International Ongoing Formation Program Celebrates Life of St. Titus Brandsma
An international ongoing formation course visiting places from the life of Titus Brandsma took place in the Netherlands and Germany from October 6-16, 2024. The conference focused on the life of St. Titus Brandsma as Carmelite, Professor, Journalist, and Martyr: Contemplation, the Dynamic Element that Unifies Them (RIVC, 28).
The program was planned by the General Formation Commission, chaired by Benny Phang, O. Carm, vice prior general. There were 38 participants from around the Order, representing five continents as well as other parts of the Carmelite Family.
Participants received a variety of presentations, allowing them to reflect on various aspects of the life and writings of St. Titus. They also visited significant places where Titus lived, suffered, and died: Nijmegen, Boxmeer, Oss, Scheveningen prison, Amersfoort concentration camp in the Netherlands as well as the Carmelite church and community in Mainz, and finally the Dachau concentration camp.
They prayed and meditated on some texts that Titus or other witnesses wrote in each place. Particularly in Dachau, they had a dialogue with the Discalced Carmelite nuns living on the grounds of the concentration camp about their experience of living and praying in that place. The program culminated in the celebration of the Eucharist in the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Heilig Blut at the rear of the concentration camp.
Among the presenters were Anne-Marie Bos, Sanny Bruijns, Fernando Millan, Benny Phang, Hettie Berflo, and Míceál O'Neill, the prior general.
The participants found that the Carmelite Way “in obsequio Iesu Christi” as shown by the great witness of St. Titus Brandsma is still relevant for them who are ministering in various fields.
Boxmeer:
Scheveningen:
(Fotos courtesy of Jorge Monterroso, O. Carm.)
