St. Louis was a busy town tonight with two big events.  Downtown Busch Stadium was hosting Major League baseball’s All Star game. Certainly many televisions were tuned into the action, however, more wonderful than baseball, the Carmelite Nuns continued their hosting the Annual Outdoor Novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmel at their Monastery grounds a few miles west of the game.  The faithful gathered in chapel to pray the Rosary and then spread out to the front lawns for another beautiful evening of prayer.

Tonight we were blessed to have Father Daniel Chowning, OCD from the Discalced Carmelite Hermit Community in Hinton, West Virginia celebrating the mass. We are most thankful that Father will be with us until the Feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. His homily on Mary of Nazareth was so inspiring as he demonstrated  how the Blessed Virgin lived out an ordinary life of faith and discipleship.  Mary, in great example to us, lived this “ordinariness” with “extraordinary holiness”.  She lived a hidden daily life working, caring and loving Jesus and Joseph.  She washed and cooked and cleaned and surrendered to the Holy Will of God with complete trust in His plan.

Father explained that ”When we love one another, when we care for one another, when we try to live a life of patience, of gentleness and of care for the people around us in our homes … all the little things we do in our lives are charged with Divine Grace and it is there that God comes to meet us.  It is there that we grow in the deepest holiness.”

His homily is inspiring and you can listen here (please excuse the occasional breeze distorting the sound — and enjoy the cicada’s singing!)

Father was assisted at Mass by Deacon Norman Werner and the choir was from St. Mark’s parish.

The Most Holy Rosary (Sorrowful Mysteries) and Benediction

Father Chowning’s Homily

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