Before entering Carmel I worked at a tea shop that had monthly poetry slams. You can only imagine what sort of crowds of people a tea house…… Read more “St John of the Cross Took My Microphone.”

In honor of today’s glorious feast of Saint Peter’s chair (the official seat of the Pope), I thought it appropriate to tie in this great feast to…… Read more “The Power of the Pope and Peter’s Chair.”

Many of you have most likely seen me blogging and are thinking, how is she blogging from the cloister? Great question- I am not! I left Carmel…… Read more “Discalced Carmelite to Carmelite Hermitess”

In the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, contemplation is a very active way of praying that engages the mind and heart and stirs up thoughts and emotions.…… Read more “Ignatian Meditation is Not Mental Prayer.”

Many have their story with Alana Chen, or they have written her story for her. This is my story with Alana, and my attempt to share the…… Read more “Heart of Gold: Alana Chen.”

The sun glistened off my bike tires that late October (2014) evening as I made my way across Colorado State’s University campus. I always dreamed of this…… Read more ““Father……..I Just Outran the Bike Police!””

The Roman Catholic Church is experiencing a shortage of exorcists. The Chaplain of the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, stepped up to the plate and even…… Read more “Communism in the United States of America?”

One Saturday morning, the alarm on my stopwatch randomly went off. I was a college student working at Ace Hardware, and my shift didn’t start until eleven.…… Read more “The Underrated First Saturday Devotion.”

When I was in middle school, my grandparents showed me the classic movie Somewhere in Time, about a man who is strangely drawn to the year 1912,…… Read more “Discipline Your Mind”

By ILANA RAPP, Contributor, November 26th, 2017: My first memory of meeting an actual nun (as opposed to watching The Flying Nun, played by Sally Field, on…… Read more “Huffington Post Interview of Becoming a Nun”