June 17, 1950

Mother Mary Barrett, prioress of the Carmelite order of Saint Teresa in Loretto, Pennsylvania, arrived in Little Rock (Pulaski County) with five members of the order to establish a monastery. The group was housed at St. Joseph Home in North Little Rock (Pulaski County) until quarters being prepared for their use at 812 Louisiana Street were ready. The order, whose mission is to serve the Church through prayer, moved to its present location at 7201 West 32nd Street in southwest Little Rock in 1961. The change of location was partly because the Louisiana St. residence was no longer sufficient to their needs but became more urgent because of the Labor Day 1959 bombing of the nearby Little Rock School Board building, which damaged the monastery.