From the 22nd to 24th May 2013, the International Formation Commission of the Order met at the General Curia in Rome for its final meeting prior to the General Chapter this September. Having listened to the reports of the different members of the commission from around the world, they reviewed the work of the commission over these past six years in preparation for the Chapter. Attention was given to the information presented at the Council of Provinces (San Felice del Benaco 2009) and the General Congregation (Niagara Falls 2011). There was a positive reaction to the methodology used during the international formation courses organized by the commission in the Holy Land, 2009 (initial formation), Camocim, Brazil, 2010 (formators) and Holy Land 2012 (on-going formation). Initial preparations were made for the course of on-going formation which will take place in Salamanca and Avila in 2014 in preparation for the anniversary of the birth of St. Terena of Jesus being celebrated throughout the Carmelite Family in 2015. Details of this course will be presented during the General Chapter.

To conclude their meeting, the members of the commission travelled with the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. to Florence on the 25th May to celebrate the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi with the Carmelite nuns. They also were very pleased to have lunch with the community of our friars and “La Famiglia” at the Carmine in Florence.

The members of the commission during these past few years have been: John Keating, Councillor General (praeses), Mario Alfarano, Segretario Generale (secretary), Quinn Conners (PCM), Günter Benker (Ger), Vitalis Benza (Hib-Zim), Desiderio García Martínez (Arag), Giampiero Molinari (Ita), Dionysius Kosasih (Indo) and Romualdo Borges de Macedo (Par).

Once again this year the community of St. Albert’s International Centre and the Institutum Carmelitanum offered a series of lectures to the public. The theme this year was “Carmelites and the Second Vatican Council”. The lectures were given in the conference hall in St. Albert’s Centre and a good number of members of the Carmelite family and others attended each evening.

The series opened with a lecture by Claudemir Rozin, O.Carm., who shared the results of this doctoral research on, The Ecclesiology of the Carmelite Rule in the Light of Vatican II (December 13, 2012); this was followed by, Míceál O’Neill, O.Carm. on, The Carmelite Commitment to Justice and Peace (January 10, 2013), Giovanni Grosso O.Carm. on, Holiness and Carmel,(February 14), Emanuele Boaga on, The Carmelites who took part in Vatican II, (March 14) and Giuseppe Midili, O.Carm. on, The Change from the Carmelite Rite to the Roman Rite, (May 9). It was hoped to be able to launch a new publication on Bishop Donal Lamont on April 9, as part of the programme, but that unfortunately had to be postponed to another day.

It is planned to continue with this kind of spiritual and cultural programme in the coming years.