O.Carm
Causa Nostrae Laetitiae
PROFESSIO SOLEMNIS
01-11-25 Charles Brandon Pabst (LAK) Lake Elmo, USA
08-11-25 Irysson Felipe Nascimento da Silva (Pern) Petrolina, Brasil
ORDINATIO DIACONALIS
04-07-25 Davi Maria Santos (Pern) São José de Princesa, Brasil
25-10-25 Lloyd Champiruka (Hib-Zim) Rusape, Zimbabwe
08-11-25 Maicor José Cueto (Bet-V) La Victoria, Venezuela
Carmelite NGO Has Active Presence at COP 30 in Brazil
— Renato Rallo, Carmelite NGO Observer
We have arrived at COP30 in Belém, Brazil!
The first impression upon arrival is that logistics are not easy this year. The few hotels in the city are very expensive, so everyone has had to be "creative" with their plans. At the conference venue, there is a constant loud background noise from the air conditioners. In addition, from time to time, usually in the early afternoon, it starts to rain heavily and the raindrops rumble on the tents. You can hardly hear anything.
However, this "problematic background" is important for the participants: it allows all delegates to experience what it is like to live outside the world's major cities or developed countries. These small inconveniences can help them to put themselves in other people's shoes, in a process that is essentially cooperative, not competitive.
Expectations for this COP before it began were quite low. The international crisis and the weakening of multilateralism in the face of growing dualism (some call it G2) do not bode well. The main issues on which progress is expected are: biofuels (through the "Belém 4x" initiative); forest conservation; a common framework of criteria for evaluating adaptation initiatives (to climate change). Anything else will be a very welcome surprise.
In a climate of great uncertainty, which some see as the beginning of disenchantment, the Carmelite NGO is here to bear witness.
The Carmelite NGO is represented at the meeting (either in person or on-line) by Dr. Renato Rallo, Mechanical Engineer in Energy Resources and Environment; Alirio Cáceres, a deacon and eco-theologian from Bogotá, Colombia, working for CELAM; Abilio Peña from Bogotá, Councilor at SICSAL and the executive director of JPIC for the Franciscan Community of Our Lady of Lourdes; Sonia Olea Ferreras of the Caritas España Advocacy Team in Madrid; Environmental Engineer Miriam Montero Hidalgo, a researcher and lecturer at the Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid; Dr. Dennis Kalob, the Carmelite NGO’s Chief Administrative Officer; and Dr. Eduardo Scarel, O. Carm., the Vice President of the Carmelite NGO and director of the Department of Integral Ecology of the Spanish Episcopal Conference.
Celebrating At Home - Christ the King
The Royal Shepherd
(Luke 23:35-43)
a kingdom of holiness and grace,
a kingdom of justice, love, and peace’.
The first reading from the book of Samuel tells the story of David’s election as king of Israel. Under David all the twelve tribes of Israel gathered to form one kingdom. The reading recalls God’s commission to David to be ‘shepherd of my people Israel’. David is not to lord it over his people, but to be a shepherd to them.
Like David, Christ comes to gather all people into the one Kingdom of God. He, too, acts as a shepherd-king to God’s people.
The Gospel illustrates this clearly. Here is a king who gives up his life for his people. He has no fine clothes. His throne is the cross. His crown is made of thorns, not of gold. Even in the throes of death faith and forgiveness are at work and entry into the kingdom of God gained and granted. Indeed, the final act of the dying King Jesus is to grant forgiveness, mercy and admission to the kingdom – a gospel within the Gospel.
The Gospel readings throughout Ordinary time have lead us on a journey of accompanying Jesus on his earthly journey, listening to him unfold God’s desire for the human family, watching him restore health and wholeness to many, being taught how to pray properly, to be aware that the Kingdom is both ‘here and now’ and ‘yet to come’, the lengths God goes to in order to win us back, and how God meets us with mercy, forgiveness, healing and peace. Our journey has been about discovering who God is and therefore, who Jesus is, and therefore, who we are called to be when we enter into a faithful relationship with him.
Commemoration of All Carmelite Souls
15 November Optional Memorial
by Fr. Emiel Abalahin, O.Carm.
The homes of most people do not consist of a mere wooden frame or a cement foundation; rather, they are constructed from a great variety of materials, and more often than not, the result of the participation of more than one or two people. So, too, the Order of Carmel continues to grow and develop today because of the presence and contributions of all those who built upon its spiritual foundations, and not just its great saints.
Read more ...
Carmelite Institute of Malta Hosts John of the Cross Events
Carmelite Institute of Malta Providing St John of the Cross Inspired Seminars, Retreat and Pilgrimage
The Carmelite Institute Malta has announced a series of events to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the canonization of St John of the Cross. The anniversary is being celebrated from November 2025 through April 2026.
The first is a seminar, “In the Silent Flame: The Carmelite Mysticism of St John of the Cross,” to be held over six sessions. The seminar will cover the saint’s mystical theology, his Carmelite roots, and his lasting influence on Christian spirituality.
The program will feature respected scholars and Carmelite friars, each guiding participants through different dimensions of the saint’s life and writings. Scheduled sessions include Carmelite foundations by Alexander Vella, O. Carm., on November 22; the life and times of the saint with Pia Attard Yeon on December 20; ), The Ascent of Mount Carmel with Kurt Mizzi, O. Carm., on January 31; and The Dark Night led by Dr Christopher Bezzina on February 28. The final two sessions will be led by Rev. Prof. Charló Camilleri, O. Carm., exploring mystical love, the Spiritual Canticle, and mature mysticism in the Living Flame of Love.
All sessions will be held at the Ċentru Spiritwalità Tereżjana in Birkirkara.
A second initiative planned is a May retreat titled “On the Spiritual Summit: Journey to the Heart of God,” inspired by the teachings of St John of the Cross. The retreat will take place from May 15–17 at the Dar tat-Talb Lunzjata in Rabat. The retreat will be led by Rita Grima.
Drawing on the saint’s doctrine of inner transformation and detachment, the retreat invites individuals to engage deeply with Carmelite spirituality in a reflective and contemplative environment.
The Carmelite Institute will also host a special pilgrimage to Spain planned for June and July. The participants are invited to walk in the footsteps of St John of the Cross. The journey will include visits to sacred sites where the saint lived, prayed and wrote, offering insights into the landscapes and communities that shaped his spiritual legacy.
Pilgrims will explore monasteries, churches and locations central to his life of contemplation, while also experiencing Spain’s rich cultural and religious heritage. The Institute describes the pilgrimage as an opportunity not only to deepen one’s understanding of the saint, but also to strengthen personal faith through direct engagement with Carmelite history.
For more information or to register online, go to: https://forms.gle/b5cwkZtcrM4jMVCPA
All Carmelite Saints
November 14 | Feast
The Heavenly Bliss of Paradise
From De Patientia of Bl. Battista Mantovano, Carmelite
The blessed will hear resounding from all sides the highest praises of God, according to the word of the Prophet: blessed is he who dwells in your house: always sing your praises. They will see the heavens and taste all their harmony, they will see Christ and His Mother and all the glorious bodies of the blessed. These, now incorruptible and clothed in incomparable beauty, will be such a sweet spectacle to the beholders that they will not know what better to desire.
Read the complete article
Read more about the Feast of All Carmelite Saints
Blessed Maria Teresa Scrilli, Virgin
Some Observations on the Spirituality of Mother Scrilli
From childhood she showed signs of extraordinary piety and, thanks to the positive influence of her teachers, cultivated her spiritual life through assiduous attendance at the sacraments and readings from the lives of the saints, especially St. Mary Magdalena de'Pazzi. Her mother’s lack of love for having a second daughter and her own long serious illness at the age of 15 drew her ever closer to the suffering of Christ and his Cross. Suffering experienced as an act of love made her delve more and more into the mystery of the Cross. “Patire per amore” (To Suffer for Love) was her motto.
In addition to devotion to Christ’s passion and the Eucharist, she had a tender love for Mary whom she considered her “dear mother.”
When she attempted to live as a cloistered nun at the monastery of St Mary Magdalen de’Pazzi, who she had a devotion to as well, she found that God had other plans for her. She and some friends started teaching. But that too did not work out because of the anti-Church attitudes in Florence at the time. Years later, in 1875, they restarted the Istituto di Nostra Signora del Carmelo knowing that this was God’s will.
To her intense activity, Mother Scrilli united a profound and continuous life of prayer. She knew how to harmonize prayer and work, contemplation and action, self-giving to God and service to her brothers and sisters. This became the goal of the Institute.
While she endured many constant physical sufferings, she also endured moral one with a spirit of faith and conformity to Divine Will. Her whole desire, in fact, was to fulfill God’s will. The “fiat” was the constant that accompanied her throughout her life.
To learn more about the life of Mother Maria Teresa and her work and legacy, we suggest reading The Autobiography of Maria Teresa Scrilli, Foundress of the Institute of Our Lady of Mount Carmel published by Edizioni Carmelitane
Extraordinary Chapter in Indonesia
Extraordinary Chapter of the Province of Indonesia
With the election of the Prior Provincial of the Province of Indonesia, FX. Hariawan Adji, O. Carm., as Vice Prior General, based on Constitution no. 337 § 2, the Province of Indonesia held an Extraordinary Provincial Chapter to elect a new prior provincial. This Chapter was held at the Carmelite Novitiate in Batu, on Friday, November 7, 2025. The Vice Prior General, Hariawan Adji, was present to preside over this Extraordinary Chapter.
In the Extraordinary Chapter, which was conducted smoothly and in a spirit of brotherhood, Fr. Edison R. L. Tinambunan was elected as Prior Provincial of the Carmelite Order of the Indonesian Province for 2025-2028.
Edison serves as rector and professor at the Widya Sasana School of Philosophy and Theology in Malang.
Celebrating At Home - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Not So Soon
(Luke 21:5-19)
Passages of Scripture, like today’s Gospel, can leave us feeling disturbed.
Talk of destruction, wars, revolutions, persecution and betrayal by close family members can be quite unsettling.
We have to read the Gospel as Luke’s community would have received it, knowing that the Temple and Jerusalem had already been destroyed (ca 70AD) at the end of the Jewish-Roman war, some 10-20 years before Luke’s Gospel was written. In the light of that destruction, and the ongoing persecution by both Romans and Jews, perhaps many in Luke’s community thought the end was near.
Looking at the world today many of us, too, are dismayed by the wars, persecutions and destruction in our own day.
Like Luke’s community, perhaps we, too, long for a saviour to come to our rescue, to make it all right. Maybe that is why so many are prepared to put their trust in harsh dictators who promise to make things right and restore a sense of control and national identity, even at the expense of basic human rights.
The words which Luke places on the lips of Jesus are designed to comfort and give hope. Jesus warns them not to listen to those who think they know God’s plan for the end of time – rather, they should know that God is with them always and no matter what happens.
The Church must continue its journey (persevere) in spite of all sorts of difficulties and persecutions. Like Jesus, the disciples will be vindicated by God with the gift of eternal life.
- pdf Celebrating At Home - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [PDF](2.85 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time [ePub](2.90 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - XXXIII Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario(488 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - XXXIII Domenica del Tempo Ordinario(479 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - XXXIII Domingo do Tempo Comum(475 KB)
COP 30 in Belém, Brazil: Just Another Summit?
The Carmelite NGO | Advocacy for a Just World
The Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil: Just Another Summit?
From November 6 to 21 this year, COP 30 will be held in Belém, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. Ten years after the Paris Agreement, this climate summit transcends the usual diplomatic calendar to become an event of profound symbolism. As stated by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the summit will be an opportunity for the world to discuss the importance of the Amazon within the Amazon itself, listening directly to its peoples.
The conference agenda is anchored in crucial mandates that will define the trajectory of global climate action for the next decade. It inherits from COP 28 the task of responding to the first Global Stocktake, which concluded that current efforts are insufficient to limit warming to 1.5°C and called for the submission of a new and more ambitious round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), or national climate action plans by February 2025. It will also need to build on the financial commitments established at the last COP 29, particularly with regard to the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), which will replace the target of $100 billion per year in aid to countries affected by climate change.
Heading up the Carmelite NGO delegation to the meetings in Brazil will be Renato Rallo, a long time member of the Carmelite NGO. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in Energy Resources and Environment. Mari Carmen Molina, Chair of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, will participating as a delegate of the Carmelite NGO and will present a side event in the green zone. Five others will be participating virtually as part of the Carmelite NGO.
Eduardo Agosta Scarel, O. Carm., Director of the Department of Integral Ecology, Spanish Episcopal Conference and Vice President of the Carmelite NGO, published an article in VIDA NUEVA digital on Monday, November 3, 2025 before leaving for the conference. The article was originally published in Spanish. We provide here a translation in English.
To read the complete article ... The Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil: Just Another Summit? by Eduardo Agosta Scarel, O. Carm.
