From the 19th to the 23rd of August 2014 the first part of the Carmelite European Youth programme “Awakening” took place at Casa São Nuno, Fatima, Portugal. In all there were 58 participants from the Spanish provinces, Ireland, The Netherlands and Portugal. Also participating were the novices from the European Carmelite Novitiate at Salamanca and a group with the Hermanas de la Virgen Maria del Monte Carmelo.
The “Awakening” Project, which was presented at the General Chapter of 2013 and supported by the European Provincials, is part of an on-going engagement with young people in Europe in Carmelite spirituality and history. This intensive programme of formation at Fatima was led by the Carmelite European Youth Committee, Sabrina Rubio Perez, Aoife Merrins, Victor Navarrro Poncela and Carmelites Luca Sciarelli, Dave Twohig and Tommaso Bacci, and coordinated by the General Councillor for Europe, John Keating. Speaking during the meeting were the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral (on Saints Nuno and Edith Stein and Blessed Titus Brandsma), Fr. Michael Plattig, (on Prayer with reference to Saints Teresa of Avila and John of Cross), Sister Rosario Alvaros, HVMMC (on the Virgin Mary in our tradition) and Fr. Desidero García Martínez (on the Carmelite Rule, history and tradition). Fr. Raul Maraví, Councillor General for the Americas also participated and helped with translations. During the gathering the group visited Batalha a place connected with the life of Saint Nuno, and they concluded their programme by participating in the Saturday evening candlelit procession at the Shrine of our Lady of Fatima.
The event was made possible through the generous hospitality of the Portuguese General Commissariat. The Commissary General, Fr. Ricardo dos Reis Rainho and the director of Casa São Nuno, Fr. Agostinho Marques Castro were present throughout the meeting.
The second part of the programme for the Carmelite “Awakening” Project will take place in August of next year (2015) at San Felice del Benaco, Italy. This second part is intended for the other half of the European Geographical Area - the Italian Provinces, Malta, Germany, Poland, France and the Czech Republic.
An official VMG virtual choir, "Salve Regina" is the second of two virtual choirs produced for the celebration of St. Teresa of Jesus's 500th birthday. This virtual choir is made up of Carmelite Nuns and Friars from around the world and highlights the internationality and diversity of the Carmelite Order. Music composed by Claire Sokol, OCD.
From 1 July to 14 August, the Aylesford UK community hosted a “language experience” which the following attended: Andres Trujillo Herrera (Ita-Col), Janer Fernando Gomez Torres (Ita-Col), Karol Amroz (Pol), Antonin Prikasky (BM), David Del Carpio Horcajo (Baet), Jean de la Croix Dino Bori Sumbu (Ita-RDC), Manoel da Cruz Alves da Silva (Pern) and Jimmy Vogel (Swedish seminarian).
The specific objectives to be attained by the end of the course by all the participants, not only the more advanced ones included:
- Understanding the readings at daily Mass.
- Developing homily points for the readings.
- Praying parts of the Eucharistic Prayer
- Proclaiming the Gospel or other scriptural readings.
- Giving a short introduction to the Mass.
- Taking the role of cantor or reader in the Divine Office.
- Giving a short presentation on Carmelite life in their country of origin.
- Giving a short presentation on Carmelite spirituality or history.
Classroom activities included a thorough review of some key grammatical points, reading and listening comprehension and a certain amount of more open discussion. The immersion experience consisted of living and working with the local community at prayer, at the table and at recreation. The work in the classroom and the community immersion were supplemented by a number of trips designed to offer a taste of English life and an opportunity to use the language in “real life” contexts. Places visited included: Rochester Castle and Cathedral, Maidstone, Canterbury, including Evensong in the Cathedral, the City and University of Cambridge and London.
Raúl Maraví Cabrera
"Catholic schools, which always strive to join their work of education with the explicit proclamation of the Gospel, are a most valuable resource for the evangelization of culture" (Evangelii Gaudium 106)
Through our Carmelite schools, the Order is committed to give an integral education and spiritual formation to thousands of children and teenagers around the world. During the past sexennium we devoted ourselves to instill Carmelite identity in the students, faculty, staff, parents and other people involved in our school ministries.
In order to face the big challenges of our modern world, in his recent Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis urges the Church to provide an education which teaches critical thinking and encourages the development of mature moral values.
members
- Raúl Maraví Cabrera (praeses)
- Visitación Baz (HVMMC)
- Xavier Domingo Garmón (Cat)
- Albertus Herwanta (Indo)
- Paul Horan (Hib)
- Tony Mazurkiewicz (PCM)
Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation Commission 2013-2019
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Benny Phang Khong Wing
Our spiritual masters have taught us a life of in obsequio Jesu Christi, whose authentic meaning is that person¬al encounter with Jesus Christ and discipleship is indispensable. This is the core of Carmelite formation. It is "a specific process through which a person learns to identify fully with the Carmelite ideal of life" (Con. 117), therefore it is "a continual process of conversion of heart and spiritual transformation" (Con. 118). This formation should be presented in such a way that individuals can experience, understand and embrace it as a dynamic process which is to continue throughout their lives (RIVC 19) enriched with the Carmelite tradition and grounded on the socio anthropological-cultural context where the persons live. To realize these formation ideals, we are once again challenged to live authentically the identity we constantly profess throughout our Carmelite history by way of focusing the formation in fostering and building praying and prophetic Carmelite communities.
members
- Benny Phang Khong Wing (praeses)
- Roberto Noel Rosas (Phil)
- Quinn Conners (PCM)
- Desiderio García Martínez (Arag-Cast)
- Barnabas Krispinus Ginting (Indo)
- Giampiero Molinari (Ita)
- Onesmus Muthoka (Cat-Kenya)
- Albeiro Luis Romero Martínez (Ita-Col)
- Wayne Stanhope (Aus)
- Jose Alex Valavanattu (Ind)
Carl Markelz
God has called us to be good stewards of the gifts we have received. We are called to live in simplicity and solidarity with our brothers and sisters. "In our use of material goods, it is our responsibility before God to observe faithfully the poverty which we have freely professed, keeping in mind that we make the vow of poverty in order to live a simple life, individually and within our communities, avoiding whatever might offend the sensibilities of the poor" (Con. 57). "To ensure that the economic structure of our religious life does not resemble existing global systems of unjust inequality, fraternity within the Carmelite family should find expression in concern for the sharing with communities throughout the Order, in particular the poorer among them" (Con. 37).
Members
- Carl Markelz (praeses)
- Albert Anuszewski, OSST
- Günter Benker (Ger)
- Christian Buenafe (Phil)
- Fintan Burke (Hib)
- Anna De Giglio
- Alfredo Di Cerbo (Brun)
- Michael Kissane (SEL)
Francisco de Sales Alencar Batista
Prayer is the center of our lives and cannot be eliminated from a community and an authentic ministry flow. The prayer of the Carmelite community is a sign to the world that the Church prays [..]. Liturgical prayer is the highest form of encounter with God in the community and actualizes what is celebrated. Personal prayer is closely connected with the liturgical prayer: one flows from the other (Con. 64, 69).
In the last General Chapter, in the words of Pope Benedict XVI addressed to the Carmelites in 2007, Pope Francis challenged us to put prayer at the center of our lives as the source that nourishes, witnesses and expresses the noblest values of the contemplative dimension of the our charism. Prayer, according to the Holy Father, must characterize the dynamism of our presence and mission in the Church and in the world: "You are called to live on the heights of Mount Carmel, it is also true that you are called to give testimony in the midst of God's pilgrim people in the world toward the Promised Land [...]. Now more than ever is the time to rediscover the inner path of love through prayer and offer today people, in witness of contemplation, as well as in preaching and mission, not useless shortcuts but the wisdom that emerges from meditating 'day and night in the law of the Lord,' the Word that always leads to the glorious Cross of Christ."
Starting from the awareness of the urgent need to treat with special attention to the liturgy and prayer life in the Order, the General Chapter has sought to respond positively to this challenge, urging us to take seriously the responsibility with the development of a culture of prayer in all levels of our lives and of our mission: "We feel called to build communities of prayer whose main service is to teach people how to pray in the places where they are and serve, shaping it to a culture of prayer with our speeches, with our celebration of the liturgy participatory and contemplative, with the practice of Lectio Divina and with our attention to other forms of prayer" (Final Message, 2013).
The Commission for Liturgy and Prayer, created by the General Chapter in 2013, has as its overall objective to "foster in the Order prayer life in all its aspects." The Commission will work from the guidelines approved by the General Chapter and will try to address the concrete needs emerged in the field of liturgy and prayer, fulfilling concrete tasks entrusted to it for the next six years.
Members
- Francisco de Sales Alencar Batista (praeses)
- Edmondo Caruana (Mel)
- Mario Esposito (SEL)
- Michael Farrugia (Mel)
- Giovanni Grosso (Ita)
- Robert Manik (Indo)
- Giuseppe Midili (Ita)
