O.Carm

Giovedì, 26 Settembre 2024 12:56

Communications Directors to Meet in Rome

The directors of communications programs in each of the Carmelite Order’s provinces, delegations, and commissaries have been invited to participate in six days of presentations and discussions in Rome from January 22 through 27.

The group will first participate in a biennial conference at the Pontifical University of Santa Croce. Entitled Communication and Evangelization: Context, Attitudes, and Experiences, the conference is focused on questions raised about the link between evangelization and communication. It will also be an opportunity for the Carmelites to network with communications experts from around the world.

The group will then participate in the Vatican Dicastery for Communications’ celebration of the Jubilee Year. Several events are planned in various parts of Rome.

The final part of the meeting will be a meeting of the participants in a discussion about the next steps to develop a world-wide communications program for the Order and the sharing of skills and resources. This meeting will also be available online to those not able to attend.

The meeting is being organized by the Order’s communication office and its International Communications Commission. Further information can be obtained from the office: Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Communications Commission

Martedì, 24 Settembre 2024 07:22

Celebrating At Home - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Doing Good in the Name of Jesus
(Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48)

The disciples are on a steep learning curve as Jesus instructs them about what true discipleship is all about.
Last week, using a little child, Jesus tried to show them that real leadership is about putting aside our own needs for social status, self-importance, power and wealth and to give ourselves fully to the service of others.
But the disciples are slow learners. In this Sunday’s Gospel, when they report that they tried to stop someone casting out devils in Jesus’ name just because ‘he was not one of us’, they probably expected praise from Jesus. Instead, they got a rebuke.
True discipleship is not about holding the mystery of the Kingdom to our self, to dispense as we see fit, deciding who merits our love, concern and service, and who does not.
Both principal readings this weekend remind us that the mystery belongs to God who chooses and uses whomever God wills in the service of human beings and the kingdom. The true disciple needs to have the humility to see that he or she is simply one among many whom God has chosen. In the leadership of service there is no place for those who exult themselves or believe themselves to be holders of some privileged position with the power to control the mystery. And jealousy of others distorts God’s intentions and compromises our efforts.
In the second part of the Gospel Jesus redirects the disciples’ attention to the evil that may be found inside the Christian community. Bad example or exploitative behaviour can be a stumbling block to more vulnerable members of the community.
Such people stand in contrast to the ‘man who is not one of us’ but who is doing a good thing by using the name of Jesus to heal people – he is a ‘true’ but unknown disciple of Jesus. Those who claim to be true disciples may very well find themselves to be outsiders and excluded from the kingdom. The graphic sayings are really an invitation for all would-be disciples to search their own hearts and to do the work of pruning away those things which stand in the way of being a true disciple.
Jesus shifts the emphasis from the good deeds of the outsider at the beginning of the reading, to the sinful actions of members of the community towards the end of the reading. Perhaps he is inviting the disciples, and us, to look at our own motivations and behaviour rather than to judge other people.

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Celebrating At Home

Lunedì, 23 Settembre 2024 10:11

Causa Nostrae Laetitiae

INITIUM NOVITIATUS
11-08-24  Paulus Bonari Ndundu (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Romanus Stanis Lewar (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Gregorius Dua (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Fransiskus Xaverius Esdu Maghu (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Ewaldus Sudirman (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Yohanes Aristo Gedo (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Kasimirus Nipa (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Pitansius Pei (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Tibertius Oro Ngaba (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Marianus Mario Timu (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Yoseph Rangga (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Theofilus Iyai (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Heribertus Harto Jelahu (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Gerardus Vladimir Ridi Toda (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Yohanes Elton Wero Beo (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Vinsensius Alex Davian (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Arlinus Eky Renyaan (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Ignasius Edwardo Lema Lewogete (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
11-08-24  Emanuel Christian Theovano (Indo-Est) Maumere, Indonesia
25-08-24  Dedy Apriyadi Nainggolan (Indo) Batu-Malang, Indonesia
25-08-24  Evan Orion Siregar (Indo) Batu-Malang, Indonesia
25-08-24  Rafael Gregory Hegon Kumaniren (Indo) Batu-Malang, Indonesia
25-08-24  Febri Elias Makmur Purba   (Indo) Batu-Malang, Indonesia
25-08-24  Benediktus Abelard Lumbantoruan (Indo) Batu-Malang, Indonesia
25-08-24  Gregorius Kusuma Dewantara (Indo) Batu-Malang, Indonesia
08-09-24 Adolfo Rafael Rivas Hernández (Bética-Venezuela) Salamanca, España
08-09-24 Renaud Ouedraogo (Bética- Burkina Faso) Salamanca, España
08-09-24 Alex Martín Capote Torres (Cataluña-Venezuela) Salamanca, España
08-09-24 Jesús Manuel Rodríguez Utrera (Cataluña-Venezuela) Salamanca, España

PROFESSIO SOLEMNIS
24-08-24 Filiberto Oregel Álvarez (PCM) Washington, DC, USA
07-09-24 Atsu Roger Aziamale (Bética- Burkina Faso) Madrid, España

ORDINATIO DIACONALIS
07-09-24 Atzuu Roger Atsimale (Baet-BF) Madrid, España

ORDINATIO SACERDOTALIS
17-08-24  Keven Mutsvairo (Hib-Zim) Harare, Zimbabwe
17-08-24  Gift Batsirai Chinyadza (Hib-Zim) Harare, Zimbabwe
31-08-24 Rafael Dorgival Alves Fonsêca Neto (Pern) Cajazeiras, Brasil

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Causa Nostrae Laetitiae

Lunedì, 23 Settembre 2024 09:51

Triennial Chapter of the Carmelite Nuns of Carpineto Held

The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of St. Ann in Carpineto Romano was held on September 21, 2024, the feast of St. Matthew, Apostle.

The monastery was founded in April 1979 with nuns from the monastery of Aesinati. It was named after St. Ann. It was first located in the rectory of St. John the Evangelist parish. It was officially approved on December 11, 1985 by the Congregations and the bishop made it official on March 19, 1986. In 1992 the new monastery of Cerreto was started and in 2005 the new foundation of Biella was made.

The monastery belongs to the St. M. Magdalen de' Pazzi Federation. More information about the monastery and the nuns' lives can be found at: www.monasterocarpineto.it

The following were elected:

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Venerdì, 20 Settembre 2024 12:24

Message of Pope Francis for the 39th World Youth Day

39th World Youth Day | November 23-24, 2025

“Do Not Set Out as Mere Tourists, but as True Pilgrims” Says Pope to Young People

According to the Vatican News Service, Pope Francis has released a message for the 39th World Youth Day which encourages young people to embrace life's challenges with hope and perseverance. As previously announced the next World Youth Day will take place on November 23-24, 2025, the Feast of Christ the King. It is intended as a celebration of youth and young adults in local Catholic communities.

The papal message, entitled Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Run and Not Be Weary, focuses on the themes of hope and endurance. Pope Francis writes “Dear young people, I am inviting you to set out on a journey, to discover life along the path of love, and to seek the face of God. My advice to you is this: do not set out as mere tourists, but as true pilgrims.” While encouraging young people to see life as a pilgrimage, a quest for happiness, the pope admits that such a journey is also tiring. But “it is precisely in this journey that hope must shine brightest,” said the Pope.

Referring to the Jubilee of 2025, the pope expressed his hope that the year’s celebrations would be seen by young people as an opportunity to deepen their relationship with God and to experience His mercy and love. But he asked that they come to Rome not “as mere tourists, but as true pilgrims," speaking of the Jubilee preparations as a spiritual journey as well as a physical one.

He concluded by encouraging the young people to “Take courage.” He quotes from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on, there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all those who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim 4:7-8). The example of so many saints, men and women, impels and sustains us.

Exclaiming “courage” the pope entrusts the young peoples’ journey to Mary so that they can “persevere in their journey as pilgrims of hope and love.”

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Papa Francisco

Martedì, 17 Settembre 2024 10:25

Celebrating At Home - 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Becoming A Child
(Mk 9:30-37)

Today’s readings continue last Sunday’s themes of Jesus as the ‘suffering servant’ and the nature of authentic discipleship.

On the road through Galilee Jesus continues to instruct the disciples that he will suffer and die and rise again, but the disciples seem very slow to understand and are too afraid to ask him about it. Perhaps it is an awful truth they just don’t want to face. Maybe they want Jesus to be a ‘warrior-king’, a liberator who would restore Israel to greatness and crush the Romans. Perhaps they have begun to think of themselves as princes and rulers in this new Israel.

Among themselves the disciples are not discussing the important things Jesus has told them about who he is and his destiny, but fighting about which of them was the greatest - who will be first in line to receive honour, power and glory in the kingdom of Jesus.

Using a little child as an example Jesus tells the disciples that real leadership is about service and giving without expecting anything in return.

It’s hard for us to grasp the power of what Jesus says and does here. In his time, unlike now, children had no social status or value at all. Until adulthood they were nobodies. To welcome a child would have required a person to put aside all their ideas of self-importance and adult status in order ‘to simply meet the child as an equal, as “child” to child.’ This is what Jesus is telling the disciples to do. Even more astonishing, Jesus goes on to identify both himself and God with the little child!

This is a direct challenge to the disciples’ understanding of Jesus’ messiaship and to their notions about God. ‘Is God to be thought of as a kind of extraterrestial Ruler to whom nothing but fear and service is due? Or is the God revealed by Jesus a God whose primary gesture toward human beings is that of One who serves, One who comes among us in the guise of a child?’ Jesus’ unusual gesture of hugging a child in public expresses powerfully the preciousness of each and every human person in the sight of God, no matter how small, insignificant or young. We, too, are hugged by God in this moment.

Seeking glory is not the calling of the true disciple. Doing things in order to gain rewards is not the calling of the true disciple. Putting aside discrimination, status and power to proclaim God’s love, compassion, care, justice and forgiveness is.

Every Christian is called to this ministry of servantleadership - that is, to be leaders in the doing of service.

cf Byrne, Brendan, A Costly Freedom - A Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel (Sydney, St Paul’s, 2008), pp 152-153

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Celebrating At Home

Lunedì, 16 Settembre 2024 08:34

St. Albert of Jerusalem, bishop and lawgiver

September 17 | Feast

In 1205, Albert was appointed Patriarch of Jerusalem and a little later nominated Papal Legate for the ecclesiastical province of Jerusalem. He arrived in Palestine early in 1206 and lived in Acre because, at that time, Jerusalem was occupied by the Saracens.

At some point between 1206 and 1214, Albert was approached by the hermits gathered on Mount Carmel, "near the font of Elijah," and asked to set down their way of life in the form of a Rule. Albert's formula vitae (way of life), a relatively short document, encouraged the daily practices of the hermits in order to "follow Christ."

During his time in Palestine, Albert was also involved in various peace initiatives, not only among Christians but also between the Christians and non-Christians and he carried out his duties with great energy and dedication. On 14th September 1214, during a relgious procession, he was stabbed to death.

A list of books available from Edizioni Carmelitane on St. Albert and the Carmelite Rule are listed at the bottom of this announcement.

+ + +

Books Published by Edizioni Carmelitane on St. Albert of Jerusalem
Edizioni Carmelitane Webstore

Libros publicados por Edizioni Carmelitane sobre San Alberto
Tienda virtual de Edizioni Carmelitane

Libri pubblicati da Edizioni Carmelitane su Sant'Alberto
Sito Web di Edizioni Carmelitane

The Carmelites and St. Albert of Jerusalem. Origins and Identity
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

Celebrating St. Albert and His Rule. Rules, Devotion, Orthodoxy and Dissent
Edited by Michelle Sauer and Kevin Alban, O. Carm.

The Bollandist Dossier on St. Albert of Jerusalem
Daniel Papenbroeck, SJ | Edited and translated by Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

St. Albert of Jerusalem and the Roots of Carmelite Spirituality
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

The Life of St. Albert of Jerusalem. A Documentary Biography. Part 1
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

The Life of St. Albert of Jerusalem. A Documentary Biography. Part 2
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

Alberto Patriarca di Gerusalemme. Tempo - Vita - Opera
Vincenzo Mosca, O. Carm.

Books Published by Edizioni Carmelitane on the Rule of St. Albert
Edizioni Carmelitane Webstore

Libros publicados por Edizioni Carmelitane sobre la Regla de San Alberto
Tienda virtual de Edizioni Carmelitane

Libri pubblicati da Edizioni Carmelitane sulla Regola di S. Alberto
Sito Web di Edizioni Carmelitane

Albert and His Rule
Michael Mulhall, O. Carm.

A Pattern for Life. The Rule of St. Albert and the Carmelite Laity
Patrick Thomas McMahon, O. Carm.

The Carmelite Rule. Proceedings of the Lisieux Conference. 4-7 July 2005
Various Authors

La Regola del Carmelo: Origine, natura, significato
Carlo Cicconetti, O. Carm.

Expositio paraenetica in regulam carmelitarum: Un commento alla regola del Carmelo
Giovanni Soreth | Tradotto da Giovanna D'Aniello, O. Carm.

Abdicatio Proprietatis. Sens et Défi de la Pauvreté Religieuse selon la Règle du Carmel et son inculturation dans le contexte de l'Afrique
Jean-Maria Dundji Bagave Makanova, O. Carm.

La Regola del Carmelo. Per una nuova interpretazione
Bruno Secondin, O. Carm.

In Ossequio di Gesù Cristo. Programma di studi sulla Regola del Carmelo
Emanuele Boaga, O. Carm. & A. de Castro Cotta, CDP

+ + +

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Calendar of Feasts and Memorials

Venerdì, 13 Settembre 2024 11:00

A Carmelite Parish Providing Ministry to the Disabled

The Carmelite parish of St. Thérèse of Lisieux in Cresskill, New Jersey, was featured in an article in America Magazine on the Catholic Church’s disability ministry in the United States. St. Thérèse parish is a leader in this ministry.

The author of the article visited the parish and noted “people arrive early and families talk to each other.” She is noticed because she is new and they ask her name— a new experience for her even after having attended many different churches. The sanctuary “screams of the 1970s” but “the parish feels fully alive.” About 15-20 families regularly attend the monthy Sunday mass.

People with disabilities provide service as lectors and altar servers. Following the Mass the people gather in another building with much of the food and drink provided by the special needs Mass’s “hospitality committee which is staffed by many parishioners who have no connection to the disability community except for their desire to support it.”

The Mass was started by Carmelite Samuel Citero, the current pastor at St. Thérèse. His inspiration came from a pilgrimage he made to Lourdes in 2015. “It didn’t take a lot to convince our parish,” he said, thanks to its longstanding commitment to social concerns.

Unlike many U.S. parishes, St. Thérèse parish in a suburb of New York City has seen growth in recent years, including a handful who joined St. Thérèse because of their welcoming stance toward people with disabilities. “We’re not trying to steal people’s parishioners, but we do what we do,” he says.

The problem has been the welcome some of these families received in their own parish. “Some of them are refused sacraments, so we take on that responsibility,” Father Citero explains. Some people with disabilities are denied the Eucharist if the pastor believes they cannot “distinguish the body of Christ from ordinary food,” as instructed by the Pastoral Statement of the U.S. Bishops on Persons with Disabilities which was published in 1978. But many parishes lack catechesis for people with disabilities to begin to grasp the mystery of the Eucharist. (And few neurotypical adults face similar scrutiny about their understanding of transubstantiation.)

According to the article, “Masses like the one at St. Thérèse offer safe spaces for people with disabilities to worship, where no one blinks an eye if they have an outburst or need to step out for a moment. They might also offer sensory adaptations. The Masses include people with disabilities among the liturgical ministers, which reminds the rest of the congregation that people with disabilities have abundant gifts to share with the church.”

The parish can also be a place where people with disabilities who struggle to make friends as adults can find a community that welcomes them, affirms their dignity, and provides a space for them to offer their gifts and talents.

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Giovedì, 12 Settembre 2024 11:54

Body of St. Teresa of Avila Found Intact

Photos courtesy of the Discalced Carmelite Order and the Diocese of Avila

On August 28, Authorities opened the silver reliquary containing the body of St. Teresa of Avila who died in 1582. The process was undertaken so that a study of the Saint’s relics can be carried out by the Italian doctors and scientists with the Vatican’s approval. The casket was previously opened in 1914, apparently so that the propositor general of the Discalced Carmelites at that time, Clemente de los Santos, could view the Saint’s body.

Photos were taken of the body at the time of the 1914 study. According to the Discalced Carmelites’ postulator general, Marco Chiesa, who was present at this recent opening, the body “is in the same condition as when it was last opened in 1914.” According to a press release, “the uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914." The press release also states, "There is no color, there is no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but it is seen, especially in the middle of the face. … Expert doctors see Teresa's face almost clearly."

Both viewings have confirmed that the body of Teresa has remained incorrupt.

The Diocese of Avila, where Teresa lived much of her life, wants canonical recognition by Rome of the relics.

For the opening of the casket to occur, a marble slab had to be removed. Then the case containing the body was moved to a room which has been set aside for the study of the relics. The urn was opened in the presence of the scientific medical team and Church authorities. The local community of Discalced Carmelites, as well as the general postulator of the Order, members of the ecclesiastical tribunal, and a small group of religious participated by singing the Te Deum.

The actual process of opening the urn required the assistance of two goldsmiths and 10 keys. Three keys are kept in Alba de Tormes, three are kept by the Duke of Alba, three are kept by the Discalced Carmelites in Rome, and one key is kept by the king of Spain. Three keys are required to open the gate protecting the tomb, three are needed to open the marble tomb, and the remaining four are required to open the silver reliquary itself.

According to news reports, scholars “were struck by its magnificent state of preservation and robustness. In Teresa’s final years, she did have trouble walking. She describes this ailment in her writings. According to Father Chiesa, the pain she experienced is quite understandable. “Analyzing her foot in Rome, we saw the presence of calcareous thorns that made walking almost impossible.”

Two goldsmiths assisted in the process of opening the tomb and reliquary. Ten keys that protect the tomb were required: three that are kept in Alba de Tormes, three kept by the Duke of Alba, another three that the father general keeps in Rome, in addition to the key kept by the king of Spain. Three of these keys are to open the outer gate, three are to open the marble tomb, and the other four are to open the silver coffin.

The Saint’s tomb was donated by King Ferdinand VI and his wife, Barbara of Braganza. It is noted for its fine workmanship.

St. Teresa’s writings are recognized as masterpieces of 16th century Spanish literature and spirituality. Her reflections on the process for one to progress toward God through prayer and contemplation are considered benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. She initiated a reform within the Carmelite Order which following her death became the separate Discalced Carmelite Order. She was canonized on March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV along with Ignatius of Loyola, Isidore of Madrid, Francis Xavier, and Philip Neri. Pope Paul VI declared her to be a doctor of the Church in 1970.

Published in Notizie (CITOC)

Tagged under

Lunedì, 09 Settembre 2024 12:40

Celebrating At Home - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Who Am I?
(Mk 8:27-35)

All of us, at least to some extent, shape our identity and measure ourselves in response to the comments and ideas of others. From an early age we are taught how to speak, dress and act in order to be ‘acceptable’ to others. Usually this is a good thing, but sometimes it can go horribly wrong.

Celebrities, sports stars and young people can become so vulnerable to the expectations and reactions of the public, media and social media trolls that they end up with little identity of their own, or they develop a very distorted idea of their identity. Unfortunately, both these experiences have significant negative impacts on a person’s mental wellbeing.

This Sunday’s Gospel teaches us how to find our true identity.

Both the ‘people’ and Peter have ideas about who Jesus is. For the people he is John the Baptist, Elijah or one of the prophets returned from the dead. For Peter, Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. But what happens next reveals that Peter and Jesus have very different ideas about who this Messiah is.

Though Peter understands correctly that Jesus is the Messiah, he misunderstands the kind of Messiah that Jesus is. Perhaps he wanted a Messiah who was a great warrior-king, powerful and glorious. He can’t imagine that his Messiah would meet the kind of end that Jesus talks about.

Jesus calls Peter, ‘Satan’. If Peter is to learn the true identity of Jesus and come to think with God’s heart, he must ‘get behind’ (follow) Jesus.

Such followers are called to renounce their false identity (often defined by what we have, what we work at, our delusions) and to find their true identity as God’s beloved son or daughter through a life poured out in loving service of others (taking up his/her cross).

I often think that parents are the great examples of what all this means. They constantly have to go beyond themselves, their own needs, hopes and desires and sacrifice their time, energy and money to care for their children with love. In doing so, they often discover their very best selves.

In the Gospel, Jesus, the true Messiah, appears not as a glorious God-King but as the Suffering Servant of God about whom Isaiah speaks in the first reading. The way of discipleship is not about self-glory but about true service, and about discovering our true identity as God’s beloved sons and daughters.

As disciples of Jesus we try to live our lives as a real service to our brothers and sisters in the world. But it’s not possible to do that until and unless we realise our true identity and call as God’s own people.

Then we become a source of love, mercy, hope, compassion, justice, truth, concern and Christian action as servants of God and each other. That is DOING the Gospel.