Milestones

Restoration of Specified Buildings

Santa Teresita has completed, with the generous help of foundations and donors, a $8.4 million dollar restoration of selected buildings on the 12-acre campus – St. Joseph Chapel, Madonna Hall Community Center, as well as selected areas of The Manor Skilled Nursing and Bethany Assisted Living.

Groundbreaking for the First Cottage of The Rose Gardens

On September 17, 2011, a group of people gathered together in the west parking lot of Santa Teresita in Duarte, CA. All came to witness – to be a part of – an historic moment, the Groundbreaking for the First Cottage of The Rose Gardens at Santa Teresita: A Neighborhood of Care, a new, transformative model of eldercare, a project of Mount Carmel Health Ministries.

Interestingly, Santa Teresita stands on the border of two cities – Monrovia and Duarte, California. During the Groundbreaking Ceremony, Mayor Tzeitel Paras-Caracci of Duarte, California and Mayor Mary Ann Lutz of Monrovia, California issued Certificates of Recognition to Santa Teresita, and Msgr. Clement Connelly, pastor emeritus of Holy Family Church, South Pasadena, blessed the site of the First Assisted Living Cottage. Mother Regina Marie, Superior General of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, shared that this is a Mount Carmel Health Ministries project with Sister Mary Clare, CEO of Santa Teresita, as project director. Tom Wilson, resident, shared “Santa Teresita is my home, a place that I love. Santa Teresita is such a special place and I thank you all for visiting my home.”

With demolition of the older buildings currently in progress, the implementation of the Master Plan of The Rose Gardens – SmithGroup Architects, Slater Builders and T.C. Collins developing the four-phased project – is right on schedule.

For those who couldn’t be there, here is a word picture for you, so you can still see it, in its entirety.

Sister Mary Clare as M.C. of the Groundbreaking, as well as CEO of Santa Teresita and project director for The Rose Gardens introduced each one of the presenters. Tom Wilson, resident of Bethany Assisted Living, spoke first. He was great. Amidst the other things he said, Tom shred that “Santa Teresita is my home.” Lisa Stevens, the Executive President, Regional President of Wells Fargo California retail Banking spoke next. She said many wonderful things about the Sisters, The Rose Gardens and the backing and collaboration of Wells Fargo. She concluded by saying that she sees The Rose Gardens as one of the few “safe places” in our world, where we can bring our elders and all of our families. The Mayors of Duarte and Monrovia gave official certificates to Santa Teresita as did the representative of Supervisor Mike Antonovich. Their words were very, very supportive of our project and it was gratifying to see the genuine interest and involvement in The Rose Gardens.

Mother Regina Marie spoke eloquently. You could have heard a pin drop. What you did hear was a very gentle breeze waving throughout the little tent and you felt a certain special excitement, a peace-filled holy excitement, that filled the faces of all, sisters and people. Mother Regina Marie at one point asked those present to turn around and just notice all the Carmelite Sisters - candidates, novices, professed – and see both in the sisters and throughout the campus a theme of the old and the new. The buildings, old and new, the sisters, young and old.

In her talk Mother made reference to the many foundations and individual donors who are collaborating with us in this project. This brought us to the “bigger picture” of what we are doing. We are not just building structures. We are continuing the vision of the Church, Mother Luisita and our founding sisters, and are joined by those who value these principles, as we promote a deeper spiritual life.

The little remembrance card that was passed out showed the sisters surrounding, within and on top of the big bulldozer. The back read: “May we never forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.” - St. Therese