Displaying items by tag: prior general

Carmelite Order Celebrates Day of the Cloistered Nuns, Pro orantibus. Prior General Sends Letter

In recognition of Pro orantibus, the day the Church dedicated to contemplative nuns, Fr. Míceál O’Neill, the prior general of the Carmelite Order, wrote to the monasteries of the Order. The letter focuses on 2024 being the Year of Prayer, as announced by Pope Francis at the beginning of the year. The prior general connects this year of prayer to the Carmelite charism, writing to those “who incarnate the Carmelite charism to think about our vocation to pray, to pray more intensely ourselves and to help other to pray.”

Reflecting on the Gospel read in the celebrations of both St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Francis of Assisi, he finds that God reveals “truths to children like us” in prayer. “Prayer is a communication between persons divine and human who are united in love.” The great Carmelite nun, St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, teaches us about the moment after Holy Communion when she began to think about the Gospel she had heard in the Eucharist. “There was no better place for her to be at the moment.”

Fr. Míceál also explores the Order’s tradition of prayer and contemplation as recorded in the Order’s Constitutions for the nuns. He points out that the revision of those for the men in 2019 focused the most attention on contemplation. Recalling that the nuns are well into the process revising their own Constitutions, he points out that proposed revisions clearly recognize the gift of contemplation is the nuns’ “charism and calling in a way that allows you to live out that vocation yourselves and explain it to the Church of today and to those who will approach you in the future …”

The prior general notes that liturgical prayer “is the privileged place desired by Christ for our encounter with him.”  He senses movement in the Order today “to recover and enhance our rich liturgical tradition.” He highlights a recent publication and the scheduled Liturgical Congress in May. He asks that the liturgies celebrated during the Jubilee Year “contribute to … enlightenment and moving us to seek reconciliation in families, in the Church, in communities.”

Finally, Fr. Míceál speaks of prayer as “discernment, discernment alone in the cell, nourished and completed by discernment in the community and vice versa.” He writes that “a community that comes together to pray and engage in communal discernment is a community that is capable of growing in maturity and responding each day, more fully, to the call to holiness which is union with God.” He concludes “union with God does not exist without union with neighbor, union with our families, union with our religious community.”

He concludes wishing that this day of Pro orantibus be an experience of joy for the sisters and a moment of renewal of love for prayer in their lives.

pdf Read the entire letter in English (409 KB) ...

The Prior General, Míceál O’Neill, and the General Councilor for Africa, Conrad Mutizamhepo held the formal visitation of the Carmelites in Tanzania and Kenya. Tanzania is a foundation of the General Commissariat of La Bruna in Naples begun in 2009. Kenya is a General Delegation started by the Upper German Province (now the German Province) with brothers from its former Provincial Commissariat of India (now the Province of St. Thomas). After the construction of the house Bustani ya Karmeli, Kenyan brothers from the Provinces of Catalonia and Arago-Valentina (now the Aragon-Castile-Valencia Province) continued the foundation.

Following the visit, the prior general reflected on their visit:

A visit to Africa is a visit to a continent that is teeming with life. The Carmelites have been in Tanzania since 2009 and in Kenya since 2001. Conrad and I enjoyed our two visits, getting a chance to talk to every member in the two countries and on some occasions, to take part in their wonderful liturgies. In Dar es Salaam the building of a Marian Shrine with a very large Church is underway. In Kenya the building of a new retreat and spirituality centre is well underway as well.

We were also impressed by the presence of the wider Carmelite Family in these countries. In Tanzania the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus has a province of some seventy members, and there are the beginnings of a Carmelite Third Order. In Kenya, on the other hand, as well as the friars there are three monasteries of nuns, two affiliated Congregations, Donum Dei, and the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and a very well organised Carmelite Third Order.

Vocations for the friars are encouraging even if the numbers are not enormous. The commitment to providing good formation is very strong, but is a constant challenge because of the shortage of resources.

In Tanzania, they visited the communities of Bunju, Mabwepande, and Morogoro along with some houses of the sisters in Boko and Mapinga secondary school. In Kenya one celebration was for the 15^th anniversary of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Charles Lwanga parish. Thirteen couples exchanged wedding vows during the Mass which was followed by a huge celebration into the evening. On the feast of St. Teresa of Jesus the Carmelite Family, with representation from Third Order commemorated the Diamond Jubilee of the establishment of the Third Order in Kenya. This took place at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Naromoru Retreat Centre. Palm trees were planted to mark the significant anniversary.

Let us remember these men and women, religious and lay, as they work to build Carmel in new places.

Fr. Míċeál O’Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of October 2024:

October 1-4: General Council, plenary session
October 6-11: Canonical Visitation in Tanzania
October 11: Lecture via zoom to the Ongoing Formation Course on Titus Brandsma
October 11-19: Canonical Visitation in Kenya
October 17: Conference via zoom with the Assembly of the Italian Federation of Carmelite Nuns
October 21-November 1: Canonical Visitation in Germany

Fr. Míċeál O'Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of September 2024:

September 1 - 14:  Canonical Visitation of Poland
September 16 - 18:  Congress for Lay Carmelites -- Rome
September 19 - 21:  Provincial Chapter (Part 2) -- Malta
September 23 - 30:  General Council Plenary Session -- Rome

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)

IN SOLLEMNITATE B.V. MARIAE DE MONTE CARMELO

Flos Carmeli, vitis florigera,
splendor caeli, Virgo puerpera singularis.
Mater mitis, sed viri nescia,
Carmelitis esto propitia,
stella maris.

MÍCEÁL PRIOR GENERALIS
DOMUSQUE GENERALIS COMMUNITAS

16.VII.2024

A Video Message for the Solennity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16, 2024, from Fr. Míċeál O’Neill, O. Carm, Prior General of the Order

Dear sisters and brothers in the Carmelite family throughout the world:

The celebration of the solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel this year coincides with the Year of Prayer, announced by Pope Francis as a time of preparation the celebration of the 2025 Jubilee. The desire of the Holy Father is that there should be a “symphony of prayer” throughout the world. His teaching on prayer is an invitation to the Carmelite family to play its part in praying and in helping others to pray. Our rich tradition of prayer has been an inspiration to many generations from the beginning. Never was that tradition more needed by the world than today, in order to be able to encourage and accompany all the people who already have a life of prayer and are praying, and to open new doors for people who do not yet know the meaning of Christian prayer. Our prayer gives dignity to our lives because it affirms that we are the children of God, in communication with God. Our pray is also the strength of hope because of how we place our trust in God and in the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Carmel represents a place of human dignity, where God has brought people together in his name and Jesus is there in their midst. Mary is the Lady of that place, showing us what the dignity of the human person looks like, and the people who dwell in that place are people who pray, knowing that in their lives Jesus Christ is their deepest motivation, and that there is no higher ambition than to live in allegiance to him. On a day that unites us all in joy and thanksgiving, I join with Carmelites around the world, in praying that God’s name may be held as a blessing, that God’s will may be done, that God’s kingdom may come, that our daily bread may lead to daily peace and that we will find the path to forgiveness and reconciliation for ourselves and for our sisters and brothers in a world so terribly afflicted by its own lack of faith, hope and charity.  May your celebrations this year bring you the abundance of God’s grace and an answer to your fervent prayer. 

Thank you. 

Fr. Míċeál O’Neill, O. Carm

Diocese of Málaga Features Interview with Carmelite Prior General to Highlight Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in July

The July issue of the magazine of the Diocese of Málaga (Spain) focused on Our Lady of Mount Carmel. As July 16 is the feast day, several of the articles focused on the devotion of the people and how they celebrate the feast marking the Christian summer calendar. The cover of the magazine showed the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who is the patroness of Marbella.

One article featured an interview the Carmelite prior general, Fr. Míċeál O'Neill reflecting on the actuality of the Marian invocation that "unites us to her Son Jesus, unites us to the Church and unites us to heaven." Fr. Míċeál was in Málaga earlier to participate in the closing of the Jubilee of the centenary of the birth in Malaga of the Carmelite Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Malaga.

Speaking of the significance of the anniversary celebration, Fr. Míċeál said, “Today we recognize that a charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The family lives from a charism that we have in common, together with a variety of charisms arising in the different sectors of the family: brothers and sisters of apostolic life, nuns, friars and laity. To be able to recognize and celebrate this richness is always a reason for gratitude and also an impulse to continue responding day after day to the vocation we have received and to the mission that awaits us."

In the days prior to the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the prior general reflected on one of the most beloved Marian devotions throughout the Diocese of Málaga. He called the popularity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel “a gift for the Church."

“More than 800 years [after our founding], the Carmelite Order continues to bring this water of life to the places where it is present. Our family is a Marian family as well as an Elijah family," says the prior general. “With these two great models we live as people who have a very deep experience of God, as Mary and Elijah have. In this spirit we approach God, revealed in Jesus Christ, alongside all the people who have found in their lives the importance of the search for God. We want to accompany this search with the love and wisdom that our vocation and our formation in the Church. We want to make present in the world that the dignity of the human person is found, in the first place, in his being created by God in his image and likeness; and in his capacity to live a profound friendship with God, in the person of Jesus, following the example of Mary. Carmel lives by the Word of God and helps those who come into contact with it to know and cultivate that word of salvation in their lives."

Father O'Neill has a deep knowledge of the devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. “I have been able to get to know her both here in Spain and in Latin America, and she is a true gift that the Lord has given to the Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a devotion and a way for many people. It is not and cannot be "campanilismo" (competition, rivalry) of any kind. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is not the “champion of the Virgins.”

“It is the Virgin of Mount Carmel who unites us with our tradition  rom the beginning, unites us to her Son Jesus, unites us to the Church and unites us to heaven."

Regarding the popularity of the names Carmen or Maria del Carmen, which year after year tops the lists of the most popular Spanish names, Father O'Neill affirms that he feels "good with the people who are called Maria del Carmen, both on the part of Mary and on the part of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel part. The name speaks of goodness and beauty. It's hard for me to think that a person who bears this name can be anything but good and Christian. Because of the goodness and beauty of Mary, the Virgin of Carmel this name runs deep in many places and cultures. The biggest challenge today is that the Gospel penetrates the towns and cultures of today with its goodness, truth, and beauty.

Link the the full article in Spanish  (pages 8-9)

Fr. Míċeál O'Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of July 2024:

July 1-12: Holidays
July 14-17: Jerez de la Frontera, Spain in the centenary of the crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
July 20-31: USA, fraternal visitation
July 28-31: Lay Carmelite Symposium in Washington, DC.

Fr. Míċeál O'Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of June 2024:

June 01 - 05: Completion of the canonical visitation of the province of Rio de Janeiro
June 09 - 14:  Provincial Chapter of the Irish Province, in Dublin
June 16 - 22: Provincial Chapter of the Italian Province in Sassone, Roma
June 23 - 30:  Fraternal visits in Italy.