Foundation Story

Our Beginnings

Long long Ago

Melody: Long long Ago

Sing us the story we all love to hear

Foundation day of our Carmel dear

Singing the songs that are forever dear

Memories of yester years.

Hush, one and all, for now we shall sing

Lend us your ears as our story begins

As we unfold these sweet gone by days. . .

Carmel from the hill to the plain.

Reaching Manila Bay

Melody: Partons La Mer est Belle

Reaching Manila Bay.

T'was glorious Easter Day

April the twentieth,

A day I cannot forget!

To Carmel then I swiftly sped
and what a welcome ahead!

The parlor veil scarcely raised,
And eyes peeped out the gaze...

'Tis Mary from Carmel of Montreal
In answer to His call,
To found a Carmel in Mindanao,
A city known as Davao.

A moment's doubt or two,

Could what they hear be true..

But doors were opened wide

To welcome sister inside.

With Mary Rose appointed guide

To have my papers set right;
I still recall the silence kept
Along each hurried step.

All through the dust and the busy streets

Till everything was fixed

And thus began the journey again.

Aboard an army plane.

At Jaro's landing strip

April the twenty-fifth,

But no Sister in sight;

"Mon Dieu, oh, what a plight!"

An army man I chanced to meet
"Would you accept a lift?"

The army truck he drove had no top.

But I refused him not.

On reaching Carmel, I met them all..
Oh, there was Bernadette!

A 9-month stay, then southward I'll roam,
Petite Davao, my Home!

Aboard SS Panay

On one February day.

The Bishop there with us.

What joy to have daily Mass!

And as we daily sailed along.

We praised the Lord with song.

We reached Davao February the tenth.

What joy to all our hearts.

For herein our only treasure lies,

The gem beyond all price!
The Carmel of His Sacred Heart

And her Immaculate Heart!

Building for Foundation Day

Carmel Home

Melody: Halina

Day in, day out, not a moment free,

Sisters, workmen, busy everywhere

Cleaning, building for Foundation Day,

The tenth of March, what joy for all!

Melody: Solitude

I offer unto You, dear Lord, our Carmel Home,

Oh shed on all those dwelling here Your blessings rare:
May every act offered add to your praise;
Let all Your spouses be a living pray'r..

Our first beloved Carmel Home, fondly recall
It stood upon a grassy hill, silent and still,

A life of real poverty through all the years

Yet sweetened by God's enduring love and gentle care..

Melody: Home on the Range

Oh, give me a site
In this fair Promised Land

Where my dear Carmelite Home may stand;

Where Sisters may dwell
Sweetly in charity

Till in heaven we shall forever be.

St Joseph

Melody: Pandanggo sa Ilaw

So from year to year,

Carmel's Novitiate,

In our garden most dear Started to germinate;

But there was no space for more flowers to tend,

So I turned my gaze

To our Father St. Joseph.

Should you heed my plea,

Dear St. Joseph, I shall dedicate,

In your honor shall be,
Our first Hermitage.

So haste and come to our aid!

Ever ready at our beck and call

Father St. Joseph quickly answered my call...

So in '53 work began anew Father St. Joseph helped me

To prepare a Home in Bajada

June of '54, just before Pentecost,
How we went back and forth,

Bringing all that we had.
So the day was set, that our Pentecost

Carmel on the hilltop will forever be on the plain!