A long-time partnership between the Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary and the Society of the Little Flower has been of great benefit to both. With a branch in the United States and a branch in Canada, the Society promotes devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. She is also known by her religious name Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.

For the saint's feast on October 1, thousands of people from around Canada are expected to visit the campus of the Monastery of Mount Carmel where the Canadian Society of the Little Flower is located. A variety of events and opportunities are scheduled so that members of the Society and friends of the Saint will spend the feast day in a prayerful way.

Due to the Covid pandemic, 2022 is the first celebration of the feast day on this scale since 2019.

The feast day features a blessing of roses in the beautiful monastery chapel. This is followed by a Mass celebrated in the gymnasium, with ample space to accommodate the crowds. Following the Mass, there will be a blessing of a new outdoor statue to St. Thérèse. The statue, a gift from the members of the Society, is made of Italian marble.

Following these formal events is an opportunity to enjoy the grounds as well time at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace, a parish church with tradition of pilgrimage for peace dating back to the civil war in the nearby United States. The Our Lady of Peace community hosted the delegates and their families of the ABC Peace Conference to avert war between the United States and Mexico in 1914.

Relics of the French saint will also be accessible throughout the day in the main chapel of the monastery. Later in the day a second mass will be celebrated in the gymnasium.

Through prayers and donations, the Canadian friends of St. Thérèse are partners with the Carmelites, making a difference in people’s lives in Canada and throughout the world according to the Society’s website. Members of the Society join with the Carmelites in the ministries of the Gospel and the education of young men studying to be Carmelites, fulfilling Thérèse’s mission to “make God known and loved to the ends of the earth” in the most concrete ways of charity and justice.

The Society of the Little Flower continues to pay a significant portion of the costs of the Most Pure Heart of Mary Province’s formation program. Young men wanting to become Carmelites and ordained ministers in the Church study in four countries throughout the Americas: in the United States with pre-novitiate, novitiate, and theology program; in Mexico with a pre-novitiate program; a pre-novitiate and theology program in El Salvador; a pre-novitiate, novitiate, and theology program in Perú.

Just six years after the cause for sainthood of St. Thérèse was introduced in Rome, the Carmelites in Chicago conducted the first Little Flower Novena service at St. Cyril Church in 1912. One of the Carmelites, Fr. Albert Dolan, a renowned preacher and writer, introduced the Little Flower to millions. To ensure that the work would continue, he founded the Society of the Little Flower in 1923. Fr. Dolan’s work of promoting devotion to St. Thérèse and her spirituality of the spiritual childhood is continuing almost 100 years later.

Titus Brandsma Congress
October 3-7, 2023 | Radboud University | Nijmegen, Netherlands

The organization committee of the Titus Brandsma Conference to be held at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands on October 3-7, 2023, is happy to announce that five grants for participation in this conference are available. The grants cover the travel and accommodation costs as well as expenses for lunch, dinner, coffee / tea, and participation in the program of the conference.

Those who wish to apply need to send their application in accordance with their provincial via email to Dr. Elisabeth Hense: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Grants can be awarded for those

• who cannot receive financial support for participation from their provinces (Asia, Africa, South America), and
• wish to actively spread Titus Brandsma’s body of thought and his spirituality in their countries and therefore will organize a Titus Brandsma activity in their own country and language reaching out to a group of interested people (students, pupils, members of the Carmelite Order, members of a parish, etc.). The activity might consist in a lecture, (series of) lessons, a publication, the formation of a reading and discussion group, liturgical celebrations, a retreat program, a societal activity etc. A concrete plan for the activity in mind (described in 200 words) should be included in the application.

The deadline for applications is December 1, 2022.

Does God listen?
(Luke 17:5-10)

“Are you listening, God?” That’s the cry of the prophet Habakkuk in the first reading for this Sunday.

Everyone can resonate with the Habakkuk’s feelings of frustration and anger at the appalling injustice he witnesses. ‘Why is God so slow to act?’, he complains.

God’s response to Habakkuk is a call to greater trust and faithfulness. God will answer, but not, perhaps, as quickly, or in the manner, Habakkuk would like.

The idea of faithfulness links the first reading with the today’s Gospel and the apostles asking Jesus to increase their faith.

What disciples on the ‘way of Jesus’ need more than anything is a deepening faith in the God of Jesus Christ who can and will rescue them from opposition and other destructive forces.

Jesus says that even a small amount of faith can bring about quite unexpected and seemingly impossible things - like uprooting a mulberry tree and planting it in the sea!

Essential to the faithful following of Jesus is letting go of the ego needs for power, wealth and position and living a life of faith in God and faithful following of Jesus which is expressed in true ministry to others.

Faithful disciples work diligently as servants of the Kingdom, not for rewards and honours, but keenly aware of God free graciousness to them and the need to extend that graciousness to others.

• pdf Celebrating At Home - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [PDF] (3.37 MB)
• default Celebrating At Home - 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time [ePub] (3.87 MB)
  
• pdf Celebrando en Familia - 27 Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (634 KB)
• pdf Celebrando in Casa - XXVII Domenica del Tempo Ordinario (633 KB)
• pdf Celebrando em Família - 27 Domingo do Tempo Comum (631 KB)

• Lectio Divina October 2022 [PDF] Download  pdf here (874 KB)
• Lectio Divina October 2022 [ePub] Download  default here (201 KB)
• Lectio Divina October 2022 [Mobi] Download  default here (553 KB)

On September 21, 2022, the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, the Carmelite community of the Monastery of St. Peter in Osuna, Seville (Spain) convened for its triennial elections. The elections were presided over by the Vicar for Consecrated Life of the Archdiocese of Seville, D. José Ángel Martín Domínguez and with the presence of the President of the Federation Mater et Decor Carmeli as co-visitor, Sister Mª Dolores Domínguez Pérez.

The results of the elective chapter were as follows:

Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sr. Mª DEL CARMEN DONADO SEVILLA, O. Carm.

1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sr. SONIA SEVILLA ORTIZ, O. Carm.

2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera  | 2ª Consigliera: 
Sr. CAROLINA ZAMORA BRAVO, O. Carm.

Director of Novices | Maestra de Novicias | Maestra delle Novizie:
Sr. CAROLINA ZAMORA BRAVO, O. Carm.

Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa: 
Sr. SONIA SEVILLA ORTIZ, O. Carm.

Sacristan | Sacristán | Sacrestana:
Sr. VIVIANA Mª ESPITIA MEJÍA, O. Carm.

Fortunes reversed
(Luke 16:19-31)

The story Jesus tells in the Gospel is about a rich man, his five brothers and a poor man, and how their fortunes get reversed.
The rich man does nothing particularly evil. He lives like a rich man, dresses like a rich man and dines like a rich man. But he does not see the poor man sitting at his door. He does not even notice him.
The story is told against the background belief that riches were a sign of God’s blessing. By the time of Jesus, the teaching of the prophets that blessing brings responsibility seems to have been forgotten.
So the story asks the hearers: will they follow the example of the rich man or heed Jesus’ teaching (and that of the prophets) about the care of the needy and prove themselves true children of Abraham and take their place at the eternal banquet?
Injustice and greed breed violence and often result in the exploitation of the poor. As Pope Paul VI once said, “If you want peace, work for justice”.
We are not called to hoard God’s blessings, but to be distributors of them so that all have a fair share of this world’s goods and can live with dignity and respect.

• pdf Celebrating At Home - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [PDF] (3.86 MB)
• default Celebrating At Home - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [ePub] (5.05 MB)
  
• pdf Celebrando en Familia - 26 Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (640 KB)
• pdf Celebrando in Casa - XXVI Domenica del Tempo Ordinario (638 KB)
• pdf Celebrando em Família - 26 Domingo do Tempo Comum (640 KB)

The General Congregation of the Order began on Monday, September 5 at the Villa Aurelia, a retreat/conference center near the Vatican. The theme of this year’s meeting is Gift and Mission: The Radical Witness of Consecrated Carmelites in the World of Today. “By This Everyone Will Know that You Are My Disciples” (Jn 13: 35).

Before the start of the meeting, the prior general, Fr. Míceál O’Neill, expressed his hope for the two-week gathering. “My principal interest is for this to be a kind of extended general council in which we get a chance to share leadership, information, and responsibility with those who are leaders in the various provinces.”

The congregation concluded with a message to the Carmelite Family, which we include here. This message was discussed and approved by the members of the Congregation in its final days.

Read pdf here (107 KB) the Final Message of the General Congregation to the Carmelite Family

The first ever conference devoted to John of St. Samson (1571-1636), author of abundant spiritual and mystical works, will be held September 28-October 1, at the Auditorium Paul Ricoeur of the Archives départementales d’Ille-et-Vilaine. Its organization is the fruit of joint efforts between the Archives, the Université Rennes 2/Tempora, Cellam, the Maltese Carmelite Institute (CIM), the University of Malta (UOM), TBI/Radboud University and the CEHS Grands Carmes and is sponsored by Le Departement Ille & Vilaine, Metropole Rennes, Région Bretagne, UOM, CIM and CEHS.

The colloquium is intended to be a genuine rediscovery of John St-Samson as Carmelite, mystic, and poet. The conference will bring together specialists of the spiritual literature of the 17th century and historians of Catholicism in the modern period, both French and from other countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, and Malta.

The publishing house of the Carmelite Order, Edizioni Carmelitane, is planning a modern edition of the Complete Works, with four of eleven planned volumes completed.

The conference will be held at the Archive of Ille-et-Vilaine, which preserves an exceptional collection of St. Samson’s manuscripts. The first session will be devoted to a presentation of the collection and challenges with the edition. The volumes published in the 17th century, twenty years after John's death, were sometimes very different from the manuscripts preserved at the Archive. The latter are not autographs, because Jean de Saint-Samson was visually impaired and dictated his teachings. The manuscripts in Rennes are the most complete. All the speakers at the colloquium had access to digital copies and working transcriptions.

A second session will attempt to appreciate the historical role of Jean de Saint-Samson. Originally from Sens in Burgundy, Jean Du Moulin came to Paris in 1597 and was admitted to the Carmelite priory of Dol-de-Bretagne in 1606 and took his religious name there. Although a "lay brother,” he acquired a strong influence over the novices and, in 1612, was called to Rennes by the prior. From then on, historians consider him to be the "spiritual master" of the Touraine Reform Movement, a reforming current of which Rennes was the focus.

The focus will then shift to St. Samson’s writings to consider their reception and his influence. A central point is the link of Jean de Saint-Samson's spirituality to the "abstract" mysticism of Rheno-Flemish origin. The theme of love in his writings, the best-known today being the Epithalamium, will be addressed.

The poetry of Jean de Saint-Samson, almost entirely unpublished, will be a volume in itself in the current edition of the Complete Works. The poetry will also receive a full day of examination at the colloquium.

PROFESSIO TEMPORANEA
27-07-22  Nelson Anciano Jr. (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Johny Rebosquillo (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Sanny Gie Calacar (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Alvin Evangelista (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Lolito Noja Jr. (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Sunday Buling(Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-08-22  Patrick (Louis-Marie) Mingard (Gal) Nantes, France
03-09-22  Anderson Bruno Nana Barh (Baet-BF) Efoulan, Cameroon
03-09-22  Fernand Yameogo Arzouma (Baet-BF) Efoulan, Cameroon
03-09-22  Éric Bahati Kodjo (Ita-Congo) Efoulan, Cameroon
03-09-22  Bertrand Gang On (Ger-Cam) Efoulan, Cameroon
03-09-22  Alphonse Marie Deligiri Engal III (Ger-Cam) Efoulan, Cameroon
03-09-22  Benjamin Yutcha Tedonang Yemele (Ger-Cam) Efoulan, Cameroon
03-09-22  Achille Ango (Ger-Cam) Efoulan, Cameroon
08-09-22  Mary Veronica Katei of the Holy Spirit (MAC) Machakos, Kenya
08-09-22  Mary Virginia Ndungwa of Sacred Heart of Jesus (MAC) Machakos, Kenya
11-09-22  Laurentiu Francu (Ita) Albano Laziale, Italia
11-09-22  Marco Figuccio (Ita) Albano Laziale, Italia


PROFESSIO SOLEMNIS
27-07-22  Mechael Tateng Jr. (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Romualdo Delos Reyes Jr. (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Rolando Mamites (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Alexander Martinez (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Michel San Juan (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Adrian Vergel Ballares (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Petronilo Flores (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Dave Malinao (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
27-07-22  Jaynor Mike Gomez (Phil) Quezon City, Philippines 
20-08-22  AnaMihaela del Santissimo Sacramento (CAR) Lucani, Romania
03-09-22  Miriam Therese Albeza (BUR) Burgos, Philippines


ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
03-09-22  Paolo Guerrini (Ita) Pisa, Italia

On August 12-14, the Carmelite Family of Peru gathered at Villa Carmelitas to celebrate the XI Meeting of the Carmelite Family.

After two years of not meeting due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the members came together again and celebrated as family. The gathering was marked by pain and sadness from what was experienced together during the pandemic. For the 2022 celebration, it was decided to reflect on the experience of God in everyday life.

The main theme of our reflection was: Holiness in Daily Life Following the Example of St. Titus Brandsma. Member of the Carmelite Family gathered from all parts of Peru and beyond: lay people, religious, students in formation, novices, lay people from Bolivia, “the whole family gathered with our eyes fixed on Jesus.”

“We gave thanks to God because the Villa Carmelita retreat center had become the place where we could recreate our experiences of God, or as someone said, it became our little Mount Carmel.  We also give thanks for these spaces of fraternity because they reinforced our identity as Carmelites.” Luis Maza, general councilor for the Americas, and Enrique Laguna, director of the Centro de Espiritualidad Carmelita San Juan de la Cruz in Lima, Peru, facilitated the meeting. “They helped us to understand what it means to be saints in the challenges of daily life. We thank the whole team for the preparation of the meeting.”