O.Carm
Celebrating At Home - Ascension Sunday
Called to be the Living Presence of God (Luke 24:46-53)
The feast of the Ascension commemorates the return of Jesus to the Father. Jesus leaves in body but remains with us through the gift of the Spirit. We will celebrate the gift and presence of the Holy Spirit in next Sunday’s feast of Pentecost.
The true meaning of our feast today is not found in Jesus’ leaving, but in the way he calls his disciples back together, to re-form them as a new community entrusted with the spread of the Gospel. Jesus sends the disciples out to make disciples of all nations and to teach them his way. But the disciples are not left to do all that on their own. Jesus promises that he is with them always.
Jesus has called the ragged, group of disciples, scattered after his crucifixion, back to himself to form them, fragile and doubtful as they are, into a community for mission in the name of God. The task of the historical Jesus is complete; the task of the church as the living Body of Christ has just begun. It is comforting to recognise that Jesus doesn’t insist on perfection before he calls us and entrusts us with his mission.
This mission is authorised by God and passed on to us through Jesus. It is not about authority over others. It is actually a call to act as God would act, true to God’s heart as Jesus has taught us.
Ever since Easter, we have been proclaiming that Jesus is alive. The feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost help us to realise that we are part of a long tradition of faithful disciples. We have our faults and failings, but our call is to witness to and teach the way of Jesus by the kind of people we are, the values and attitudes we hold, in thought, word and action - to be the living presence of God in the world today.
Lectio Divina June, 2025
Opening Prayer
Shaddai, God of the mountain, You who make of our fragile life the rock of your dwelling place, lead our mind
to strike the rock of the desert,
so that water may gush to quench our thirst.
May the poverty of our feelings
cover us as with a mantle in the darkness of the night and may it open our heart to hear the echo of silence until the dawn,
wrapping us with the light of the new morning, may bring us,
with the spent embers of the fire of the shepherds of the Absolute who have kept vigil for us close to the divine Master, the flavor of the holy memory.
St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin
25 May Feast
From On Revelation and On Temptation of Saint Mary Magdalene de' Pazzi, virgin
Come, Holy Spirit
You are truly wonderful, O Word, in the Holy Spirit, in causing him to infuse himself into the soul, through which infusion it is united with God, conceives God, tastes God, and delights in nothing but God.
And the Holy Spirit comes into the soul always marked with that precious seal of the Blood of the Word, the Lamb who was slain; indeed, it is the Blood that moves him to come, if he moves of himself and wills to come.
The moving Spirit is in itself the substance of the Father and the substance of the Word; and it departs from the essence of the Father, from the good pleasure of the Word, and comes as a source spreading itself in the soul, and the soul drowns itself in Him. And as two rivers flow forth and unite together in such a way that the smaller one loses its name and takes that of the larger one, so does this divine Spirit who comes to the soul to unite with it. But it is necessary that the soul, which is the smaller one, lose its name and leave it to the Holy Spirit; and it must do this by transforming itself so much in the Spirit that it becomes one with Him.
And this Spirit, dispenser of the treasures that are in the bosom of the Father and treasurer of the counsels that are made between the Father and the Word, is infused into the soul in such a gentle way that it is not understood and, because of its greatness, is esteemed by few.
With its weight and lightness, it moves in all those places that are suitable and prepared to receive it. By its frequent speech and supreme silence, it is heard by all; with an impetuous gaze, immobile and most mobile, it infuses itself into all.
Elective Chapter Held in Villalba del Alcor, Spain
Elective Chapter Held in Villalba del Alcor (Huelva), Spain on May 13, 2025
On May 13, 2025, the Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista) in Villalba del Alcor (Huelva) España held their elective chapter.
The monastery was founded in 1619 by the nuns of the Monastery of St. Anne in the city of Seville, under the leadership of Sister Beatrice Tinoro of St. John the Baptist († 1622) and with the support of Saint Franco García Jiménez, her cousin. They were accompanied by several lay women who intended to take the Carmelite habit in the new community. They were highly motivated following the Council of Trent.
From here the monastery of the Most Blessed Sacrament (Monasterio del Smo. Sacramento) in the city of Cañete la Real was founded (1662). The monastery celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2019.
The webpage of the monastery with a large selection of pictures from the 2019 celebrations as well as other information is located at www.carmelitasenvillalba.com
The following were elected to leadership:
Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sor María del Carmen del Toro Medina
1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sor María Pilar Martín Gómez
2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Sor María Inés Vázquez Gallardo
3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Sor María Consuelo de Jesús Pérez García
4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Sor Antonia María Díaz Sánchez
Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa
Sor María Yolanda Romero Talamante
Formator | Formadora | Formatrice
Sor María Pilar Martín Gómez
2000 Journalists Receive Thanks of Pope Leo XIV
June 1, 2025 | Share With Gentleness The Hope that Is In Your Heart
World Day of Communications To Be Celebrated Worldwide. In Rome, 2000 Journalists Receive Thanks of Pope Leo XIV
The 59th World Day of Social Communications, celebrated annually by the Catholic Church, will be held on June 1, 2025, the Sunday before Pentecost. The theme for this year is Share with Gentleness the Hope that is in Your Hearts. It is focused on the idea of "disarm[ing] communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred; let us free it from aggression." The message for the upcoming World Comunications Day was released on January 24, 2025, the feast of St. Francis DeSales.
The theme of the message, according to the Press Office of the Holy See, “draws attention to the fact that today too often communication is violent, aimed at striking and not at establishing the conditions for dialogue. It is therefore necessary to disarm communication, to cleanse it of aggression. From television talk shows to verbal wars on social networks, there is a risk that the prevailing paradigm is that of competition, opposition, and the will to dominate."
Pope Leo XIV expressed his appreciation for the world press by holding an audience for over 2000 members who reported from Rome following the death of Pope Francis through his own election. He called for them to be faithful to their vocation, whatever their particular role in media. In his first audience with journalists as the pontiff, Leo renewed pleas for a more peaceful world. He also expressed solidarity with journalists who were jailed "for seeking and reporting the truth" and said their suffering "challenges the conscience of nations and the international community." The Committee to Protect Journalists said 361 journalists were in jail in 2024. Reporters Without Borders puts the number at 550 as of December 2024.
The Dicastery for Communications led the Church in its Jubilee celebration of Communications during one the first Jubilee celebrations in January. The celebrations included all those who work in the field of communication, especially journalists and media professionals. The three days of celebration, at which communications directors from the Order participated, took place January 24-26, 2025. These days were some of the last public appearances of Pope Francis prior to his hospitalization on February 14. The Dicastery also invited communications leaders from the religious orders and congregations as well as those of the Church's conferences of bishops to a separate three-day conference on the future of the Church's communications work. The sessions began with a private meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
World Communications Day was established by Pope St. Paul VI in 1967 following the Second Vatican Council as an annual celebration that encourages reflection on the opportunities and challenges that the media offer and how the Church can better communicate the Gospel message.
Papal Message for 59th World Day of Social Communications
Released January 24, 2025
Pope Leo Message to the Journalists on May 12, 2025
Text of Message in English | Video: Pope begins speaking at the 8:00 minute mark
For more information on the Jubilee Celebration of Communications ...
Papal Address to Dicastery Discussion of Future of Church Communications
January 27, 2025 - Clementine Hall
Celebrating At Home - Sixth Sunday of Easter
Remembering & Making Present (John 14:23-29)
Our reading of The Farewell Discourse in John’s Gospel (13:31-17:26) continues in the Gospel for today as Jesus makes a number of promises to the disciples.
The opening words say that those who love Jesus will keep his word. This is not like keeping road rules. It is about allowing the word of Jesus to form our hearts and shape our lives. Throughout John’s Gospel the word that Jesus speaks is about his boundless affection for the Father and the disciples.
Another favourite theme of John is that, just as the Father and Jesus abide together in love, they will also come to abide in the heart of the disciple. It is this bond of love that creates the ‘dwelling place’ for God in the heart of the disciple. There is no separation from the Father; the disciple does not need to look to a heavenly place in order to experience the presence of God.
Jesus promises that the Father will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to help the disciples ‘remember’, that is, to understand more deeply the words and actions of Jesus, especially his death and resurrection. This remembering will make Jesus present to them.
Abiding in the love of Jesus and the Father brings a peace that cannot otherwise be found in this world, so the disciples have no need to be afraid of the future, not even the impending departure of Jesus. In fact, if they are already truly abiding in the presence of God and Jesus in their hearts, why should his physical departure disturb them?
Jesus does not speak these words in the sense of foretelling the future, but rather to prepare the disciples for their daily ‘remembering’ of, and making present, his words and actions in their own lives. This Gospel begs us ask ourselves if we are truly people who remember Jesus and allow his Spirit to shape our words, thoughts and actions so that he may remain present to us and to those around us.
- pdf Celebrating At Home - Sixth Sunday of Easter [PDF] (2.89 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - Sixth Sunday of Easter [ePub] (2.80 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Sexto Domingo de Pascua (515 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - VI Domenica di Pasqua (513 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - Sexto Domingo da Páscoa (460 KB)
St. Joachina de Vedruna, Religious
22 May Optional Memorial
Yes, we must purify our hearts from everything that can prevent true love for Jesus. He alone is love, and in love he desires to communicate with us. The good Jesus calls us continually, without ceasing. How long will we remain deaf to his invitation? Let us offer our hearts to Jesus, let us give him our will, let us place our faculties and our senses at his service.
Let there be no disorderly attachment to creatures in our hearts, but only love, an ever more ardent love, because love is never satisfied and does not rest until it has consumed itself. And when the pure love of Jesus has completely inflamed our hearts, it will remove everything that is not love.
Let us not sleep, then: let us love God without ceasing. God alone, creator of heaven and earth, be our peace, our comfort. For we can always find the One who remains forever; everything else passes away, is transitory.
Love, love, I urge you to a love that is ever more ardent, that never ceases. The more we love God, the more we will desire to love him. And when we have Jesus in our hearts, we will be certain that we possess all things in him and with him.
A 16th-Century Pop-Up Book
We present one of the earliest examples of animated books, or pop-up books, that we came across while cataloguing our antique collection. It is a cinquecentina, printed in Lyon in 1567, containing the De Sphaera of the astronomer and mathematician Giovanni Sacrobosco (John of Holywood or Holybush), the most widely read treatise on astronomy in the Middle Ages, especially at the universities. The volume contains numerous three-dimensional illustrations depicting the solar system, intended to extend and complete the author's discussion.
In the image, taken from one of the pages of the volume, you can see a reproduction of a lunar revolver, an instrument that allowed the phase, age, and constellation of the moon to be determined. This instrument, composed of several overlapping paper discs, was fixed to the page below by a pin, which allowed each disc to rotate freely around the central axis.
[from: ABiGOC: Archivio e Biblioteca Generali dell’Ordine Carmelitano]
International Formation Course Held in Perú
International Formation Course Brings Together 40 of Order’s Formators in Perú
The General Formation Commission organized an international course for formators and vocation promotors. The theme was “Constantly Renew Our Lives to Adhere Radically to Christ According to the Carmelite Way of Life” (RIVC. 19). The course took place on May 5 - 17, 2025 at the Carmelite Center Villa Carmelitas in Lurín, Perú. The participants were 40 persons from America, Africa, Asia and Europe.
In the first week the participants were enriched by the talks given by invited speakers and the members of the General Formation Commission. Those talks were: Mary and Formation by Fr. Míċeál O’Neill, O. Carm., Prior General, through Zoom. RIVC and Its Development by Fr. Alejandro López Lapuente Villalba, O. Carm., Formation and Synodality by Sr. Birgit Weiler, MMS., two talks Self-Care or Burn Out and Accompaniment of the Gen Z & A in Carmelite Formation by Fr. Vagner Sanagiotto, O. Carm. (Brasil – Parana), and Theology of the Body for the Carmelite Formation by Fr. Benny Phang, O. Carm. (Vice Prior General).
In the weekend of the first week, the participants refreshed themselves by visiting the historical and the modern parts of the city of Lima and enjoyed the Peruvian delicacies.
In the second week the participants dedicated themselves to work in revising and updating the RIVC 2013, since according to the Constitutions 137, the Ratio needs to be revised every 12 years in responding to the development in the Order, Church and society.
According to one of the participants, Esmeraldo Reforeal, a member of the Province of the Philippines provincial council and formation program, “Stepping back from a week of meaningful discussions and sharing about essential topics on formation, we found solace in Lima, Peru's breathtaking beauty, The city's unique blend of Gothic, Andean Baroque, Romanesque and Arabic architecture stole our hearts. We marveled at the stunning basilicas of the Franciscans and Jesuits, the cathedral, and the Church of the Dominicans, home to St. Rose of Lima, the second patroness of the Philippines, and St. Martin de Porres. Many pilgrims flock to this church to venerate them, where their skulls are enshrined at the side altar. Their tombs are also in this place."
"A sumptuous meal at L'Eau Vive, managed by the Donum Dei sisters, was a heavenly treat. But the highlight was the mass at the Jesuit basilica, where I had the privilege of presiding and delivering a homily partly in Spanish, with vice-general Benny Phang and commissary provincial of Peru, Raul Maravi concelebrating presiding. Grateful for this experience with confreres," concluded Fr. Esmeraldo.
pdf Read the report by Fr. Benny Phang, O. Carm. (Vice Prior General) ... (289 KB)
La Famille Donum Dei Held Elections in France
General Assembly with Elections of the La Famille Donum Dei Held in France in January and February
The General Assembly of La Famille Donum Dei, also known as Travailleuses Missionnaires de l'Eau Vive, was held in La Grâce-Dieu in the Archdiocese of Besançon, France. The meetings ran from January 27-February 11, 2025.
On February 11, 1950, the diocesan priest Marcel Roussel Galle established the Missionary Family “Donum Dei.” They took St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus as their patron. Three years after his death, on February 22, 1987, the Family Donum Dei, according to the will of its founder, joined the Carmelite Order as a secular Third Order. On December 8, 2020, they were erected as a Society of Apostolic Life with diocesan rights in the Archdiocese of Marseille in France. Now that Donum Dei has fulfilled the 5 year experimentum period and have communities in various countries, consultations will begin about the group becoming a Society of Apostolic Life with Pontifical Rights.
The missionary workers, present on all five continents, are dedicated to evangelization in many areas of society.
The following were elected to leadership:
Responsable Générale:
Marie-Michèle Manukula (Wallis)
Conseillère:
Geneviève Konsole (Burkina Faso)
Conseillère:
Anna Hong Nguyen
Conseillère:
Diana Focio Alarcon
