Who We Are
Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit is a community of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites (OCDS), located in Mandeville, Louisiana.
Our Mission
Guided by St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, we seek God through prayer and contemplation to serve the Church and the world.
Community Life
Our community life is nourished by the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours, mental prayer, ongoing formation, and fraternal fellowship.
Our Place in the Carmelite Family
Our community belongs to the Oklahoma Semi-Province of St. Thérèse and is under the juridical authority of its Discalced Carmelite Friars.
Living the Carmelite Vocation
Secular Carmelites integrate contemplative prayer into ordinary family, parish, work, and civic life. As a community, we seek to share Carmelite spirituality through apostolic service and faithful witness. For inquiries, please contact maryspouseocds@gmail.com.
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OUR COMMUNITY PATRONESS
Notre-Dame de Vie
Our Lady of Life
Mary, Spouse of the Holy Spirit OCDS Community has chosen Notre-Dame de Vie — Our Lady of Life — as our community patroness.
The Chapel of Notre-Dame de Vie, Venasque
Historic postcard view of the ancient Marian sanctuary
AN ANCIENT DEVOTION
- A Living Shrine -
6th Century — Ancient Christian Roots
Tradition traces Marian devotion at Venasque to the sixth century. An extraordinary witness to the ancient Christian presence survives within the chapel: the tombstone of Bishop Bohétius, bishop from 583 to 604.
Discovered during work on the sanctuary at the end of the sixteenth century, the stone is preserved at Notre-Dame de Vie today.
Middle Ages — Santa Maria de Vico
Through the centuries, the sanctuary was known as Santa Maria de Vico, preserving the association of this place with the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The tombstone of Bishop Bohétius (583–604), preserved in the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Vie.
1613 — A New Name: Notre-Dame de Vie
In 1613, the Minims of St. Francis of Paola came to the recently rebuilt sanctuary to welcome the pilgrims who came to pray there. Their presence marked an important chapter in the life of the ancient Marian shrine.
The sanctuary once known as Santa Maria de Vico came to be called Nostra Domina de Vita — Notre-Dame de Vie — Our Lady of Life.
Here, families brought their children and entrusted their lives to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Across the generations, the name Notre-Dame de Vie expressed a simple and enduring confidence in Mary’s maternal care.
1792–1806— Revolution and Renewal
The French Revolution interrupted centuries of prayer at Notre-Dame de Vie. In 1792, the Minims were expelled and the sanctuary was sold.
But the story did not end. In 1806, Abbé Morel, a native of Venasque and pastor of nearby Saint-Didier, acquired Notre-Dame de Vie. The sanctuary was restored to religious use, and pilgrimage to Our Lady resumed.
1929 — Carmel Comes to Notre-Dame de Vie
In 1929, Madame Lemaire, a member of the Carmelite Third Order, acquired Notre-Dame de Vie. She came to the property hoping that the climate would benefit her daughter, who was suffering from tuberculosis.
Her daughter died in 1931. The following year, the property would become the home of a new Carmelite work.
1932 — Père Marie-Eugène and a New Beginning
In 1932, Père Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus, OCD, and Marie Pila came to Notre-Dame de Vie. At this ancient Marian sanctuary, the small group that would eventually become the Institute of Notre-Dame de Vie began to take root.
For Père Marie-Eugène, the ancient title acquired a particularly beautiful Carmelite meaning: Mary is Notre-Dame de Vie — Our Lady of Life — because she gives us Life, her Son Jesus.
The Chapel of Notre-Dame de Vie at Venasque today
Photo: Thomas_J / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Notre-Dame de Vie and the Carmelite Vocation
Mary, Mother of Life
The ancient title Notre-Dame de Vie — Our Lady of Life took on a particular meaning when Carmel came to Venasque. For Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus, Mary is Our Lady of Life because she gives us Life: her Son, Jesus Christ.
This mystery speaks deeply to the Carmelite vocation. Mary receives the Word of God, treasures Him in the silence of her heart, and gives Christ to the world. She is both Mother and disciple — a woman of prayer whose interior life bears fruit in the life of the Church.
For Secular Carmelites, who seek union with God in the midst of ordinary life, Notre-Dame de Vie offers a particularly beautiful image of our vocation: to receive Christ in prayer, to live in His presence, and to carry His life into our families, parishes, communities, and the world.
Under the patronage of Notre-Dame de Vie, we ask Mary to teach us to receive the Life she received, to live that Life, and to give that Life to others.
The Feast of Notre-Dame de Vie
Easter Monday — The Monday after Easter
The Feast of Notre-Dame de Vie is celebrated on Easter Monday, in the radiant beginning of the Easter season. Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus loved to celebrate on this day the Easter joy of Mary, Mother of Life. At the Resurrection, the Son whom Mary received, bore, and gave to the world is revealed in the fullness of risen Life.
For Père Marie-Eugène, Easter Monday became a special day for honoring Mary as Notre-Dame de Vie — Our Lady of Life. At Venasque, the tradition continues with pilgrimage and prayer at her shrine.
Blessed Marie-Eugène died on Easter Monday, March 27, 1967 — the very day on which he had established the celebration of Notre-Dame de Vie.