It is part of our carmelite life to care for our sick and frail sisters within the monastery. All our carmels would wish to do this, but because of the workload, and its demands on the sisters, this is sometimes almost impossible. Accordingly, about thirty years ago, our carmelite association asked the community at Dysart if we would be willing to become an infirmary Carmel, caring for the old and sick sisters from other carmels that were unable to do so themselves. From that time, this has been a distinctive feature of our carmel.
To enable the community to live a normal carmelite life of prayer and all the other monastic activities, we have wonderful, dedicated carers, many of whom have been with us many years. They attend to the daily care of the frail sisters.
One of our sisters acts as infirmarian, keeping closely in touch with the needs and concerns of both the sisters and the carers. The sisters in ‘the unit’ are thus enabled to live their carmelite life, sharing fully in the prayer and companionship of our community.
We treasure our old sisters. Their love and prayer make a vital contribution to the beautiful spirit of our carmel.