Displaying items by tag: Calendar of Feasts and Memorials

12 August Optional Memorial

Bl. Isidore Bakanja, a member of the Boangi tribe, was born in Bokendela (Congo) between 1880 and 1890.

In order to survive, even as a boy, he had to work as bricklayer or in farms. He was converted to Christianity in 1906. He was working in a plantation run by a colonialist in Ikili and was forbidden by the owner to spread Christianity among his fellow-workers.

On 22 April 1909, the superintendent of the business tore off the Carmelite Scapular, which Isidore was wearing as an expression of his Christian faith, and had him severely beaten even to drawing blood.

He died on 15 August of the same year as a result of the wounds inflicted in "punishment" for his faith and which he bore patiently while forgiving his aggressor.

He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 24 April 1994.

9 August Memorial (Feast in the provinces of Europe: Patron of Europe)

Edith Stein was born at Breslau on 12th October 1891 to German Jewish parents, and after her secondary education, she enroled in the department of philosophy in the city university. 

She read the autobiography of Teresa of Avila and became aware of being called to become a Catholic; she was baptized on 1st January 1922. She made her First Communion the same day and was confirmed on the following 2nd February. After her conversion, she felt herself attracted to the religious life but circumstances forced her to delay this decision until 1933. When in 1933 she lost her teaching post as a result of the anti-Jewish laws, she entered into the Carmel at Cologne on 14th October 1933, taking the name of Teresa Benedict of the Cross.

On 31st December 1938 she was moved to the Carmel at Echt in Holland so as to escape the Nazi persecution of the Jews.

Sister Teresa, accompanied by her sister Rosa who had also become a Catholic, was taken to Amersfort on 2nd August 1942. On 3rd August, she was transferred to Westerbork. On 7th August, she and her sister together with other deportees were locked in railway wagons and taken by train to the extermination camp at Auschwitz, a voyage which took two days.

Sister Teresa Benedict of the Cross died in the gas chamber the same day that she arrived at the camp at Auschwitz, Sunday 9th August 1942, and her body was burned in one of the crematoria there. She was beatified on 1 May 1987 and canonized on 11 October 1998 by Pope John Paul II. On 2 October 1999 the same Pope proclaimed her co-patron of Europe.

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7 August Feast

Born in Trapani (Scilia) in the 13th century. He distinguished himself for his dediction to mendicant preaching and the notoriety of his miracles. In the years 1280 and 1289 he was in Trapani and shortly afterwards in Messina. In the year 1296 he was prior provincial of the Carmelite Province of Sicily. He was celebrated for his passionate love for purity and prayer. He died in Messina most likely in 1307.

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July is a busy month for the Carmelite Order with celebrations of many of its saints and blesseds. The month also includes celebrations of both Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Prophet Elijah. Each has a particular resonance with members of the Order and are celebrated in a variety of ways around the world. Here are a few of the celebrations we learned about over the past several days. We appreciate members sending a short summary as well as pictures of their celebrations.

Carmel in Albacete, Spain

From July 7 to 15, a novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmen was solemnly celebrated in the Cathedral of Albacete. Presiding and preaching the novena was Matias Tejerina, O. Carm.

There was a large crowd of the faithful and people devoted to the Virgin of Mount Carmel. There is a group of Carmelite Tertiaries and Confreres in Albacete who keep the Carmelite charism alive. They prepare the novena every year and have an oratory in the middle of the city which is open every day for prayer. Eucharist is celebrated there three times a month presided by Fr. Alfonso Herrera, O. Carm., the spiritual director of the Tertiaries. Also in Albacete is a community of Carmelite sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who minister in the parish of San Pablo. They also lead a very active and pastorally committed group of Carmelite Laity.

Huesca, Spain

The Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Encarnation San Miguel in Huesca, Spain, provided a film of their celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 2024. The monastery dates to 1622. (Sor Mª Blanca de la Eucaristía Barril, O. Carm.)

To watch the video

St. Thomas Province, India

The celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in St. Thomas Province (India), especially within its communities, is a deeply cherished event. Community members gather together-- in unity and reverence-- to commemorate this special occasion. Neighboring religious communities are invited, fostering bonds of friendship and solidarity. As a symbol of faith and protection, scapulars are ceremoniously distributed to everyone who attends, signifying devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The celebrations highlight the spiritual significance of the occasion through songs and homilies and prayers. Traditional rituals and processions enhance the solemnity and cultural richness of the event. Special meals are prepared and then shared among the gathered community, reinforcing bonds of camaraderie and fellowship. The celebrations serve not only as a religious observance but also as a joyful expression of our cultural heritage and communal identity. Ultimately, these celebrations deepen devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and reaffirm the participants' faith and commitment. Overall, the festivities reflect a deep-seated reverence and devotion that resonate throughout the Indian province and their local communities. (Deepak Aracka, O. Carm.)

Province of Malta

The Carmelite feast in Valletta on the July 16 is a major event. Many streets are decorated. Bands march in the streets over a four day period. There is a musical concert and a fireworks display. The religious celebration includes a 2 hour Solemn Mass in the morning and an evening Mass lead by the Archbishop Scicluna. This Mass is followed by a procession with the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Carmelite community also hosted a lunch with guests including the prior provincial of the Discalced Carmelites of Malta, the Canon and his wife from the Anglican Cathedral of St. Paul in Valletta, the parish priests of Valletta, the Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù, two Domincans, and all the Carmelites of the Maltese Province who could attend.

General Delegation of Kenya

On July 16, 2024 the Kenyan Delegation gathered at the newly formed  Carmelite community in central Kenya (the priory at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Retreat Centre). The celebration was attended by many of the faithful as well as friars, religious sisters, Third Order Carmelites, and diocesan clergy.

Before the celebration of Mass, we held with a procession carrying a five foot (152.4 cm) statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, to a newly constructed grotto on the property.

We continue to seek Her intercession as a Kenyan delegation especially as we continue the construction of the retreat centre to serve the people. (Daniel Kyalo, O. Carm.)

Malaga (Spain) Area

The city of Malaga in southern Spain and many of the towns and villages along the Costa del Sol celebrated Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron of seafarers, special festivities and processions on July 16. Even some inland towns and villages join in on the celebrations.

To read more about this read the article in "Sur".

July 27 | Obligatory Memorial (Feast: Ger, Phil, Del Colombia)

A noted writer and journalist, in 1935, St. Titus was appointed adviser to the Dutch bishops for Catholic journalists. In the period leading up to and during the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands, he argued passionately against the National Socialist ideology, basing his stand on the Gospels. He continually defended the right to freedom in education and for a free the Catholic Press. As a result, he was imprisoned.

He passed from one prison or camp to another until he arrived in Dachau where he was killed on July 26, 1942. He was beatified as a martyr by Pope John Paul II on November 3, 1985 and was canonized by Pope Francis on May 15, 2022, in St Peter’s Square.

The Order’s petition to have the celebration of St. Titus Brandsma changed from an optional memorial to an obligatory memorial for the whole Order was accepted. The Provinces of Germany and the Philippines as well as the General Delegation in Columbia who have St. Titus as their patron celebrate the day as a feast.

Read more about the life of St. Titus Brandsma

Special Announcement:

We are proud to announce that Volume 5 in the Titus Brandsma series is due from the printer in the coming days. This incredible collection of the writings, speeches, and letters of St. Titus Brandsma, translated into English, provides the martyr of Dachau's life story in his own words.

Edizioni Carmelitane also provides a number of other excellent publications on Carmel's most recent saint including a theatrical play, a professionally produced tv production in multiple languages, as well as books in a variety of languages.

For more information

July 26 | Memorial

The names of the parents of Mary are known from the apocryphal “Proto-Gospel of James” (II century). The cult to Saint Anne is documented in the East in the VI century, in the West in the X century; that of Saint Joachim in the XIV century.

The Carmelite Order celebrates, with special devotion its Saints, gathering in them the most living and genuine expression of the Charism and the spirituality of the Order throughout the centuries.

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July 24 | Memorial

John Soreth was unflagging in his efforts at renewal, during what was an especially critical period for both the Church and the Order. He dedicated himself entirely to the reform of the Order, travelling across Europe, making canonical visitations and promoting a more faithful observance of religious life both in the older Provinces and convents and in the Mantuan Reformed Congregation.

He was instrumental in the development of the Lay Carmelite Third Order.

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Books Available on John Soreth (in Italian):

Il B. Jean Soreth (1394-1471). Priore generale, riformatore e maestro spirituale dell’Ordine Carmelitano
Giovanni Grosso, O. Carm.

Expositio paraenetica in regulam carmelitarum: Un commento alla regola del Carmelo
Giovanna D’Aniello, O. Carm.

July 20 | Solemnity

Elijah made himself available for God's work and was sent into various situations to proclaim God's word. 

From Elijah, Carmelites learn to listen for the voice of God in the unexpected and in silence. We seek to allow the Word of God to shape our minds and our hearts so that the way we live and the things we do may be prophetic

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July 17 | Optional Memorial

When the full terror of the French Revolution began, a community of sixteen Discalced Carmelite nuns from the monastery of the Incarnation at Compiégne offered themselves as sacrificial victims to beg God for peace for the Church and for their country.

Arrested and imprisoned on the 24th June 1794, they continued to share their joy and their faith with others. Condemned to death for their loyalty to the Church, to their religious vows and for their devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, they were guillotined in Paris on 17th July 1794 whilst singing hymns and after having renewed their vows to their prioress, Teresa of St. Augustine.

Mother Teresa of St. Augustine and companions were beatified in 1906, the first martyrs of the French revolution. The believed what they said: "We are the victims of the age, and we ought to sacrifice ourselves to obtain its return to God."

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A Joint OCARM-OCD Letter for the Year of Prayer and the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16, 2024
"In Mary a Dawn of Hope: In Mary Our Way of Praying"

A joint letter of the two general superiors, Míċeál O'Neill, O. Carm., and Miguel Márquez Calle, OCD is being published on the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 2024 which coincides with the Year of Prayer called for by Pope Francis to mark a time of preparation for the Jubilee Year in 2025. Entitled "In Mary A Dawn of Hope: In Mary Our Way of Prayer," the letter seeks "to recall and relive the great traditions of Carmel in relation to prayer, and in relation to Our Lady of Mount Carmel." But the focus is on "the fruit of our personal experience the Carmelite charism," and not as a theological treatise.

The approximately 3,500 word letter reviews that various aspects of Mary's spirituality found in her appearances in the Gospels and Carmelite tradition. It concludes with possibilities for Pope Francis' "symphony of prayer" to become a reality, recognizing the dignity of the person who prays, and renewing our own prayer as Carmelites. By putting prayer at the center of our lives and our own will and desire to prayer, write the two leaders, will renew that prayer.

Frs. Míċeál and Miguel conclude by extending their prayer and good wishes to the entire Carmelite Family around the world.

pdf Read the letter (98 KB)