CZECH REPUBLIC
Religious vocations flourish again in the former Communist country
Once again, young Discalced Carmelite Sisters are living in their convent in Prague – a testimony of the Triumph of Mary‘s Immaculate Heart.
After the Second World War, what was then still Czechoslovakia fell under the Communist yoke and witnessed one of the worst persecutions in Eastern Europe. Thousands of priests and religious were arrested and sentenced to long prison terms and forced labour. Churches and religious houses were closed down and desecrated, and the practice of the Faith severely restricted.
In 1950 the Carmelites were forcibly ejected from their convent and forced to work in factories. Only five very elderly Carmelite nuns survived long enough to witness the political changes in 1989; all of them have since died. Yet by the grace of God, through the courageous witness of their lives and their faith, new vocations followed and a number of young women have joined the Carmelite community. The six nuns who live in a strict enclosure in Saint Joseph‘s convent devote themselves entirely to prayer, bringing before God among other things the cares and needs of those people who sometimes do not even know how to pray for themselves.
Among other things, the sisters produce religious and devotional items and artwork which they sell in a small shop. Other than this, they have little opportunity of providing for their own income – which is why ACN is helping them again this year, with a contribution of 4,200 Euros to support their life and prayer apostolate.
ACN Malta
