While all Carmelites trace their roots back to Mount Carmel in 13th-century Palestine, our local community of Secular Discalced Carmelites (OCDS) in Orchard Park, NY, finds its more humble origins in the encouragement of the Carmelite Nuns of Buffalo.

Our history begins in 1920, when Bishop William Turner of Buffalo invited three Carmelite nuns exiled from Mexico—Mother Elias of the Blessed Sacrament, Sister Anne of Saint Bartholomew, and Sister Mary of Saint John of the Cross—to establish a Carmelite monastery in Buffalo. With arrangements made by Reverend Monsignor Nelson H. Baker, the nuns arrived on April 12, 1920, and moved into a house at 49 Cottage Street. On April 24, 1920, Bishop Turner celebrated Mass in the newly established chapel and officially founded the Buffalo Carmel in the tradition of St. Teresa of Avila.

The Seculars followed soon after. The nuns’ spiritual director, Father George A. Crimmen, became a pivotal figure in this effort, and with the authorization of the Very Reverend Lucas A. Maria, Father General of the Carmelite Order, and the consent of the local bishop, a Congregation of the Third Secular Order was established in Buffalo on July 23, 1921. The Tertiaries, as they were known then, initially held their monthly meetings in the chapel of the Carmelite Monastery on Cottage Street but later moved to Carmel Road when the nuns relocated. The cornerstone of the newly founded Monastery of the Little Flower of Jesus was laid by Bishop Turner on September 24, 1924. The name was chosen to fulfill a vow made by Mother Elias while she was in prison in Mexico.

The early order of services for the Seculars included the Divine Office, the Rosary, the singing of the Litany of Our Blessed Mother, private Benediction, and the hymn “Ave Maria Stella.” Over time, these services evolved, incorporating sermons and Benediction in 1928. After Father Crimmen’s death in 1946, Bishop John F. O’Hara appointed Father John D. Duggan as the director, who was succeeded by Rev. Philip Foley, OCD, in 1961. Under Father Foley’s guidance, the monthly meetings began to include the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

In the mid-1990s, the Carmelite Friars restructured the formation program, and the Buffalo Secular Carmelite Community saw several changes. Meetings moved to the first Sunday of each month in 1989 and later to the third Saturday. The community also extended their meetings to include a community lunch and formation classes in addition to the Mass and Divine Office.

In 2004, the community had grown so large that it was divided into two groups. The newly formed Kenmore community began meeting in a north-town suburb, while the original group continued to meet at the Monastery of the Little Flower. In 2020, the Buffalo community moved to a south-town suburb of Buffalo and was renamed the Orchard Park community. Three regional communities—the Orchard Park, Kenmore, and Cuba communities—remain closely connected and collaborate on annual Weekend Retreats and Days of Recollection.

With the gracious support of Bishop Fisher, the Orchard Park community finally received Canonical Establishment from Rome in May 2024. This was a long process but represents an important milestone, officially granting the community full recognition and status within the Catholic Church and the Discalced Carmelite Order under Canon Law.

Unfortunately, while the Seculars maintain a presence in the Buffalo area, this is no longer the case for the nuns. In January 2024, fourteen Discalced Carmelite nuns moved from Buffalo to the Diocese of St. Augustine, FL, in search of “silence and solitude.” The nuns had lived in Buffalo for over a century but felt that the neighborhood was no longer quiet enough for their cloistered community. While saddened by their departure, we still remain connected by our long roots back to Mount Carmel and our founders, St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross.