I had the most mystical, wonderful time at Mount Carmel Monastery in Niagara Falls. After a long ride there, the cab pulled up, and I immediately felt shivers, as though something special was waiting for me. It was the kind of old world monastic experience I had been craving, one that the postmodern looking Anglican convent I went to wasn't quite the same as (though I still thoroughly enjoy SSJD). Old architecture, lovely grounds, vinelands, and a 15 minute walk from the falls!
The staff were lovely and accommodating, and the tone more chill than one might expect from a Catholic monastery. Even the Anglican convent I had been to asked for silence during mealtime, but here you may chat - I suppose it's because it's touristy there, due to it being on the falls, and a winery. The food itself was decent, the portions were huge, American sized - too much! I later found out all the monks there are American, and joked with a deacon I ate with that perhaps that is why the food is so plentiful. (Every other guest there was clergy except me, although a wine tasting tour came through on the first night for dinner.)
The tone here is very Catholic, but not in the offensive way the world often calls out due to crimes and offences of religion - rather, it's of what calls people to this faith in the first place... the mystical, the beautiful, and (in this case) a kind of spiritual closeness to nature that I could feel from the land, a marriage to the Earth that you can find with an intimate relationship with the Virgin Mary. The library seemed stocked with spiritual and philosophical literature, books on world religion, things like that - I didn't see one anti-abortion book or criticism of homosexuality in sight... it was the smart stuff, Thomas Merton, Meister Eckhart, St. John of the Cross. There is plenty to look at, and if you follow me on Instagram, I took lots of pictures and made videos of my experience.
The spiritual activity was high, but all felt of beauty, and I think some spirits there could tell I converse with ancestors. I was constantly seeing visions of St. Therese of Lisieux, the saint affiliated with this monastery, and when I donated $2 to light a candle in prayer and collect rose petals that touched the relic of St. Therese (which contains a bone, blood, and a piece of her habit), I got a clear vision of her smiling, as though she was gifting me those petals. I kept seeing visions of her for the rest of my stay.
Something beautiful happened with that relic later. I touched it and prayed for release from suffering, and within 10 minutes, my head was raised to heaven, and I felt something gorgeous in my soul. There is a feeling now, back at home, that she has helped me in some way, but I guess time will tell about what it means.
I did a lot of praying, offering tobacco flecks to the land, litanies, rosaries, Psalms, and even alcohol magick with the monastery wine. (I finished off the bottle and later felt a bit ill, but it felt important to drink that wine and do ceremony on the land it was produced on, for it felt like rich land, and I'm not sure yet when I will be back, but it might be in the spring with friends.) I came back to Toronto feeling very satisfied that something beautiful had touched my soul.
My only criticism was that my room was freezing, which I later found out I could have gotten help with... that and I simply was offered too much food, so much of it went to waste. They have a sign up that suggests they are about respecting the individual and diversity of faith, so it's a welcoming place.
I will be back, the whole thing was just so mystically beautiful with what I felt with St. Therese that it's inevitable. Recommended if you are even remotely interested in Catholic mysticism!
-Saraƒin
PS: In case you need a refresher on St. Therese of Lisieux, watch this: