O.Carm
Elections of the Province of Pernambuco, Brasil
The Province of Pernambuco, serving in northern Brasil and Mozambique, held their provincial chapter on January 16-20, 2023.
The first house of the Order in the Americas was founded in the city of Olinda (Pernambuco), in 1583, by priests from the Province of Lusitania (Portugal). In 1720, two provinces were simultaneously established in Brazil, namely: Rio de Janeiro and Bahia-Pernambuco. From the year 1679 the Pernambucan convent of Goiana (founded in 1666) had accepted the Reform of Touraine. This reform movement eventually led to the establishment of the autonomous province of Pernambuco. In 1683 the Prior General Angelus Monsignani decided that the convents of Recife (founded in 1654) and Vila Real (which was later succeeded by Paraiba) would be handed over to the Carmelites of the Reform. In 1725 a vice-province was instituted and in 1744 the province of Pernambuco was canonically established, having three convents, six residences and about one hundred brothers. The religious and political conflicts of the 19th century severely affected the province.
As the seed for a new birth, the convent in Recife remained until, in 1894, the brothers from Spain arrived to begin the work of restoration. Goiana reopened, Gameleira (1920) and Princesa (1938), Campina Grande (1951) and Camocim de Saint Felix (1962) were founded. In 1990, the old convent of Piedade, now restored, was designated the House of Formation as many young men came to join the province as a result of the focus of the province over the years on vocational ministry. Five new houses opened: Petrolina (1998), Carmopolis (2000), Aracaju (2002), and Icó (2011). The São Cristóvão convent, founded in the 17th century, was handed over to the Province by the Archdiocese of Aracaju to be inhabited by the Carmelites again.
In 2002, a house was opened in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, with a second house founded in 2019 in Matola. In 2012, the original church and monastery in Olinda was restored to the Province.
During the Chapter the following were elected to leadership:
Prior Provincial | Prior Provincial | Priore Provinciale:
Frei José Roberval, O. Carm.
1st Councilor | 1er Consejero | 1° Consigliere:
Frei Paulo Fernando, O. Carm.
2nd Councilor | 2do Consejero | 2° Consigliere:
Frei José Leandro, O. Carm.
3rd Councilor | 3er Consejero | 3° Consigliere:
Frei Aloísio Da Silva, O. Carm.
4th Councilor | 4to Consejero | 4° Consigliere:
Frei Josué Laurindo, O. Carm.
General Chapter of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters
The General Chapter of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters took place from January 2 to 8, in Cajazeiras - PB, northeast Brazil. The theme was "Hand in Hand, on the Way, Toward the Fountains of First Love" and the Motto "Lord Give Me This Water" (Jn. 4:15).
Let us pray for the Mission at the service of the Congregation and the Church.
The results of the elective chapter were as follows:
Superior General | Superiora General | Superiora Generale:
Ir. Vilma Aves
1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Vice General | Vice General | Vice Generale
Ir. Sineide Almeida Ângelo
2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Ir. Neilda Maria de Castro
3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Ir. Edileide de Oliveira Nicácio
4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Ir. Maria do Socorro Rodrigues
Celebrating At Home - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
The light shines
(Matthew 4:12-23)
Last Sunday’s Gospel served as an introduction to Jesus, the Lamb of God.
The Sunday Gospels between now and the beginning of Lent will use the Sermon on the Mount to help us explore and reflect upon who this Lamb of God is and how we, as disciples, should respond to him. They will unfold for us how Jesus, the Lamb of God, is the source of true peace and how we can find our way to him and to one another – that is, how we can live faithful to the tradition of Jesus.
This Sunday Jesus begins his ministry in an unexpected place – Capernaum in the countryside, not in the holy city, Jerusalem. The familiar Gospel demand: Repent for the kingdom is close at hand, is sounded for the first time by Jesus, echoing John the Baptist.
To the ministry of proclaimers of the Kingdom Jesus adds four intimates who will be with him throughout the journey into the light.
The Gospel begs many questions: just what is this Kingdom all about? Who is this Jesus who seems to have the power to compel prosperous, ordinary men to follow him? What does it mean to be ‘fishers of men’? Why does Jesus begin his ministry in an unexpected place? What is this Good News of the Kingdom that Jesus offers?
In all, the Gospel serves not just to tell us about Jesus and what he did, but also to help us reflect on our own experience of Jesus: what does it mean for us also to be called (not just as followers but also as ‘fishers’)?
How immediate and life-changing is our response to him? Can we follow him all the way to the cross? How do we proclaim the Good News of the kingdom? How are we healers of people and situations which are part of our lives?
- pdf Celebrating At Home - 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [PDF](5.68 MB)
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- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Tercer Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario(532 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - III Domenica del Tempo Ordinario(532 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em familia - 3 Domingo do Tempo Comum(528 KB)
“Behind the Scenes”: the Life of Bl. Angelo Paoli
On January 20, the Carmelite Order celebrates the memory of Blessed Angelo Paoli. The day is celebrated as an optional memorial in the Order but as an obligatory memorial in the Italian provinces.
His life can be divided into two periods: the years spent in his religious province of Tuscany, and those spent in Rome. The second part he spent, first, as novice-master, then as bursar, sacristan and organist, and also as director of the conservatory for girls
Wherever he had worked, he had given a fine impression as a religious steeped in silence, prayer and mortification, but, above all, given to the works of charity, both spiritual and corporal, in favor of the sick and the poor — so much so that at Siena they gave him the name of "Father Charity."
A conference examining the life of Blessed Angelo Paoli was held in Rome on November 12, 2022. The meeting took place at the parish hall of the Carmelite church of Santa Maria in Traspontina. Entitled “Behind the Scenes” the speakers examined various aspects of the Blessed’s very active life. The overall scope of the conference was to present new aspects of Blessed Angelo Paoli that have emerged from the latest archival research.
Through his ministry of visiting Roman hospitals, Angelo had a great impact on the way those without financial resources were dealt with. He established a convalescent home for those poor who were left to care for themselves after leaving the hospital. His charity to the poor of Rome became noted and valued even by the wealthy and powerful whom he constantly encouraged to join him in his ministry.
Marco Papasidero, who recently published a book on the miracles of San Angelo of Licata, gave a presentation on the miracles and the healing practices attributed to the Blessed. Simona Serci of the General Archives spoke about the social network that Angelo created during his 32 years in Rome. Carmelite Matteo Antollini, a student at CISA, presented on the witness to his life given by the other Carmelites. Giovanni Grosso, director of the Institutum Carmelitanum in Rome, further developed the topic of Paoli as one of the great men of charity in Rome.
Emanuele Atzori, from Rome’s Archivio storico Maestre Pie Venerini, and Maria Conforti, of the University La Sapienza of Rome, developed the theme of Blessed Angelo’s work hospital work and his convalescent home.
Other presentations included a study of the iconography of the blessed that are in the General Archives of the Order by Ruggiero Doronzo of the Università degli Studi di Bari A. Moro. We are able to include a few examples of these here.
The conference was sponsored by the General Archives of the Order and the Office of the Postulator General of the Carmelites.
5/2023: Causa Nostrae Laetitiae
INITIUM NOVITIATUS
13-01-2023 Freyman Alonso Quiroga Barrios (Ita-Co) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Ronal Álvarez Calderín (Ita-Co) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Luis Fernando Láinez Palacios (PCM) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Raúl Sharley Chafloque Orozco (PCM-Perú) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Bernardo Soriano Rosales (PCM) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Rafael Junior Florez Martínez (Ita-Co) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Jorge Alberto Salazar Bedoya (Del TB) Lurín, Perú
13-01-2023 Salomón Santana Marquez (Ita-Co) Lurín, Perú
PROFESSIO TEMPORANEA
07-01-2023 Luis Valeriano (PCM) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Juan Melendez (PCM) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Irvin Zometa (PCM) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Marcelo Girn (PCM) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Augusto Padilla (PCM-Perú) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Eduardo Vega (PCM) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Eloy Vasquez (PCM-Perú) Lurín, Perú
07-01-2023 Kevin Flores (PCM) Lurín, Perú
15-01-2023 João Gabriel de Souza Viana (Par) Paranavai, Brazil
15-01-2023 João Victor de Campos Tomé (Par) Paranavai, Brasil
15-01-2023 Caio Daniel Maria Dos Santos Nogueira (Pern) São Cristovão, Brasil
15-01-2023 João Victor de Paiva Carvalho (Pern) São Cristovão, Brasil
15-01-2023 Matheus Berto da Silva (Pern) São Cristovão, Brasil
15-01-2023 Jeiner Duván Santiago Bayona (It-Co) São Cristovão, Brasil
15-01-2023 Cristian Ariel Julio Prada (It-Co) São Cristovão, Brasil
15-01-2023 Julio Gabriel Delgado Manzano (Cat-V) São Cristovão, Brasil
PROFESSIO SOLEMNIS
03-12-2022 Ma. Consolata Phyui Y (Bur) Pangasinan, Philippines
08-01-2023 Rafael Dorgival Alves F. Neto (Pern) Albano Laziale, Italia
ORDINATIO DIACONALIS
07-01-2023 Cândido Augusto Vida (Pern-Mz) Maputo, Moçambique
ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
03-12-22 Manoel Messias de Oliveira (Pern) Porto da Folha, Brasil
10-12-22 Nicolas Ubaldo Carrizales (Cat) Maturin, Venezuela
10-12-22 Yedo Ian Bezerra de Araújo (Pern) Patos, Brasil
17-12-22 Daniel Ulises González Cabrera (PCM) Ciudad Delgado, El Salvador
07-01-23 Evir Jesús Zambrano (PCM-Perú) José Galvez, Perú
Celebrating At Home - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
The gentleness of the Lamb
(John 1:29-34)
Ordinary Time in the church’s year begins with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord which celebrates his identity as the ‘beloved Son’. On this second Sunday in Ordinary Time we move from the baptism to the mission of the one baptised.
John the Baptist names Jesus as, ‘the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.’ In doing so, he links Jesus with a number of Old Testament passages about the lamb of sacrifice and the suffering servant of God.
As the first reading this Sunday says, this servant has a universal mission to gather and restore God’s people, to be the ‘light of the nations’ and to proclaim God’s salvation ‘to the ends of the earth’.
In speaking about Jesus, John also tells us about his own mission: to proclaim that someone greater than he is was coming, one who would baptise with the Holy Spirit - the Chosen One of God.
Perhaps our reflection on the identity and mission of Jesus also tells us something about who we are meant to become as his disciples.
There is a gentleness we associate with lambs. They are not regarded as aggressive creatures. They do not kill, even to eat. In a world which often praises and rewards violence and aggression, the Lamb calls us to a different way of life.
1/2023: Vitam Coelo Reddiderunt
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29-10-22 |
Ortus
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P. Temp.
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P. Soll.
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Ord.
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15-11-22 |
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16-11-22 |
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25-11-22 |
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12-12-22 |
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01-01-23 |
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Chapel of St. Andrew Corsini
January 9 Feast
Founded during the fourth century, today the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome, bears a simple but solemn and harmonious façade. The work of Alessandro Galilei (1732-1736) it was commissioned by Pope Clement XII of the Corsini family of Florence. Pope Clement’s ten-year reign over the Papal States, from 1730-1740, saw several important public works built, including the Trevi Fountain, to serve the people of Rome.
The pope also engaged Galilei to design a lateral chapel immediately inside the front entrance of the Lateran basilica. He intended the magnificent chapel as a tribute to his 14 th century ancestor, the Carmelite St. Andrew Corsini, as well as a final resting place for himself.
This chapel, often considered the most perfect building of its kind, is in the form of a Greek Cross. An oil on canvas painting, entitled St. Andrew Corsini in Prayer hangs over the mail altar. It is a work of the Italian artist Guido Reni (1630-1635). A mausoleum terminates each end of the transept. On the left are the mortal remains of Pope Clement XII. On the right are those of Cardinal Neri Corsini. Today St Andrew Corsini, bishop and confessor, is remembered by many for the charity he showed others and his willingness to serve and assist.
The rail that separates the chapel from the aisle of the church is of gilt brass. The pavement of is of marble and the walls are incrusted with alabaster and jasper. They are adorned with bas reliefs. Six pillars adorn the recesses. Two statues of Innocence and Penitence stand on the pediment of the altar.
Each year, on the saint’s feast day, a Mass is celebrated in the chapel and is often televised to the rest of the country.
The Iconography of St. Peter Thomas
January 8 Feast
Francisco de Zurbarán (died 1598) painted St. Peter Thomas with a somewhat unconventional iconography. Zurbarán was a painter in the Spanish baroque period and his works are characterized by a Caravaggesque naturalism and the use of extreme contrasts of light and dark to heighten the dramatic effect. Zurbarán was noted for his religious subjects. Besides St. Peter Thomas, he also painted St. Cyril of Constantinople.
According to the Carmelite historian Joachim Smet, the Spanish master must have known the biography of Philippe de Mézières, a contemporary of the saint. Peter Thomas is seen with the hat which he wore on his constant travels, wearing the habit of a humble Carmelite friar in spite of his patriarchal dignity, and reciting his breviary, which he never neglected on land or sea.
These are all details carefully pointed out by Philippe, his devoted friend. The painting (pictured on St. Peter Thomas’ webpage within the ocarm.org website) now hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts.
Lectio Divina January 2023
Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
