the CD for prayer.  This was our desire from the start.  From Lydia van Vuuren who produced our CD "When I first met the Carmelite sisters I was struck by their purity, joy and dedication. They live enclosed lives, mostly in silence - dedicating their time to prayer and worship. The Carmelite monastery in Benoni is a place of sacred prayer and reverence and brings a blessing to weary travelers who are in need of nourishment for their souls in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Gauteng. Sr. Therese who has been blessed by the Holy Spirit with a ministry of music leads the worship and singing. The Sisters many years of pure devotional practice lends an angelic heavenly quality to their singing and listeners are often moved to tears. It carries a strong message of redemption and of God’s love. I feel truly blessed to have been able to produce a CD of their spiritual practice. I can attest to the honesty and purity of its contents. It is powerful and redeeming and I trust that all that listen will be blessed from the highest heavens."

Carmelites felt drawn to Africa from Europe as long ago as 1584 but were only able to found communities in the last 100 years.  Now there are Carmels in all parts of Africa. Here in South Africa three Carmels have been founded: at Benoni, diocese of Johannesburg; at Retreat, Cape Town and in Mafikeng, diocese of Kimberley. The Carmel of Benoni was originally founded in Rivonia (north of Johannesburg) by eight sisters, including two South Africans, from Darlington Carmel, England in September, 1931. The Carmel was dedicated to St. Thèrèse of the Child Jesus. In 1952 the community made a foundation in Wynberg, in the Cape (presently in Retreat), and in 1965 helped with the foundation of the Carmel of Lubumbashi in Congo. The Carmel relocated to the East Rand in 1992 and in 1995, building began on a new monastery at Benoni. On 5th October, 1996, the Chapel was consecrated and the new Carmel officially opened.

Our life together is punctuated with times for prayer, work, simple meals taken together, reading and study, weekly community meetings and two periods of recreation each day. Visitors are welcome to join us for the Eucharist, and the Divine Office, especially for Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer).

As contemplatives we respond to God’s call to seek Him with all our heart, to give Him our whole loving attention, to adore Him and to bring the needs of the Church and the world before Him in unceasing prayer. Opening ourselves to God’s love is a way to true fulfilment amid the challenges and sufferings of life.

What keeps these women from six different countries and two continents together? The fundamental and deep desire for God. Desire for God does not have a “color”, a “culture” but it is embedded in the human person, the human heart. This is the first common ground for these eight seekers of God.

With a “common guide” - the Primitive Rule of Carmel -, they live a common life in prayer and searching for God; they gather together during the day to pray the psalms (the Liturgy of the Hours) through which they “knock at the heart of God” for the needs of all humanity. With this “social prayer” they are in solidarity and communion with people of all walks of life.  As Pope Francis said: “Your vocation, the monastic vocation is going onto the battlefield, it is fighting, it is knocking at the heart of the Lord” (from: Contemplate, n. 66)

Silence is another element of the common life of these seekers:  St. Albert, writing the formula of life for the first hermits on Mount Carmel, wrote:  “Silence is the way to foster holiness”. (Isaiah).  Silence takes us to our own deepest inner self where we can meet ourselves and God.