Displaying items by tag: General Delegation of France

The Carmelite foundation of Notre-Dame de Lumières, located on the Île de Nantes, has replaced its church organ through the generosity of several partners, including the Fondation des Monastères.

For nearly 30 years the faithful in Nantes have come together with the Carmelites for liturgy. “In this life punctuated by apostolates and times of prayer, liturgy plays an important role. Even if we want [the liturgy] to be sober, we still want it to be beautiful and prayerful, to help us to rise up to God. That's why, many years ago, the community acquired a second-hand organ. For almost fifteen years, it accompanied all our liturgies. However, its sound began to show its limitations ...”

The idea of restoring the second-hand instrument was discussed. But the cost was beyond the Carmelites’ means. Yet well-done liturgy at the first Carmelite foundation in France since the French Revolution is foundational. In a location that perfectly embodies the concept of religious life, both in the midst of the people (the Île de Nantes where Lumières is located is in the city) and yet in a space conducive to silence and meditation.

When the idea of restoring the organ was allowed to die because of the cost, the proposal was made to build a new organ. The project was put on hold as well for lack of funds and a lack of people with the skills necessary to build a pipe organ. However, during a meeting in 2021, the Carmelites and Philippe Humeau, a member of the Association Orgue en Pays de la Loire, the organ builder Denis Londe, a tuner and conservatory teacher Michel Bourcier, agreed to begin building a new musical instrument for the church.

“It was this meeting," says Brother Martin Gilloux, the prior of Notre Dame de Lumières and general delegate of the Order in France, "that the specifics of the organ were agreed to.” The group settled on a German Baroque organ, whose sound is appropriate for liturgy as well as the church’s sober aesthetic. In fact, one condition section of the agreement is that organ students from the conservatory will come and train with the Carmelites—something the general delegation has been attempting to have happen for a long time.

In fact, the new musical instrument means a new artistic program at the Carmelite foundation. It is an opportunity for the church to have more people experience its life. There will be exchanges with the musical world of Nantes with such opportunities as hosting concerts.

The new organ will be inaugurated on April 14, 2024, at a thanksgiving mass for the 30^th anniversary of the foundation.

The Carmelite foundation in Nantes was built between 1992 and 1994 when the Carmelite Order decided to return to France officially for the first time since the French Revolution. The  very strong Carmelite presence throughout France was decimated during the revolution. In the early 1990s, the Carmelites, at the invitation of the then bishop of Nantes, Bishop Émile Marcus, to establish a prayer center in the new Île Beaulieu district. The architect Bertrand Lemaire was engaged to design a conventual church, a monastery with a cloister and a library. The conventual church is in the shape of a pentagon around the altar, evoking a great tent, gathering the Christian people around their Lord. The complex is dedicated to Notre-Dame de Lumières, as a reminder of an earlier Carmelite church in Provence.

Today, in addition to conferences and publications, the Carmelites participate in the life of the diocese through a chaplaincy for students and chaplaincies in retirement homes. There is also on-going theological training with courses at the Université Catholique de l'Ouest (Rezé branch).

Experts Gather in France to Continue Building a Critical Edition of the Works of John of Saint-Samson

On December 15, 2023, the second Atelier Jean de Saint-Samson took place at the University of Rennes 2. Charló Camilleri, O. Carm., project editor for the Order’s publication project of the Complete Works of Jean de Saint-Samson, together with Prof. François Trémolières, Martin de la Croix, O. Carm., Prof. Audrey Duru, Dr Clément Duyck and Prof Guillaume Peureux met to discuss and work on the poems, sonnets and canticles of Jean de Saint-Samson.

Hailing from the Université Picardie Jules Verne, the Université catholique de Louvain, the Université Paris-Nanterre, the Université de Rennes 2 and the Università ta' Malta, with their expertise in mysticism, spiritual theology, French literature and poetry of the 17th century, these scholars are working on volume 9 of the Œuvres complètes of Jean de Saint-Samson. Martin de la Croix, O. Carm., is authoring this upcoming volume. Simultaneously Drs Giovanna Brizi, postulator general of the Carmelite Order, is working on volume 11 in the series, containing historical and hagiographical documents related to the cause of John of Saint-Samson.

The next Atelier is planned for May 2024 at the Centre d'Études d'Histoire de la spiritualité (CEHS) in Nantes, France.

On February 11, the Carmelite Centre d'études d'histoire de la spiritualité (CEHS) in Nantes organized the fourth seminar enlisted in the program of activities for the year 2022-2023 on Carmelite Spirituality. The seminar, which included two talks, was conducted by Frère Louis-Marie Mingard, O. Carm., on the Prophet Elijah. The talks focused on an exegetical and symbolic interpretation of the mantle and the journey of Elijah and Elisha leading to Elijah's ascension in the chariot of fire.

The seminar was well attended by members of the Carmelite Third Order Secular as well as individuals, lay and consecrated, who are attracted to Carmelite Spirituality. The upcoming conferences in the CEHS programme Parcours "La Source du Carmel" Découvrir la Spiritualité Carmélitaine include seminars on John of Saint Samson and Titus Brandsma.

On November 12, the Carmelite Centre d'études d'histoire de la spiritualité (CEHS) in Nantes organized the second seminar, in a series of formative talks on Carmelite Spirituality, conducted by Frère Martin de la Croix, O.Carm.

The seminar was entitled Françoise d’Amboise: Actualisation d'une sainte chef d'état et modèle de la vie religieuse. Frère Martin presented the history of a hagiographical representation of the Saintly Duchess, to engage the audience into an exercise of actualization of the person for today. As model for this actualization exercise, Frère Martin took the model and approach of Léon de Saint-Jean in the writing of the first ever biography of Blessed Françoise d'Amboise in 1630.

The upcoming events in the program of the conferences CEHS, Parcours "La Source du Carmel" Découvrir la Spiritualité Carmélitaine include conferences on the Rule of Carmel, the Prophet Elijah, John of Saint Samson and Titus Brandsma.

In 1240 there was a Carmelite foundation in Les Aygalades (the first in France), near Marseilles and in Nantes in 1318. In the year 1789 the Order had eight Provinces and 153 houses in France. The French Revolution of the same year resulted in the extinction of the Carmelite Order in that country.

In September 1988, the first contact was made with the French bishops of Bourges and Nantes. The first three Carmelites went to Bourges and Villefranche in 1989. At present the General Delegation is made up of about 6 religious coming from different Carmelite Provinces. It now has two houses in Nantes and Angers. For more informations: www.carm-fr.org

ANGERS
Frères Carmes
8, Rue Vauvert
49100 ANGERS
Tél. +33 (0)2.41.343639

NANTES
Convent des Carmes
Notre Dame de Lumières
Rue Titus Brandsma
Ile de Beaulieu
44200 NANTES
Tél. +33 (0)2.51.82.21.49