For us to be brothers means to grow in communion and in unity, overcoming privileges and distinctions, in a spirit of participation and co-responsibility, in sharing material possessions, a common programme of life, and personal charisms;
(Carmelite Constitutions)
We are led to appreciate the mystery of those with whom we share our lives. Our Rule requires us to be essentially “brothers”, and reminds us that the quality of interpersonal relationships within the Carmelite community needs to be constantly developed and enhanced, following the inspiring example of the first community in Jerusalem.
(Carmelite Constitutions)
Through living like Christ, in solidarity with the events and the hopes of the human race, Carmelites will be able to make appropriate decisions to transform life, making it conform more closely to the will of the Father.
(Carmelite Constitutions)
We are to pray with perseverance, especially by keeping vigil and praying the psalms. We are also to be clothed in spiritual armour; to live in fraternal communion, expressed through the daily celebration of the Eucharist...
(Carmelite Constitutions)
We are to ponder the law of the Lord, by day and by night, in silence and in solitude, so that the word of God may dwell abundantly in the hearts and on the lips of those who profess it.
(Carmelite Constitutions)
Carmelite life is modeled on the lives of Mary and Joseph. The religious observance, therefore, in the Carmelite Order is such as to create an environment in which the soul can expand and open out to God. It provides opportunities for coming into frequent contact with Him. In other words, the whole pattern of Carmelite life is ordered to a single end: to facilitate a life of friendship with Christ.
(Carmelite Ratio)
“He who wants to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come in conflict with it.”
(Bl. Titus Brandsma)
“Those who join the Carmelite Order are not lost to their near and dear ones, but have been won for them, because it is our vocation to intercede to God for everyone.”
(Edith Stein)
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things are passing
God never changes
Patience obtains all things
Who possesses God lacks nothing
God alone suffices.
Teresa of Avila
“I wanted Carmel as soon as I learned of it; I find that all the aspirations of my heart are fulfilled in this Order.”
(Saint Therese of Lisieux)
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CARMELITE DIRECTORY - PRESENCE IN THE WORLD
The Coordinating Committee of the Carmelite NGO decided during its annual meeting to take the trafficking of human beings as its main focus for the coming year. A number of Carmelite ministries and organizations are already involved in the issue. The meeting was held at CISA in Rome on August 6-8, 2012.
One morning session was dedicated to a presentation and discussion with Dr. Alessandra Barberi from the Italian Prime Minister's Office of Equal Opportunity, the government agency responsible for dealing with trafficking. Dr. Barberi presented the current situation in Italy and outlined measures being taken to stop trafficking in the country.
A lay Carmelite from Sicily, Avv. Andrea Ventimiglia, was invited to join the coordinating committee. A lawyer by profession, Sig. Ventimiglia and his wife are very involved in the Domus Carmelitana Siculorum, an active NGO dealing with various social situations in Sicily.
Members attending the recently completed RIO+20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro reported on the various conferences and meetings they were able to attend.
Each member reported on the activities of their geographical area, the annual budget was discussed, and the publications for the Carmelite NGO for the year were planned. This meeting is usually held in conjunction with the annual meeting of NGOs at the United Nations but due to the recent RIO+20 Summit, no meeting was held this year.
More information about the work of the Carmelite NGO can be found on its website: www.carmelitengo.org
On the 5th of August just gone by, at the end of the re-dedication of the Church in Olinda (Citoc-online 75/2012) the Prior General, Fernando Millan Romeral, O.Carm., handed over the icon of "Our Lady of Hope" to Fr. Roberval Mendes Pereira, O.Carm., Prior Provincial of the Carmelite province of Pernambuco. That particular icon, written by the Carmelite nuns in Ravenna (Italy) went from one carmelite house, college and church to another in the different countries of Europe and was brought by young people to the international Carmelite gathering that took place during World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid (Spain). Fr. Roberval, for his part, handed the icon over to the young students of the community of Goiana, in the north-eastern province of Pernambuco, as the first stage in the icon's pilgrimage throughout America. It will pass through a number of different states in Brazil and it will preside over the gathering of young Carmelites at the next World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, in July of next year.
