This is an important aspect of the message of Saint Teresa of Avila and Our Lady of Fatima, she said, noting the Christian obligation to aid sinners who cannot help themselves.
"Those souls in mortal sin cannot help themselves. It's as though their hands are tied behind their backs. They cannot feed themselves, it is up to us, and through our prayer, to nourish them with God's mercy, to beg God's mercy upon them."
Additionally, the community will praise God for the goodness he pours out into the world and for all those who receive his blessings.
They will also specifically pray and sacrifice for the sanctification of all their local priests – a practice of Saint Teresa, who wanted "her sisters to be warrior champions of the church to fight the spiritual battle."
Having been involved in the French Carmelite tradition, the nun said the transition has brought about a beautiful correspondence between the French and Hispanic tradition of the Discalced Carmelite order.
The Philadelphia community stemmed from the French tradition of the Carmelites, which came to the United States from Belgium in 1790. The community of Elysburg and Valparaiso stem from the Mexican tradition of the Carmelites, which fled to San Francisco, California in fear of Mexico's religious persecution during the Cristero War in the 1920s.
Little differences in the way the sisters wear their habits or attend Mass in Latin, she said have been a delight to experience.
Perry West is a staff writer for Catholic News Agency. He graduated from Franciscan University with his bachelor's in English. Prior to his job at CNA, he worked in construction staffing and coffee.