Ito ang aking research sa history ng Carmel ng Laoag... Ipinasa ko ito sa Iluko Litereature namin as described na historical place and scenic view of Laoag... By the way they are celebrating their 59th anniversary of Carmelite presence in Laoag as mentioned kaninang umaga sa Mass...
At the end of the 1940s the Diocese of Laoag was not yet canonically erected by the Vatican and so the city of Laoag and the whole province of Ilocos Norte is under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia (Vigan). The Diocese of Laoag was only erected on June 26, 1961.
Archbishop Santiago Sancho, D.D., then Archbishop of Nueva Segovia initiated the move to establish a Carmelite Community in Laoag. He wanted to have the Carmelite Sisters in his archdiocese. Instead of putting their house in Vigan (the seat of the archbishopric), he choose Laoag City. He gave them the mission of helping in the evangelization of Laoag residents and also the conversion of the Aglipayans, who were many in the province that time.
Through the intervention of His Eminence Adeodato Cardinal Piazza, O.C.D., secretary to the Sacred Consistorical Congregation, and with the assistance of the new Apostolic Delegate (Nuncio) to the Philippines, Msgr. Egidio Vagnozzi, the Holy See, through Archbishop of Manila, Most Rev. Michael J. O’Doherty, D.D., granted permission to establish the Carmelite Monastery of Laoag on August 30, 1949 and to be named as the Carmel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Laoag. It was signed through a special authorization by the Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of Manila, Most Rev. Rufino J. Santos, D.D. (later Cardinal Santos). The “Act of Foundation” signed by Archbishop O’Doherty and awarded on October 7, 1949, granted exclaustration of Sister Mary Gabriel Therese of the Child Jesus with nine other nuns. They were Sr. Mary Magdalena of the Saviour, Sr. Therese of the Holy Family, Sr. Mary Joseph of the Sacred Heart, Sr. Mary Lydia of Jesus, Sr. Agnes of Mary, Sr. Anne of the Assumption, Sr. Corazon of Jesus and Mary, Sr. Mary Rose of the Angels, and Sr. Purification of Jesus and Mary. The group arrived in Laoag on October 11, 1949 and were graciously received by Msgr. Sancho and Msgr. Cordero.
The first building to house the Carmelite nuns was the former Minor Seminary of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Laoag (Sacred Heart Chapel in Barangay 8) after the seminary was transferred to a new building beside the Saint Joseph Church in Laoag. The nuns stayed in this house for several years. Through the efforts of Msgr. Ignacio Cordero, then parish priest of Saint William Parish (later Cathedral), and with the nuns’ fervent prayers, a piece of land on top of a hill was offered by Mr. Trinidad Julian. The lot adjacent to the hill near the street was donated by the Javiers for the construction of a monastery the Carmelite nuns could call their own. The laying of the cornerstone and blessing of bells were held on December 27, 1953. After three years, the nuns transferred to their partly built monastery. It took ten full years to complete the monastery with an enclosure, rooms for the nuns, and a chapel. The structure of the Monastery especially of the Chapel is of Gothic Architectural Design.
People visit the Carmelite Monastery to request prayers from the nuns. Part of their charism is to fervently pray for a holy clergy so that the people in turn be holy. Essential part of the nuns’ raizon de etre in the Diocese of Laoag is to pray for vocations and the clergy. The Monastery Chapel open its doors everyday for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The Monastery is also used for retreats and recollections, prayer vigils, and spiritual seminars.
The Carmelite nuns are great prayer warriors of the people, who want more prayers. They also serve as the people’s confidant and counsel. People would go there to offer some of their bounty in exchange for some pleasantries with the cloistered nuns.
The Carmelite Monastery of Laoag have already produced two Ilocana nuns. The first Ilocana Carmelite nun was Sister Pauline Datoc, who entered the cloister in 1958. While the second Ilocana Carmelite nun of the Carmel of Laoag was Marissa Villalobos, who hails from Solsona, Ilocos Norte. She entered the cloister of Carmel in 1995 in the age of 34. She took her temporary profession of vows in 1998 and on October 15, 2004, on the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila, she took her perpetual profession of vows, taking the religious name Sister Marissa Therese of the Eucahrist. Currently the Carmel of Laoag is housing 15 Discalced Carmelite nuns.
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