Traverse City Simple, poor and beautiful Nuns ready for renovations to 50-year-old chapel

By James Russell Traverse City Record-Eagle TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- Change does not come easy to a group of women who have dedicated their lives to their faith. Nuns have lived in cloistered quiet, separate from modern distractions, at the Carmelite Monastery in Traverse City for nearly 50 years. The secluded, hilltop site is a place for the women to live, pray and worship. Now their austere chapel is due for a renovation, and an architect renowned for re-imagining sacred spaces will help the sisters. "We want to make it more beautiful so the mind is lifted up to heaven," Mother Mary of Jesus, the monastery's prioress, told the Traverse City Record-Eagle. "We've learned that a thing can be simple and poor and beautiful, rather than simple and poor and ugly." Duncan Stroik, of South Bend, Ind., specializes in sacred architecture. He said the nature of the Carmelite religious community attracted him to the project. "It's pretty exotic to live in a cloister and in seclusion. It's a very beautiful and a very challenging life," Stroik said. "For a religious community where they don't leave except for medical reasons, architecture is even more important because it's their home." Stroik worked on renovations to famous chapels and churches across the country, including the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, Calif., and St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls, S.D. Mother Mary knew of his work but had no idea someone of his caliber would help with the project. A mutual friend connected the two. "His name was vaguely familiar because we get different Catholic magazines, and we had seen the chapel at St. Thomas Aquinas College, which is just breathtaking," she said. "When we saw his portfolio, we said, 'Oh, my goodness, that's who that guy is.' It feels like this definitely was God's hand at work here. We would never have dreamed of approaching him." The chapel is central to the nuns, who spend their days in private and liturgical prayer. They don't leave the monastery except for rare occasions such as doctor appointments or emergencies. A metal grille separates the nuns' chapel area from the public space. Design plans call for elevating the altar, marble flooring, classical ornamentation to mask the dated architecture, and Psalm quotations on the walls. The sisters saved some money for the renovation and also are seeking donations from supporters. "The chapel is a little foretaste of heaven," Stroik said. "It doesn't have to be the same as the cells where they sleep or the dining room, but instead an intimation of heaven and eternal life." The local chapel played an important part in the Rev. Daniel Barron's path to the priesthood. Barron now serves in Denver, but for decades the Carmelite Monastery was his second home. In middle school, the sisters gave him a job doing gardening and maintenance around the property. Soon after, he helped with Mass in the chapel -- an early calling to the Catholic faith that ultimately carried him to the seminary. "I used to pray many hours there in that chapel. The sisters, one of the reasons they offered me the job, they could see that I had a calling," Barron said. "The chapel is very much home for me and part of my own spiritual history." Barron described the chapel as austere, with a dated layout. Stroik hopes the renovations create a timeless space. "That's my goal ... to do something that doesn't go out of style," Stroik said. Anne Dezelski and her husband, Leonard, are working to become members of the Third Order, a group of lay people associated with the Carmelites. The couple have attended Mass at the chapel for nearly 30 years and are "thrilled" with the new design. "Architecture back in 1960s and '70s was what Mother Mary describes as 'less than transcendent,'" Dezelski said. "It will certainly help us all lift our hearts and minds to God like we're supposed to in prayer." Mother Mary said the changes excite the sisters, but the nuns continue to debate with Stroik about how to renovate without sacrificing their strong beliefs. "He's firm about telling us what is best, what's most beautiful, and I've asked him to keep challenging us to look beyond what's familiar to us," Mother Mary said. "At times, the sisters were so used to what we have that it's difficult for them to disassociate beauty with things they think are too nice for a Carmelite. They say, 'Oh, no, that's too fancy.' That's been a challenge for us." The renovation marks a bittersweet transition for the sisters. A cherished, life-size crucifix -- the chapel's focal point for years -- was removed. Its large size didn't fit with Stroik's vision for the redesigned chapel. The sisters are donating the crucifix to St. Mary's Cathedral in Gaylord. Mother Mary said it's a sacrifice, but one that will pay off with chapel improvements. The sisters have only one other concern about the renovation work. "We're not looking forward to all the noise," she said. "We live in silence, and this is not going to be a fun three or four months." Published: Tue, Mar 13, 2012