Extraordinary Provincial Chapter of the Italian Province
During the extraordinary Provincial Chapter of the Italian Province held on 10-11 June 2013 were elected:
- Prior Provincial: Fr. Roberto Toni, O.Carm.
- Vice Prior Provincial: Fr. Marco Nuzzi, O.Carm.
- Fourth Councilor: Fr. Lucio M. Zappatore, O.Carm.
Meeting of the Bibliotheca Carmelitana Nova Commission
On 3rd and 4th June members of the commission overseeing the Bibliotheca Carmelitana Nuova project met in Dresden, Germany in the offices of FOVOG – the “Forschungsstelle fur Vergleichende Ordensgeschichte". This is an institute in the University of Dresden which specialises in the comparative study of religious orders. The commission is made up of Giovanni Grosso (President of the Carmelite Institute), Ton van der Gulik (Carmelite Librarian), Paul Chandler (who participated via Skype), Edeltraud Klueting (Third Order Carmelite scholar), Kevin Alban (Bursar General), Gert Melville (Director of FOVOG) and Coralie Zermatten (researcher).
The project involves putting all the entries in Cosmas de Villiers’ Bibliotheca Carmelitana on a database, and in addition searching out other names and works of medieval Carmelites. So far about 1,200 names have been loaded on to the database which is now ready to be tested on the internet. This will be an important tool for all researchers in Carmelite studies.
Prayer deepens our intimacy with God
Prayer deepens our intimacy with God and transforms us into our truest self – humbling us and creating us anew.
(St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi)
Prayer is a way to arrive at perfection,
Prayer is a way to arrive at perfection, because in prayer God teachers the soul, and through prayer the soul detaches itself from created things and unites itself to God.
St. Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi.
Lectio Divina June 2013
Holy Father's Prayer Intentions
Mutual Respect. That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples.
New Evangelization. That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization.
Lectio Divina June - Junio - Giugno 2013
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- Saturday, June 1, 2013
- Sunday, June 2, 2013
- Monday, June 3, 2013
- Tuesday, June 4, 2013
- Wednesday, June 5, 2013
- Thursday, June 6, 2013
- Friday, June 7, 2013
- Saturday, June 8, 2013
- Sunday, June 9, 2013
- Monday, June 10, 2013
- Tuesday, June 11, 2013
- Wednesday, June 12, 2013
- Thursday, June 13, 2013
- Friday, June 14, 2013
- Saturday, June 15, 2013
- Sunday, June 16, 2013
- Monday, June 17, 2013
- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
- Wednesday, June 19, 2013
- Thursday, June 20, 2013
- Friday, June 21, 2013
- Saturday, June 22, 2013
- Sunday, June 23, 2013
- Monday, June 24, 2013
- Tuesday, June 25, 2013
- Wednesday, June 26, 2013
- Thursday, June 27, 2013
- Friday, June 28, 2013
- Saturday, June 29, 2013
- Sunday, June 30, 2013
Meeting of the International Carmelite Formation Commission in Rome
From the 22nd to 24th May 2013, the International Formation Commission of the Order met at the General Curia in Rome for its final meeting prior to the General Chapter this September. Having listened to the reports of the different members of the commission from around the world, they reviewed the work of the commission over these past six years in preparation for the Chapter. Attention was given to the information presented at the Council of Provinces (San Felice del Benaco 2009) and the General Congregation (Niagara Falls 2011). There was a positive reaction to the methodology used during the international formation courses organized by the commission in the Holy Land, 2009 (initial formation), Camocim, Brazil, 2010 (formators) and Holy Land 2012 (on-going formation). Initial preparations were made for the course of on-going formation which will take place in Salamanca and Avila in 2014 in preparation for the anniversary of the birth of St. Terena of Jesus being celebrated throughout the Carmelite Family in 2015. Details of this course will be presented during the General Chapter.
To conclude their meeting, the members of the commission travelled with the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. to Florence on the 25th May to celebrate the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi with the Carmelite nuns. They also were very pleased to have lunch with the community of our friars and “La Famiglia” at the Carmine in Florence.
The members of the commission during these past few years have been: John Keating, Councillor General (praeses), Mario Alfarano, Segretario Generale (secretary), Quinn Conners (PCM), Günter Benker (Ger), Vitalis Benza (Hib-Zim), Desiderio García Martínez (Arag), Giampiero Molinari (Ita), Dionysius Kosasih (Indo) and Romualdo Borges de Macedo (Par).
Distractions in Prayer
Steven Riddle
Distraction may be the chief complaint levied about one’s prayer life. Regarding distraction, here is something from the two leading teachers of prayer in the Carmelite tradition.
from Carmelite Prayer: A Tradition for the 21st Century
Ed. Keith J. Egan
With little difficulty we can recognize the similarities between Teresa’s teaching on prayer and contemplation and John’s. Both admit to an activity on our own part, especially at the beginning, an activity of reading, thinking, and recollection. Both direct this activity to the loving knowledge of, or presence to, or relationship with Christ. In both, we find descriptions of the prayer of recollection active and passive, of quiet, and of union. Both admit that the wandering mind or imagination is an accompaniment to prayer and contemplation.
In fact, after a lifetime of distraction and pain from distraction St.Teresa finally has this advice to offer:
from “ Jesus Christ in Carmelite Prayer”
by Sr. Mary Dorgan
“Taking it upon oneself to stop and suspend thought is what I mean should not be done. . . . “ She tells us that in regard to “. . . this effort to suspend the intellect . . . labor will be wasted. . . “(BL. 12.5). She warns against a kind of mental coercion to empty ourselves of thoughts in order to achieve a held absorption. St Teresa was too familiar with this experience in herself and in others, based on a too-demanding cut-down of outside stimuli, that could lead to quietism. “To be always withdrawn for corporeal things. . . is the trait of angelic spirits, not of those who live in mortal bodies. . . . How much more is it necessary not to withdraw through one’s own efforts from all our good and help with is the most sacred humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ” (IC 6.7.6).
For Teresa and for John as well, this constant babble of wayward thoughts is part and parcel of who we are. To deny it is to deny who we are. I would go further to say that this constant stream of thought defines, in a special way, who we are. More than that, this constant stream of thought forms the ostinato against which the melody of prayer plays out. That is to say, that these very real, very present concerns are a real part of prayer. When they invade, they do so out of two causes—one is that we are insufficiently focused on our goal—thus they serve as the watchdogs of prayer. The other is that they are real and present concerns that define in part where we are in our day and in our lives. To deny them is, in a way, denying access to a real and important part of ourselves to the dearest friend we have. It would be rather like chatting about the weather to our best friend just prior to the time we are going to enter the hospital to have some serious medical tests. We haven’t told our best friend and we are screening out that concern. Only it is worse because our friend already knows about these concerns because He lives within and sees them flitting about batting their wings against the cages we try to make for them.
What then to do about distractions? Accept them. Don’t welcome them, but accept them, and turn back to the conversation. Think about a conversation on your front porch on a fine spring say as your children are running on the lawn and playing. If your children are normal they are up on that porch at least as much as they are kicking a ball or playing catch or hide-and-seek. However, it is a fine day, your friend as much as you enjoys the sounds and sights and presence of the children, and when they break into the conversation, He doesn’t regard them with exasperation, but with the loving, doting look of one who has sat many a time watching them play. When the concerns of the children are finished, the matter of a moment or two, we return to the conversation.
That is the important point—we may be dragged off-course, but always return, gently, lovingly, longingly, to the conversation.
On a personal note—I have often been battered by distractions. Until recently they would completely derail my efforts at any sort of coherent conversation. And then, suddenly, as in a coup de grace, they became integrated into my prayer, they would appear and drop away and I would not worry myself about their intrusion, but, as in contemplating the mysteries of the Rosary, I would allow them to sound and then gently fall back below the surface. They continued throughout the prayer, but the prayer continued as well. No, I didn’t achieve transports of union—but then I’m not there at this point. I am still learning to talk and to listen and to offer who I am and what I am concerned about.
So my advice for those distracted in prayer—don’t focus on the distraction, focus on the person with Whom you are conversing. He knows what is playing through your brain. He knows who and what you are, and He is patient and welcoming to all of you—distraction, intentions, and conversation. Don’t worry about it. Prayer will not be perfectly quiet until it is time for it—and then the Lord will lead. Otherwise, don’t fret. Through her entire life, St. Teresa of Avila was plagued with distraction, and yet she is no less a saint for all of that.
A Message from the two General Councils, OCarm and OCD to the whole Carmelite Family
(Aylesford, 10-17 May 2013)
In this Year of Faith, we, the members of the two General Councils OCarm. and OCD, came on pilgrimage to Aylesford, England. This is a significant place for the entire Carmelite Family. In fact, in this place, where we are writing this message to you on the feast of St. Simon Stock, are the remains of the ancient Carmelite house which was founded in 1242 by some of the pilgrim-hermits from Mount Carmel. Their return to Europe from the Holy Land, their gradual move from an eremitical life to a mendicant one, their experience of God and above all, their humble and fraternal trust in Mary in a period of cultural crisis, were for us all a source of inspiration. They also gave us pause for thought in rethinking our mission for today’s world – the topic to which we devoted most of our working sessions. In these we were guided by Father Benito De Marchi, a Comboni Missionary.
At Aylesford we were the guests of the local community of OCarm. friars, to whom we wish to express our heartfelt thanks for their warm and attentive welcome. This was a time of prayer, of brotherhood, of meditation, during which we also experienced two significant ecumenical events. We celebrated First Vespers of Sunday with our Anglican brothers in the ancient cathedral of Rochester (founded in 604 ad). The second event was a meeting in Cambridge with Lord Rowan Williams, emeritus archbishop of Canterbury, a subtle theologian and very considerable expert in Carmelite spirituality and saints. These two meetings in prayer and theological reflection helped us to understand that mission today has to be carried out in close co-operation with other Christian groups, in a spirit of ecumenical openness.
From our pilgrimmage to the origins of Carmel in Europe has emerged the humble conviction that this epoch, characterised by globalisation, by mobility in all directions, by the eruption in our lives of the “other”, by the affirmation of the value of the “subject”and by the loss of a sense of God, requires a new missionary spirit. That is, it needs a heart which is more evangelical and less sure of itself. In fact what we wish to share with others is not the world views nor the attitudes of our old self, but a new humanity which the Father has given to us as a gift, through his Son who died and rose and which is constantly shaped by the Holy Spirit. In his much appreciated address to the Synod of Bishops in October 2012, Rowan Williams referring to Saint Edith Stein, called this new humanity “contemplative”.
Taking up this expression, with its typically Carmelite flavour, we tried to describe in our reflections a humanity which forgets itself, in silence and is free from the tiring search for personal satisfaction and from the claim to make others happy by imposing our ideas and projects on them. This new humanity, turned towards the Father, can see all people, and especially the poor, the marginalised and the suffering, with eyes full of compassion. This is a welcoming humanity, ready to undertake a continual pilgrimage together with women and men of our time in order to find the way that brings us more deeply into the heart of Trinitarian life.
It is impossible for us to imagine this new humanity without “freeing the charism for a new lease of life” (Benito De Marchi). That is, without freeing its contemplative and missionary potential from all shallowness, hubris and selfishness, which prevent it from seeing Trinitarian love and close inside a self-referential cycle.
On a more positive note, freeing the charism means experiencing the Trinitarian relations of the fraternal and community life more vividly. It means rediscovering evangelical joy and enjoying the taste of unity and simplicity which exist between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. In this way we can bear witness to them in every time and place, in every context where we are sent.
In all this Mary the Mother of God, and our Mother, accompanies us. For Carmelites she is a sublime model of humanity listening to the Word and of contemplating the living God. She is the supreme contemplative, who nonetheless approaches each one of us to be a pilgrim with us. She embraces us with her maternal and fraternal love and lights in our hearts the flame of love. Poor and humble, with the simple sign of the scapular she protects this flame in our fragile human bodies and changes it into burning passion for evangelisation and mission. Her discreet but eloquent presence in our life means that those who wear the scapular are called to commit themselves to loving their neighbour. In this sense the Virgin of Carmel has been called “Missionary to the people”. (Oscar Romero)
Dear brothers and sisters, we leave Aylesford with a renewed awareness of the gift of our vocation and of the mission that is connected to it. The Risen Lord invites us not to be afraid of the difficulties we will meet and not to be discouraged when faced with the inevitable trials and possible failures. There is in all of us, insignificant and poor as we are a stronger force which has conquered the world. It is the force of the Father’s love for us, the force of his Word and his Spirit which drives us towards the world and opens us to all those that the Lord puts in our path. Many women and men are waiting for us, expecting that the family of Carmel will show our God’s tenderness to them. May the Lord help us not to dash their hopes!
Carmelites and the Second Vatican Council – CISA Lectures
Once again this year the community of St. Albert’s International Centre and the Institutum Carmelitanum offered a series of lectures to the public. The theme this year was “Carmelites and the Second Vatican Council”. The lectures were given in the conference hall in St. Albert’s Centre and a good number of members of the Carmelite family and others attended each evening.
The series opened with a lecture by Claudemir Rozin, O.Carm., who shared the results of this doctoral research on, The Ecclesiology of the Carmelite Rule in the Light of Vatican II (December 13, 2012); this was followed by, Míceál O’Neill, O.Carm. on, The Carmelite Commitment to Justice and Peace (January 10, 2013), Giovanni Grosso O.Carm. on, Holiness and Carmel,(February 14), Emanuele Boaga on, The Carmelites who took part in Vatican II, (March 14) and Giuseppe Midili, O.Carm. on, The Change from the Carmelite Rite to the Roman Rite, (May 9). It was hoped to be able to launch a new publication on Bishop Donal Lamont on April 9, as part of the programme, but that unfortunately had to be postponed to another day.
It is planned to continue with this kind of spiritual and cultural programme in the coming years.
Electoral Chapter of the Monastery of Utrera, Spain
The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Utrera, Spain, was held 13-14 May 2013. The following were elected:
- Prioress: Sr. María del Carmen Requena Pérez, O.Carm.
- 1st Councilor: Sr. M. José Navarro López, O.Carm.
- 2nd Councilor: Sr. María de Lourdes Lario Reverte, O.Carm.
- 3rd Councilor: Sr. Rosamaría Nduku Mbithi, O.Carm.
- 4th Couniclor: Sr. Ana María Reina Jiménez, O.Carm.
- Director of Novices: Sr. Rosamaría Nduku Mbithi, O.Carm.
- Treasurer: Sr. M. Felistas Syokau Maithya, O.Carm.
- Sacristan: Sr. M. Lucía Mutio Mbithi., O.Carm.
