Counterfeit Carmel?
This is a follow up to the post anticipating the special report from Church Militant concerning the Cowboy Monks of New Mt. Carmel in Wyoming. (My title is a take on their novus ordo of Carmelite rules.) The report by Christine Niles was actually very good, non-sensational, well-researched and documented. I found the whistleblower especially credible since he was backed up with a letter from a former Discalced Carmelite I had met. Sr. Anne was a member of the monastery of nuns, adjacent to the original foundation of Carmelite Hermits the Wyoming founder came from. I had no idea the nuns sponsored him for seminary and that Fr. Daniel left to found his own community so abruptly. (Sr. Anne's dossier tells the story. It's a sad betrayal.)
I wasn't aware Sr. Anne left our Carmel (in good graces) to follow a call to found another community. She was a very practical, balanced religious, as far as I could tell in my interactions with her. I personally thought she would have made an excellent prioress. The letter reveals a lot about Fr. Daniel, and her account of his temperament and manner while he was here seems accurate. I found him rude and dismissive.
