A rare look inside: Carmelite Monastery opens grounds for annual fair

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Carmelite Monastery in Holladay is hosting its annual fair this Saturday, a rare instance when its grounds are open to the public.
98-year-old Sister MaryAnn shares insights on prayer and a simple life.
The fair supports 13+ nuns with homemade goods, auctions and family entertainment.

HOLLADAY — For most of the year, life inside the Carmelite Monastery in Holladay is marked by silence, prayer and contemplation.

But once each year, the grounds at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent open to the public for the annual Carmelite Fair, a fundraiser that helps support the cloistered nuns who rarely leave the monastery and devote their lives to prayer.

Among them is 98-year-old Sister MaryAnn of the Ascension Krajicek, a discalced Carmelite nun who has served in the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City for more than 68 years.

"Life is very simple, really. We mustn't make it complicated," Sister MaryAnn said.

Originally from Nebraska, she entered religious life at the age of 30 and was assigned to the monastery in Holladay.

"I pray for the people of Utah the most because this is where the Lord brought me," Sister MaryAnn said.

Even though her days are centered on worship and reflection, she said she still needs to pray more.

"Some people don't realize why they're here," she said. "We're here to love God and to praise Him, and so that's what we do here in our monastery."

"We keep silence all day — not for the sake of silence, but so that we can hear our Lord interiorly," Sister MaryAnn added.

Despite being legally blind and deaf, and the oldest nun at the monastery, Sister MaryAnn remains active. The younger nuns giggled as they described the challenge of keeping up with her.

"We think she's in one spot and before you know it, she's gone," said Mother Therese.

Sister MaryAnn still enjoys crocheting scarves and baby blankets and has created several to be sold at this year's Carmelite Fair.

The annual fair is one of the few times the public is invited onto the monastery grounds. Volunteers spend weeks helping organize the event, which raises money to support the monastery's 13+ nuns throughout the year. The nuns make 12 flavors of homemade jams and candy to sell. Dozens of baskets are donated for a silent auction, and booths filled with food and other goods are sold. There's also a big lineup of family entertainment.

That support allows the sisters to continue their mission of prayer and contemplation.

"This life is like a minute, compared to eternity, and we ought to be thinking about that," Sister MaryAnn said.

As she reflects on nearly a century of life, Sister MaryAnn said her perspective is rooted in eternity, and that is her secret to a long and happy life.

"The secret is the same all the time," she said. "It's just to love God with my heart and soul and mind and strength... We can't be happy in any other way, really."

The Carmelite Fair will be held Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery, located at 5714 Holladay Blvd.

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