LETTERS FROM THE CONVENTS

CARMELITES OF THE CONVENT OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL
Haifa, Israel

The lovely magazine 30Days enthused us


Haifa, Saturday 25 March 2006

Dear Senator Giulio Andreotti,
We received with surprise and immense joy the splendid magazine 30Days sent by you. How to express our gratitude?
We are a community of Discalced Carmelites, cosmopolitan – as the greater part of the monastic communities in the Holy Land –, with nine Italians in all. Some of us followed with grief, trepidation, affection and above all much prayer, your long and terrible trial, which identified you with the Lord in his Passion. And how we exulted at the triumph of the truth! Thank you, Senator, for the witness and example that you gave to us all. As you know the specific character of our vocation as Discalced Teresian Carmelites is synthesized in two words: «ecclesial contemplation»: we are all devoted to, centered on, offered for the good of the Church and the world. This is why the lovely magazine 30Days enthused us: there we find an authentic Catholic culture that nurtures our prayers, launching pads, encouragement and incentives. In this moment of economic crisis, we can not unfortunately allow ourselves a subscription. May we dare and hope in a gesture of fraternal generosity on your part to continue to receive the magazine? We will be infinitely grateful to you for it.
We are the Carmel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on Mount Carmel itself (Haifa, Israel), at the very cradle of our Order, begun here eight centuries ago. May Mary, Mother and Queen of Carmel, bless you.

The Discalced Carmelites






CISTERCIANS OF THE CONVENT OF MAGDENAU
Wolfertswil, Switzerland

The silence of the convent does not of itself guarantee peace

Magdenau, Sunday 12 March 2006

Dear Senator,
We are very honored for the subscription gift to the magazine 30Days in the Church and in the World. It gives us pleasure to be thus able to broaden our horizon in respect to the restricted ambience of the reality of the German language. We particularly appreciate the ecclesial orientation of your magazine.
As regards your questions about the reality of the cloister, we must admit with frankness that the silence of the cloister does not of itself guarantee peace. Often all the bad thoughts that conceal themselves in the heart of man rise up. Thus we experience personally the misery and the fallibility of humanity, that are capable of leading to despair. On the other hand, we experience the extraordinary divine mercy, that lowers itself as far as our misery and heals the wounds of sin. Our mission of prayer for the world is therefore especially that of sharing and secretly sustaining its internal battles in deciding for or against love. We attempt to bring this world of ours so often lacerated internally to the Lord and in such a way as to participate in the redemptive mission of Christ.
For this reason we wish a great number of attentive readers for your magazine, so that the kingdom of God may spread itself and all men find the way to return there where they went away. We are willingly disposed to cooperate, as the case may require, and profoundly grateful.
In the name of the Cistercians of Magdenau,

Sister Maria Veronica Kucharova O.C.


CARMELITES OF THE CONVENT OF THE EUCHARISTIC HEART OF JESUS
Pelotas, Brazil

May the Lord accept our poor prayer with compassion

Pelotas, Wednesday 15 March 2006

Dear Senator Giulio Andreotti,
«The love of the Creator manifests itself in his creatures».
It is with great pleasure and appreciation that we address ourselves to you to thank you for the kindness of having courteously sent us the magazine 30Days in the Church and in the World.
Our cloistered life imposes the obligation of supplicating God for the world, so that the Lord may accept our poor prayer with compassion, given that our charisma is the incessant seeking of divine intimacy. Our life of meditation prevents us from speaking of God to the world, therefore we speak of the world to God, supplicating and imploring eternal life for all living beings and in particular assistance for the necessities of our benefactors, through contemplative prayer.
Very dear Senator, may the Lord reward you with eternal life for your arduous career, considering the dedication, zeal and love with which you have exercised it.
In this devastated world interest for the common good is necessary and this depends greatly on the rulers, on the battle for the happiness of the less privileged classes.
Our gratitude to you and your collaborators. Count on our humble prayer and especially on the protection of Jesus and Mary.
With regards,

Maria José of the Child Jesus C.D.,
Prioress
CARMELITES OF THE CONVENT OF MOUNDASSO
Dédougou, Burkina Faso

We are particularly close to you
in prayer

Dédougou, Friday 24 March 2006

Very Dear Mister Giulio Andreotti,
A big and sincere thanks for your letter and the two postings of the monthly magazine 30Days in the Church and in the World.
We got to know the magazine and read it with great interest, but we don’t have the means to make a subscription. It is very difficult for us to be self-financing. We are 15 sisters, 11 of these are African and we don’t have sisters who receive a salary; life is not easy in our very poor country. If one day you find someone who will pay our subscription, we would be very appreciative.
We are particularly close to you in prayer, you have your place here in the Carmel of Moundasso, in our prayer.
We wish you a happy Lenten time, a time of graces and a glorious path toward Easter. May the joy and peace of the Risen Christ accompany you. We keep you present in our daily prayers.
Very fraternally,

Sister Marga,
Prioress


PASSIONISTS OF THE CONVENT OF COSTIGLIOLE D’ASTI
Costigliole d’Asti, Asti, Italy

May the Risen Christ
reward you with the abundance
of his lights

Costigliole d’Asti, Saturday 25 March 2006

Very Dear Senator,
With fervent wishes for a happy and holy Easter, we wish to renew our heartfelt thanks for the gift of 30Days, as well as the attached Invitation to the Reading of Saint Augustine, both most interesting. May the Risen Lord reward you with the abundance of his lights, to continue the great good that your Excellency has initiated with such spirit of faith, of hope and of Christian love.
While we assure our constant prayerful memory, we send our regards with true heart.
With esteem,

The Superior and Community of Costigliole d’Asti,
Tinella Convent
CARMELITES OF THE CONVENT OF REZNOVICE
Reznovice, Czech Republic

Our life is very highly regarded
by non-believers also

Reznovice, Sunday 9 April 2006

Honorable Senator,
We have received the first number (January 2006) of the lovely and very interesting magazine 30Days that you, complying with the request of our sisters in the convent of Vetralla, kindly sent us. We are truly very appreciative and thank you from our hearts; for us it will be a great help also for the knowledge of the affairs of the Church.
To feel ourselves the object of your esteem and attention encourages and stimulates us to be what we must be: persons devoted to the praise of God and to intercession, united with Christ, for all of humanity. We heard about a letter of yours sent to all the cloistered; we don’t know it and venture to ask it also for us. We will make it known to other cloistered persons who, like us, are trying to give life to new contemplative communities. This kind of life is very highly regarded here, also by people who declare themselves non-believers.
Confident in your benevolence, we thank you heartfully in anticipation. As a sign of appreciation, we pray for you and for all those who share your ideals collaborating for their realization.
Best wishes for a happy Easter. May the peace and the joy of the Risen accompany you always.

Sister Mary Carmen of the Holy Countenance
and the Carmelite Sisters