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16 January 2024

Poland: OCDS Formation Meeting

A three day Formation Meeting for members of the Discalced Carmelite Secular Order of the Cracow Province was concluded in Wadowice on Sunday 19 November 2023.  The theme for the meeting was “Called to the service of the Church in a Carmelite community”.

There were more than 40 participants, from 15 different communities of the OCDS.  These are at different stages of their formation: some awaiting admission and others who will make final promises in the coming weeks or months.

The Provincial Council sought to assist the group in coming to a clearer understanding of what it means to commit oneself to Carmel, where, looking towards Christ, they permit themselves to be moulded in the Carmelite spirit, individually and in community.  They become a fine group of souls seeking their Loved One.

The intellectual formation at the meeting was complemented by common liturgical prayer: the Eucharist, Liturgy of the Hours, silent prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The participants were also able to visit the Shrine of St. Joseph, the cell where St. Raphael Kalinowski lived and ended his life, as well as the choir of the monastery.