from http://www.carmelite.org

Carmelites from Britain, the Philippines and Poland took part in a gathering held in Rome in mid-January 2016 of those involved in the work of pilgrimage and shrine ministry.

As part of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has invited people to come to Rome as pilgrims to reflect on some of the Church's particular ministries of mercy. Over the course of the Jubilee Year there will be gatherings of: people who are sick or disabled; those involved in the spirituality of Divine Mercy; priests; deacons; catechists; volunteers of Mercy; and others.

The Holy Father wanted the first gathering to be of those who are involved in the work of pilgrimages and shrines, since going on pilgrimage is often an experience that gives people a special encounter with the love and mercy of God.

Pilgrimage and shrine ministry are important apostolates of the Carmelite Family worldwide, and Carmelites were among the approximately 1,000 participants at the Jubilee which took place between 19th and 21st January.

The British Province of Carmelites was represented by: Fr. Francis Kemsley, O.Carm. from Aylesford Priory (a major site of pilgrimage in southern England); Mr. Matthew Betts, Development Manager at the National Shrine of Saint Jude (which the Carmelites established 60 years ago); and Mr. Johan Bergström-Allen, T.O.C., the Province's Communications & Outreach Manager who coordinates an annual Carmelite pilgrimage to Lourdes, organises special pilgrimage events (such as to Avila for the 'Teresa 500' celebrations last year), and is a Guardian of the Shrine of Our Lady of Doncaster.

Two Associates of the Carmelites in the Philippines, Butch and Marissa Cos Alcantara, travelled from Asia to take part in the gathering. These Lay Carmelites operate Pirkk & Troy Tours, a travel agency that organises pilgrimages to the shrines of Europe and the Holy Land. Marissa is very involved with the Order's Institute of Spirituality in Asia (ISA).

Another Carmelite taking part in the Jubilee was a Discalced friar from Poland.

The Jubilee programme consisted of talks, times for prayer, and the opportunity for those involved in pilgrimage ministry to meet one another and share ideas.

The three Carmelites from Britain began their pilgrimage to Rome by visiting the Carmelite Church of Santa Maria in Traspontina.

Fr. Francis Kemsley (left) and Matt Betts in front of the image of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Traspontina Church.

Directly opposite Traspontina Church is the Jubilee Year of Mercy Office where pilgrims officially register.

Collecting passes and programmes from the Jubilee Office.

Participants in the Jubilee were divided into language groups: Italian, English, Spanish, French and German.

The English-language delegates, who came from over 25 different nations, gathered in the Basilica di Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (Holy Cross in Jerusalem). Coordinating the Year of Mercy - including the - has been entrusted to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, and a word of welcome was given to the delegates by Fr. Geno Sylva, an American priest who serves as the English-language representative at the Pontifical Council.

Fr. Geno Sylva welcoming English-language participants at the Jubilee.

The first presentation to the English-language group was given by Fr. Richard Gibbons, Rector of the Irish National Shrine at Knock. He spoke on the topic "Pilgrims in the Footsteps of Jesus: The Shrine as an Experience of Mercy". Father Gibbons said that where the Church is dwindling in numbers shrines should not be simply the last bastions of Catholic identity; rather they should be at the cutting edge of the deep questions in life, helping pilgrims to reflect on the meaning of life, and the need for conversion and forgiveness. He advised those involved in shrine ministry not to get caught up in the practicalities of projects, but to make the space and time to remember the purpose of a shrine, always bearing in mind Pope Francis' image of the Church as a field hospital located in the messiness and dirt of people's lives. Speaking of mercy from the sacramental perspective, Fr. Gibbons spoke of the confessional as the "engine room" of a shrine, helping people to encounter God's forgiveness. He described holy sites and sanctuaries as part of the everyday life of the Church, but having a special role where the sacrament of reconciliation can often happen more than in most parishes. This year in Knock, the acts of penance being given to pilgrims in the confessional are to do corporal works of mercy. He described the work of priests, religious and lay people working at shrines as a "ministry of hovering", being available for people to talk to, which is as much a work of evangelisation as going out to engage people elsewhere. Reflecting on the image of the "Holy Doors" that have been established at shrines around the world in this Jubilee Year, Fr. Gibbons spoke of the need to invite people through the door, rather than forcing them through, which requires a spirit of hospitality and patience.

Fr. Gibbons spoke to the English-language participants in the majestic setting of the Basilica that houses relics of Christ's passion brought back from the Holy Land by Saint Helena.

All the language groups gathered together for the first time at the cathedral of Rome, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. This is one of Rome's four "major basilicas", each of which has a Holy Door through which pilgrims can pass in this Jubilee Year as a sign of their entering into a deeper relationship with God.

 
Pilgrims passing through and touching the Holy Door at St. John Lateran.

At each Jubilee site in Rome pilgrims are welcomed by volunteers in distinctive tabards; many are from organisations that accompany pilgrims to Lourdes.

Pilgrims from all the language groups gathering at the Lateran Basilica.

The pilgrim delegates gathered at the Lateran for a celebration of Mass presided over by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelisation.

Archbishop Rino preaching at the Eucharist.


Many pilgrimage organsations and shrines took part in the Jubilee gathering.
The Order of Malta, for example, accompanies pilgrims to Lourdes and elsewhere from many different parts of the world.

The British Province delegates took the opportunity of the Jubilee for Pilgrimage Supporters and Workers to build fraternal links with fellow Carmelites, and to make a pilgrimage to some of the Order's holy sites in the Eternal City. Warm hospitality was offered by the friars at the Basilica of San Martino ai Monti.

British Carmelites at San Martino ai Monti with brothers from Italy, Colombia and India.

Excavations under the Basilica of San Martino have revealed ancient architecture of the Roman Empire, and places where Christians have prayed for centuries.

The second day of the Jubilee gathering began with morning prayer in the various churches being used by the different language groups. The English-language delegates were given a reflection on the topic "From the Shrine to the Parish: Pilgrimage as an integral part of pastoral work in parishes" by Fr. John Armitage, Rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, England.

Fr. John Armitage, Rector of Walsingham

Father Armitage spoke of pilgrimages as grace-filled moments that lead people to conversion of heart, just as in the gospels people came to Jesus wanting to touch him and hear him speak. The impulse to go on pilgrimage often comes from a deep sense of either loss or fulness; a profound need for God, or a desire to thank God. Shrines and relics have a place in evangelisation because spreading the Good News of God's love is not a programme but an encounter with the Lord. Sometimes, he said, Christians feel too rational and sophisticated to go to particular sites and venerate relics, but we are incarnational people and whilst pilgrimage and relics are not essential to a Christian life, they can be helpful pointers towards God. The Rector spoke of how shrines, such as Lourdes, give us a glimpse of how the world can be; a reflection of God's kingdom. It is important, he said, for shrines to convey their story or message clearly, but to help people see the connection with their own life story; in this way curious tourists who come out of historical or artistic interest can become pilgrims who encounter the living God. Parishes have a responsibility to help people come on pilgrimage, especially the young who often find a deeper sense of community and commitment on visits to places like Lourdes or gatherings such as World Youth Day.

Fr. Francis responding to the presentations.

The final English-language presentation was a Catechesis on Mercy given by Archbishop Arthur Roche, now working at the Vatican as Secretary  of the Congregation for Divine Worship, but known to the British delegates from his previous service as Bishop of Leeds.

Archbishop Arthur Roche spoke on the nature of Mercy.

Archbishop Roche began by observing that the work of pilgrimage is not simply a job but a vocation, a calling to draw people to Christ's mercy. God the Father gazes on each human being as a treasure, seeing in each the image of his Son, and therefore when we welcome pilgrims to shrines we welcome God's treasure, and give hospitality to those for whom God has given everything. Drawing on notions closely connected to Carmelite spirituality, the Archbishop invited the pilgrimage personnel to stop working for a moment and simply be loved in the presence of God. He encouraged pilgrimage workers to 'practice the presence of God', taking a few seconds throughout the day to consciously acknowledge and love the Lord.

Archbishop Roche's presentation was prayerful and informative.

Archbishop Roche went on to speak of the term 'Mercy' and its various derivative Hebrew and Greek terms in the Bible. He said it occurs some 500 times in the Bible, including the Psalms, compared with only 170 references to grace and just 54 references to Hell, which gives us a proper perspective on how - according to the title of the Pope's new book - "The name of God is Mercy". As an expert on liturgy, Archbishop Roche noted how every Mass begins with the 'Kyrie Eleison' calling on God's mercy. He spoke of Mercy as a tender and materal quality, which is fundamental to God's nature. The Archbishop spoke of the Gospel (especially Matthew 25) and Church Tradition as the basis for the 'Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy'. He said that mercy needs to be offered in our own time to refugees seeking asylum. He closed by talking about our need to offer as well as receive mercy, advising that if we have been hurt, wounded, or betrayed by another, and find it hard to forgive, we needn't worry; simply ask God for the grace to be able to forgive, since 'to err is human, but to forgive divine'.

Jubilee pilgrims from England and Wales. As well as the Carmelites, a number of groups and shrines were represented, including pilgrimages to Lourdes by dioceses and groups (such as HCPT), the Catholic Grandparents Association, and the newly-established Shrine of Saint Augustine in Ramsgate.

Among the speakers addressing the French-language group was
Fr. Horacio Brito, former Rector of Lourdes.

After the final language-group presentation the British Province pilgrims visited the Curia (international headquarters) of the Carmelite Order.

Matt and Francis with (left) the Vice Prior General of the Order Fr. Christian Körner,
and (right) the Councillor General for Europe Fr. John Keating.

The final afternoon of the Jubilee gathering was a time for prayer, with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of Reconciliation available in a number of 'Jubilee Churches' near the Vatican.

Jubilee pilgrims at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

 
The British Province pilgrims visited a number of sites including the Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint Mary Majors (pictured), the shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and the Venerable English College.
 

On the final morning of the international gathering, priests, shrine rectors, religious, lay personnel, and all those involved in pilgrimage ministry passed through the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica.

Pilgrims processing past the Jubilee Office towards St. Peter's.

Johan Bergström-Allen and Fr. Francis Kemsley at the Holy Door in St. Peter's.

The Holy Door is normally only opened for jubilees every 25 years,
or extraordinary jubilees such as the Year of Mercy.

Going to St. Peter's was a special opportunity for the British Carmelites to pray at the altar of Saints Simon and Jude. It is from here that the relics of Saint Jude revered at his National Shrine in Faversham come.

Matt (Director of the National Shrine of Saint Jude at Faversham) and Fr. Francis (former Chaplain to the Shrine) in front of the Chapel of Simon and Jude in St. Peter's Basilica.

As Development Manager of the National Shrine of Saint Jude, Matt Betts took the opportunity to pray for the Shrine and its ministry in its Diamond Jubilee year (it was established by Carmelite friars 60 years ago). To mark the Jubilee, Matt had brought a statue of Saint Jude from Faversham to present to Pope Francis.

Matt holding the statue of Saint Jude from Faversham.

Next to the Chapel of Saints Simon and Jude in St. Peter's is the confessional staffed by friars of the Carmelite Order, a powerful symbol of God's love in this Year of Mercy.

From St. Peter's the Jubilee delegates walked to the Paul VI Auditorium for an audience with the Holy Father, which was preceded by a concert performed by an orchestra from Aquila, an Italian town devastated by an earthquake in 2009.

The orchestra from Aquila included many young people,
given hope by music after the devastation of their town.

When the Holy Father arrived to great applause from the Jubilee pilgrims, Archbishop Rino Fisichella told him about the gathering and the diversity of places from where participants had come.

Archbishop Fisichella addressing the Holy Father.

Pope Francis then spoke for a few minutes on the ministry of pilgrimage and shrine work. In his address the Holy Father spoke of how coming on pilgrimage allows people to express their Christian faith in simple but profound ways. He described religious sanctuaries as privileged spaces to meet the Lord and touch his mercy with your hands. The Pope said that the key word he wanted to underline is "welcome"; that pilgrimage and shrine personnel need to welcome the sick, the sinner, the marginalised just as Christ did, for in receiving them we receive Christ himself. Jesus not only spoke of welcome but practiced it, which transformed the lives of those he met. Welcoming is truly the determining factor for evangelisation, the Holy Father said. Speaking of the sacrament of reconciliation, the Pope said that "A very special form of welcome is that given by the ministers of God's forgiveness ... Priests who carry out a ministry in sanctuaries must have hearts impregnated by mercy; their attitude must be that of a father."

Pope Francis addressing the delegates at the Jubilee for Pilgrimage Workers.

Before imparting his apostolic blessing, Pope Francis asked the delegates to pray for him on his own pilgrimage through life.

Among the participants specially chosen to meet the Holy Father personally were the Lay Carmelites from the Philippines, Butch and Marissa Cos Alcantara.

 Butch & Marissa Cos Alcantara meeting Pope Francis.

On behalf of the Carmelite Family, Matt Betts was able to present the Pope with a statue of Saint Jude from the Apostle's National Shrine at Faversham.

Matt presenting the statue of St. Jude to the Holy Father.

With delight Pope Francis asked Matt: "Is the statue for me?"

Pope Francis with the statue of Saint Jude from the Carmelites in Britain.

To watch video footage of the papal audience (in Italian) click on the arrow in the YouTube box below.

An ancient tradition of pilgrims to Rome is to get a certificate. The delegates from the British Province rounded off their experience by getting this document from the Jubilee Office.

The British Province delegates with their Year of Mercy pilgrimage certificates.

The Carmelites who took part in the Jubilee went home inspired and encouraged in their ministry of pilgrimage hospitality.


Photography:

• Johan Bergström-Allen / www.carmelite.org
• L'Osservatore Romano / www.photovat.com 
• Riccardo Rossi / www.im.va

This feast was instituted by the Carmelites between 1376 and 1386 under the title "Commemoratio B. Marif Virg. duplex" to celebrate the victory of their order over its enemies on obtaining the approbation of its name and constitution from Honorius III on 30 Jan., 1226 (see Colvenerius, "Kal. Mar.", 30 Jan. "Summa Aurea", III, 737). The feast was assigned to 16 July, because on that date in 1251, according to Carmelite traditions, the scapular was given by the Blessed Virgin to St. Simon Stock ; it was first approved by Sixtus V in 1587. After Cardinal Bellarmine had examined the Carmelite traditions in 1609, it was declared the patronal feast of the order, and is now celebrated in the Carmelite calendar as a major double of the first class with a vigil and a privileged octave (like the octave of Epiphany, admitting only a double of the first class) under the title "Commemoratio solemnis B.V.M. de Monte Carmelo". By a privilege given by Clement X in 1672, some Carmelite monasteries keep the feast on the Sunday after 16 July, or on some other Sunday in July. In the seventeenth century the feast was adopted by several dioceses in the south of Italy, although its celebration, outside of Carmelite churches, was prohibited in 1628 by a decree contra abusus . On 21 Nov., 1674, however, it was first granted by Clement X to Spain and its colonies, in 1675 to Austria, in 1679 to Portugal and its colonies, and in 1725 to the Papal States of the Church, on 24 Sept., 1726, it was extended to the entire Latin Church by Benedict XIII. The lessons contain the legend of the scapular ; the promise of the Sabbatine privilege was inserted into the lessons by Paul V about 1614. The Greeks of southern Italy and the Catholic Chaldeans have adopted this feast of the "Vestment of the Blessed Virgin Mary ". The object of the feast is the special predilection of Mary for those who profess themselves her servants by wearing her scapular (see CARMELITES).

Pope Francis

Pope Francis: Message for the Jubilee of Mercy for Young Boys and Girls

“Merciful Like the Father”

Dear Young Friends,

The Church is celebrating the Holy Year of Mercy, a time of grace, peace, conversion and joy.  It is meant for everyone: people of every age, from far and near.  There are no walls or distances which can prevent the Father’s mercy from reaching and embracing us.  The Holy Door is now open in Rome and in all the dioceses of the world.

This grace-filled moment also concerns you, dear young people.  I encourage you to take an active part in this celebration and to realize that each of you is a child of God (cf. 1 Jn 3:1).  I would like to invite you, one by one, calling you by name, as Jesus does each day.  For you know that your names are written in heaven (Lk 10:20), in the heart of the Father, that Merciful Heart which is the source of all reconciliation and kindness.

The Jubilee is a year-long celebration, in which every moment becomes a chance for us to grow in holiness.  It is a time when we can discover that life together as brothers and sisters is like a great party, perhaps the most beautiful party we can imagine, the endless party that Jesus has taught us to celebrate by his Spirit.  The Jubilee is the party to which Jesus invites us all, without excluding anyone.  That is why I also wanted to have some days of prayer and celebration with you.  I am looking forward to seeing many of you in April.

 “Merciful like the Father”.  This is the theme of the Jubilee, but it is also the prayer we make for all of you as we welcome you in the name of Jesus.  To be merciful means to grow in a love which is courageous, generous and real.  It means to grow physically and spiritually.  You are preparing to be Christians capable of making courageous choices and decisions, in order to build daily, even through little things, a world of peace.

Yours is a time of life which is full of amazing changes.  Everything seems possible and impossible all at once.  I repeat what I said to some of your friends: “Remain steadfast in the journey of faith, with firm hope in the Lord.  This is the secret of our journey!  He gives us the courage to swim against the tide.  Pay attention, my young friends: to go against the current; this is good for the heart, but we need courage to swim against the tide.  Jesus gives us this courage! … With him we can do great things; he will give us the joy of being his disciples, his witnesses.  Commit yourselves to great ideals, to the most important things.  We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for little things; push onwards toward the highest principles.  Stake your lives on noble ideals” (Homily at the Conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation, 2013).

Here I cannot forget those of you who are living in situations of war, extreme poverty, daily troubles and loneliness.  Don’t ever lose hope!  The Lord has a great dream which, with your help, he wants to come true!  Your friends, young people your age living in less trying conditions than your own, have not forgotten you; they are working for peace and justice for everyone everywhere.  Don’t be taken in by the messages of hatred or terror all around us.  Instead, make new friends.  Give of your time and always show concern for those who ask your help.  Be brave and go against the tide; be friends of Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace (cf. Is 9:6).  “Everything in him speaks of mercy.  Nothing in him is devoid of compassion” (Misericordiae Vultus, 8). 

I realize that not all of you can come to Rome, but the Jubilee is truly for everyone and it is also being celebrated in your local Churches.  You are all invited to this moment of joy.  Don’t just prepare your rucksacks and your banners, but your hearts and your minds as well.  Think carefully about the hope and desires you will hand over to Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and in the Eucharist which we will celebrate together.  As you walk through the Holy Door, remember that you are committing yourselves to grow in holiness and to draw nourishment from the Gospel and the Eucharist, the Word and the Bread of life, in order to help build a more just and fraternal world.

May the Lord bless your journey towards the Holy Door.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide your steps and enlighten you.  For you and your families, and for all who help you to grow in goodness and in grace, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of us all, be true Door of Mercy.

From the Vatican, 6 January 2016, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Pope's prayer intention for February 2016

Universal: Care for Creation - That we may take good care of creationa gift freely given cultivating and protecting it for future generations.

Evangelization: Asia - That opportunities may increase for dialogue and encounter between the Christian faith and the peoples of Asia.

Lectio Divina February-febrero-febbraio 2016

Fr. Joseph Chalmer, O.Carm.

Carmelite Family

The Carmelite Family has grown and developed greatly in recent years with many new members and new groups. New ways of understanding the relationships between the different components within the Family are emerging.

Despite the decline in religious observance, it has often been said that there is a great thirst for spirituality around the world. This takes many paths but certainly many people seem to be fascinated by the Carmelite way. This puts a lot of pressure on us. It is not sufficient to be a good parish priest or a good physics teacher but the people expect us to know something of the spiritual journey, not only theoretically but also from our own experience. Lay people are becoming more knowledgeable about Carmelite spirituality and some desire to live it in new ways. All of this puts pressure on the friars and perhaps disturbs our comfortable life. What is our reaction to lay Carmelites? Can we see the hand of God present in some way through them?

Justice and peace

As a contemplative fraternity at the service of God's people, we take to heart the words of Vita Consecrata that the Christ encountered in contemplation is the same who lives and suffers in the poor.⁵ The same number speaks of the option for the poor as being inherent in the very structure of love lived in Christ.

All of Christ's disciples are held to this option, but those who wish to follow the Lord more closely, imitating his attitudes, cannot but feel involved in a very special way. The sincerity of their response to Christ's love will lead them to live a life of poverty and to embrace the cause of the poor.

The Provinces and Commissariats of the Order have been very generous in their support of many projects. However each one of us has to look at his or her life before God and ask whether he / she sees Christ in the poor as well as in prayer.

Mission

‘‘Those who love God, the Father of all, cannot fail to love their fellow human beings, whom they recognise as brothers and sisters. Precisely for this reason, they cannot remain indifferent to the fact that many men and women do not know the full manifestation of God’s love in Christ. The result, in obedience to Christ's commandment, is the missionary drive ad gentes."

The Order has always had a missionary thrust and Carmelites have preached the Gospel and planted the Order in many new lands. However, clearly a change is developing in the Church and the Order. There are far fewer young men coming forward in the older Provinces while there are many in the developing nations. How are we going to handle this changing reality? How is the Order going to continue to be missionary with far fewer vocations? How is each one of us going to carry out our task of teaching others to obey everything that Christ has taught us? We teach first of all by the example of our lives. What do our lives say to people?

Conclusion

When I look towards the future, I am full of hope. The Order will surely be different but, as Cardinal Newman said, "To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often"⁷. Our task is to be faithful to our vocation and to try to read the signs of the times, i.e. to discern what God is saying to us from the heart of the world. We can only do that effectively if we have a contemplative heart.

Fr. Joseph Chalmer, O.Carm.

Formation lasts at least a lifetime; we are not finished with it when we are solemnly professed. We have very good Constitutions and formation document. We have many more Carmelite resources available to us than in the past. Great progress has been made in the area of research and publishing. However, do we take the opportunities presented to us to read and reflect on this material so that we can deepen our understanding of the vocation to which we have been called?

What is formation for? It is an important ongoing process of growth. There is a need for continual Carmelite formation but we cannot be good Carmelites if we are not good human beings. There are certain basic human skills, which are required to make life in society bearable. If these have not been learned in the home environment, they must be quickly instilled at the beginning of formation. What happens when these ordinary human virtues are not learned during initial formation? Each of us has to ask ourselves whether we make community life pleasant or unpleasant for the others? There are several elements that must be borne in mind in the formation process. There is the human level, the intellectual level and the spiritual level. These elements obviously influence one another. All of these must be worked upon throughout the whole of life. These three elements are like the three legs of a stool. If one is out of balance, the whole stool is unbalanced. What about our lives? If there is an imbalance somewhere in our lives, what are we going to do about it? Formation is to help us in our becoming mature human beings, mature followers of Christ and mature Carmelites.

No one of course is perfect but hopefully all of us are on the spiritual journey. This journey requires a great deal from us because we are called to pass through the desert where we are purified and we grow to maturity in Christ. It is a great temptation to give up the journey because it is too difficult and settle down to mediocrity. In the post-synodal document Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul IIpointed out the importance of the various phases of the formation process. He writes of the middle years that this phase can present the risk of routine and the subsequent temptation to give in to disappointment because of meagre results.³

In this document it is also said, "Those in charge of formation must therefore be very familiar with the path, of seeking God, so as to be able to accompany others on this journey." Those who know something of the path of seeking God, know that there are moments of disappointment and disillusionment, times perhaps when we feel like the Prophet Elijah who sat under a bush and had no desire to continue. (I Kings 19,4) It is vitally important, I believe, that in the process of formation, which lasts the whole of one's Carmelite life, we should be helped to first of all be aware that darkness, disillusionment and disappointment are normal stages on the journey.

We have a profound impact on those who come to us, even if they decide not to continue walking the same path as we walk and so we have a sacred duty to give our candidates the best formation we can possibly give them. What must we do to be continually faithful to this duty? We also have a great impact on those we serve in our apostolic activities. What kind of impact do we have?

Fr. Joseph Chalmer, O.Carm.

Despite the best efforts of vocation promoters, it seems that new vocations will be very few, at least for the foreseeable future, especially in the West. This will have major implications for the Church, the Order and each Province. To face up to closing houses or withdrawing from certain apostolic commitments can be very painful. However it is absolutely essential to prune the branches so that others may grow. If we do not close communities when necessary, it will mean that the men will suffer because they will have to do more and more work to cover what was done by more people in the past. Community life will also suffer. So, am I willing to let go of my apostolate and my house if the discernment of the brothers goes in that direction?

If our prayer is authentic, if it is a personal encounter with the One whom we know loves us, it will transform us from those who work for God into those who do God's work. We will begin to see people and situations no longer merely with our limited human sight but through the eyes of God. Our judgements will no longer be so conditioned by selfish considerations but our minds and hearts will be informed by the will of God. This will transform our way of being in the world. We will realise that we must plant or water the garden but only God can grant the growth.

Fr. Joseph Chalmer, O.Carm.

Mt. 28,18 - "]esus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19   Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20   and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

This text spells out our task in the present and the future. We, as members of the Church, are to carry on the mission of Christ. The end of our Rule points us towards the future. Like the innkeeper in the story of the Good Samaritan, we continue our work while keeping an eye on the horizon waiting for the Master's return.¹

More and more people in our western societies no longer count themselves as Christians. In some societies I suspect that the number of non- Christians and those who are actively opposed to the Catholic Church is growing. More and more children are being brought up with no sense of God. In fact, God does not enter into the thought of a number of people and is being excluded from many areas of human life. Religion is slowly being relegated to the private sphere as a personal hobby so long as it does not interfere with anyone else.

Abortion is often presented now as a human right and those who are opposed are painted as enemies of women and of human progress.

Creative Fidelity

In the midst of our changing world, the primary challenge for us as individuals and as an Order is unchanging. We are called to be constantly faithful to the charism that God has given to us in trust for the Church and the world. Being faithful does not necessarily mean repeating what has gone before. Times change and so we must change our way of living and presenting the charism so that it can be an effective vehicle of evangelisation in a new era. We do not of course change the charism but we can and do change the way it is presented; we also add to it and enrich it by how we live it in our own day. We can learn a great deal from the prophet Elijah in this connection.

God speaks to us in many ways. One of these ways is through the cultural changes that our world is undergoing at present. We cannot claim to be faithful to God if we do not ponder the Scriptures but equally we cannot claim to be faithful if we do not listen to what God is saying to us from the heart of the world. A new kind of evangelisation is required for a new situation. We must seek to understand what is going on and why and then respond the best way we can. Perhaps we hide the face of Christ from some people by our tired words and tired ways. We must be careful lest we find ourselves speaking in a language of yesterday to the people of tomorrow.

All consecrated men and women "must continue to be images of Christ the Lord, fostering through prayer a profound communion of mind with him (cf Phil 2,5- 11), so that their whole lives may be penetrated by an apostolic spirit and their apostolic work with contemplation."² There can be no doubt that in the eyes of most people Carmel stands for prayer, contemplation, and the interior life. Carmelites do many different things, and that is one of our strengths, but in all these different apostolic works we are expected to express our spirituality. What we do must spring from what we are. We are most faithful to God when we are faithful to the vocation that has been given us. There is a distinction that I have always found helpful between working for God and doing God's work. We work for God in all sorts of ways and our apostolic labours may be very laudable but are they all according to the mind and heart of God? To do God's work means to do what God really wants of us. Our charism is spelled out clearly in our official documents. How do I incarnate this Carmelite vocation of living in allegiance to Jesus Christ through prayer, service and fraternity according to the inspiration of Our Lady and the Prophet Elijah?

The fundamental thrust of our lives has to do with the contemplative aspect of our charism. This does not mean that we all must become hermits but that we must be contemplatives in the midst of the different activities in which we are involved.

Our prophetic and apostolic activity will naturally flow from our contemplative life. We cannot be contemplatives if we do not spend time alone with God but more than that, it is a process whereby God purifies and transforms our hearts so that we become like God. This process requires our consent to the action of God in our lives and a recognition that God works often in very human ways. The whole thrust of our spiritual tradition is about this process in which God transforms our selfishness into pure love. God will use all the ordinary events of daily life to reveal to us who and what we are. This is a very painful process and therefore it is much easier to forget about prayer and immerse ourselves in working for God while perhaps forgetting to do God's work. Am I faithful but also creative? Are we, the Carmelite family, faithful to God and yet creative, so that we can proclaim the Good news in a way that people in our own culture can actually hear it?

Br. Joachim Kenney, O.P.

“What your child is coming to do is to reveal to you what she feels, or, to be more exact, what her God, in the hours of profound recollection, of unifying contact, makes her understand” (Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, “Let Yourself Be Loved”). This “unifying contact” that Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity speaks of is at the heart of the Carmelite vocation. Just as Elijah heard the “still small voice” on Mt. Carmel, Carmelites seek God in hours of silent prayer and recollection, hoping that He will draw them ever more deeply into loving union with Him.

Carmelite Origins

The Carmelite life takes many forms. Its tradition traces the order’s lineage back to the prophet Elijah himself, but most historians agree that the order, while taking inspiration from Elijah and other ancient hermits on Mt. Carmel, began in the mid-1100s. Originally the Carmelites were a strict, eremitical community of men. In the mid- to late 1200s, however, repeated Saracen attacks forced the brothers to depart Mt. Carmel and settle in other lands. A couple of groups settled in Europe and became mendicants. Led most notably by St. Simon Stock, they took up residence at many universities and devoted themselves to study and the active life while maintaining an ascetical and contemplative dimension. A couple of centuries after the order arrived in Europe, several groups of women asked the Prior General to become affiliated with the order. He gave them the rule and constitutions and organized them into monasteries. In the 1500s, the reforms of St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross led to the establishment of the Discalced Carmelites for both the nuns and the friars. Today this twofold organization of the Carmelites – the Order of Carmel (a.k.a. the Ancient Observance or O. Carm.) and the Order of Discalced Carmelites (O.C.D.) – still exists. For the women, in addition to monastic communities, there are now communities of active sisters who undertake such apostolates as caring for the elderly or teaching children. More recently there have also been communities of hermits organized, both men’s and women’s, which follow more closely the original Carmelite way of life. They are under the authority of the Prior General of the O. Carms. Lay men and women can join the Carmelites by becoming members of the Third Order.

A Vocation to Love

St. John the Apostle said in his first epistle that “God is love.” The mission of the Carmelites is to let this Love permeate the entirety of their being, conforming them to Himself. They also share in Love’s thirst for souls and recommend the rest of us in the Church to Him. St. Therese of Lisieux is one Carmelite saint who epitomized this sort of life. She once expressed an interest in and desire for a myriad of vocations and all of their great works. She finally recognized, however, that all of her desires could be satisfied in leading to the fullest the life of charity to which all Christians are called. She summed up her vocation as a Carmelite nun in these words: “O Jesus, my Love, at last I have found my vocation, my vocation is Love! … In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be Love! … Thus I shall be all things: thus my dream shall be realized!” St. Therese was able to focus singularly on perfection in this loving union with God and so served as an example and a source of encouragement and strength for the rest of the Church. In doing so, she took her cue from her venerable Carmelite forbears.  St. John of the Cross, for example, had written centuries earlier that “an instant of pure love is more precious in the eyes of God … and more profitable to the Church, than all other good works together, though it may seem as if nothing were done.”

Carmelite Spirituality

Carmelite spirituality has a few well-known characteristics. The first is that it is thoroughly Marian. Throughout their history, Carmelites have had an intense devotion to the Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. As part of this, they promote the popular devotion of wearing the Brown Scapular which Our Lady gave to St. Simon Stock as a sign of favor and protection. Secondly, Carmelites are renowned for their mysticism. When they arrived at the universities of Europe, the friars wedded their knowledge of God gained in their experience of the eremitical life to the science of theology, especially as taught in the school of St. Thomas Aquinas. The mystical theology that resulted has been and continues to be a great boon to the Church. It of course aided and in turn was aided by the great mystics of the order who have already been mentioned. St. Teresa of Avila, who wrote such spiritual masterpieces as The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, and St. John of the Cross, whose works include The Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night of the Soul, have led countless followers to a deeper union with God through their insights into prayer, contemplation, the states of the soul and its acts and experiences. Carmelite spirituality is also very ascetical. Mortifications and penances are undertaken to free the soul from attachments to whatever is not God. Reading about these can often make the Carmelite life seem harsh and joyless, but Carmelites are frequently noted for their deep and abiding sense of joy. It is a natural result of focusing on and achieving union with the Highest Good and Ultimate End of life.

Mutual Edification

The Carmelite masters benefited much from the teaching and influence of Dominicans as noted above.  I think Dominicans in turn can benefit from the example of the union of knowledge and love that the great Carmelites have set. The two orders have many things in common. A focus on contemplation, the theology of St. Thomas, and Marian devotion are just a few of them. At times, though, the Dominican emphasis on the intellect can overlook the role of experience and the affections in the spiritual life. Learning about the Carmelite life can help spur us on to pursue unifying contact of the whole of man with the Divine.