Author: ocd web master

The Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has become a day to remember for the second foundation of Carmelites in English-speaking Canada, at Edmonton.

At 10.45, around 1.150 persons gathered at the entrance of the Chapel together with Mons. Richard Smith, the Archbishop of Edmonton, Mons. Gary Franken, Bishop of St. Paul and more than 40 priests and numerous Carmelites.  The Provincial of the Karnataka-Goa Province, Father Silvestre D’Souza, cut the tape and opened the doors of the new Spiritual Centre.  The Archbishop then welcomed all the visitors and they entered the new Chapel for the solemn blessing.

After the celebration of the Eucharist, a sumptuous dinner had been organised under a marquee and in the Great Hall of the Spiritual Centre. All the guests expressed their profound gratitude and sincere congratulations to the OCD Carmelites of the Karnataka-Goa Province for this memorable inauguration ceremony of the Spiritual Centre and Monastery.

 

From 11 to 21 July, the Carmelite Secular Order of the Province of St. Joseph, South-east Brazil, organized a new Cycle of Formation under the auspices of the Edith Stein Institute, in conjunction with a Retreat on Carmelite Prayer.  The respective themes were: “Carmel, a living font of prayer” and “The Pathway of Carmelite Prayer”.  Meetings were held at the Centre of Carmelite Spirituality of St. Roque, in the State of Sao Paolo.

Both the Formation Session and the Retreat were focused on prayer.  This was in correspondence with  the invitation of Pope Francis to make the year 2024 a great “symphony of prayer”, to rediscover the desire to stand in the presence of the Lord, to listen to and adore Him.

The conferences were given by the following Discalced Carmelite Friars: Patricio Sciadini, Alzinir Debastiani, Iludson and Henrique Siqueira, members of OCDS, Deacon Carlos Almeida and Signora Gilcivania Pinheiro.

For ten days, more than sixty people were immersed in the writings of St. Teresa of Jesus, St. John of the Cross and other Carmelite saints.  They also spent time in prayer, silence, mutual sharing and fraternal communion.

 

The Community of Curitiba, with its Centre of Formation and Parish, hosted our Second Noviciate from 15 July until 15 August.

During the courses of formation on varied themes and excursions in the city of Curitiba, we were introduced to Cesar of St. Joseph and Yeison of St. Teresa of the Andes from the Colombian Province, Luis of St. Teresita from the Delegation of Ecuador. Lucas of the Holy Spirit from South Brazil and Ezequiel of Jesus-Mary-Joseph from the Argentinian Delegation.  Learning to see Carmel as a large family helped us to understand that “the tiny seed that is in us” is becoming “the foundation for those who come after us”.

We were certainly spiritually enriched by our sharing in the different ways of living the same Teresian charism.   We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the Province and Community that hosted us, with all the  affection that is so typical of Brazilian people.

 

A number of very important events for Carmel and the Church in Burundi took place on 20 July 2024.  On this same day the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was consecrated; the Carmelite Parish of Mary, Mother of the Apostles, celebrated its Golden Jubilee; and 12 Deacons and 10 Priests were ordained for the Diocese of Rutana.  The Archbishop of Gitega, Mons. Bonaventure Nahimana, consecrated the new Sanctuary in the presence of thousands of pilgrims coming from the whole country.

In this region of the south-east of Burundi, devotion to the Scapular is deeply imbedded in the life of the church.  In actual fact, half of the territory of the present diocese of Rutana was a mission entrusted to the Discalced Carmelites, arriving from Poland to Burundi in 1971.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the result of the persevering prayer of pilgrims who made their way to this village on the first Fridays and Saturdays of every month.  During the years of civil war in Burundi, the faithful built up their resistance and for years there was a refugee camp beside the Carmelite parish and the hospital of the Carmelite nuns of the Infant Jesus. It was particularly these war refugees who became the first apostles of this special place.  When they left the camp, they retained their nostalgia for Musongati and continue to return there, no longer as refugees, but now as devout and grateful pilgrims.

 

From 22 to 26 July a meeting of the Major Superiors of CICLA SOUTH  was held in the Monastery of St. Teresa in Curitiba (Brazil).  The following Circumscriptions were represented: the Province of Brazil South; the Vicariate of Uruguay-Bolivia-Paraguay; the General Delegation of Argentina and the Commissariat of Chile.  The meeting discussed the proposal of the General Definitory relating to the geographical presence of the Order, with the precise suggestion that our region might become a single Province.

We had a very cordial fraternal meeting with a serious discussion on the current realities of our Circumscriptions.  It commenced with an examination of our statistical data and the opinions of the brethren.  In a concluding document we included all this data, divided under the two headings of “advantages” and “disadvantages” of a possible unification.  We proceeded to discuss the question of initial Formation.  This was seen as a priority and we sought to formulate a programme with the assistance of existing systems in CICLA.  Finally, we mentioned some gospel and charismatic reasons for embracing a shared pathway.

Our final document offers an ample reflection on  the reality and the urgent needs of the Church today, in a way that might encourage our brothers to become actively involved in this present historical moment and to respond with gospel courage to the needs of our time.  The Superiors present were in agreement that they would continue in a process of concretizing the proposal of the General Definitory.

 

From 22 June to 11 July 2024, the eleven Monasteries of the Carmelites of French-speaking Africa – (Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazzaville Congo, the Ivory Coast and Ruanda) held their 10th Assembly at the Nazareth Centre in Divo in the Ivory Coast.  Fr. Jerome NDAYE, the Federation Assistant, presided at the Assembly.  The Presidents of the Federations of South West France and English-speaking Africa were our invited guests.

The themes discussed were the Life of the Federation and of our Monasteries, Formation, the Centenary of St. Therese of Lisieux, the updating of our Constitutions and our programme for the 2024-2027 triennium.  Two sessions of formation were also included.

On 4 July the Assembly elected a new President, Mother Mary Claver from the Cyangugu Monastery (Ruanda), and her Council.  We shared in the immense joy of welcoming and sharing ideas with our Father General, Miguel Marquez, on 6 July.  We also had a visit from Don Emile Kenignon, Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of the Ivory Coast, who shared some news about the local Church with us.

We return now to our Communities, uplifted and encouraged by what we have learned and from our shared dialogues with Fr. General and among ourselves.

 

The family of the OCDS in Indonesia counts already with fifteen communities present on seven different islands. Its members are committed to their life of prayer, fraternity and service in the Church and in the World. Several communities gathered together to talk about important aspects of their OCDS vocation and to share how they are trying to incarnate and share the Carmelite charism in their own towns and cities. By their testimony they continue to attract many people, not only to become OCDS, but to grow in their relationship with God. They participate in the Eucharist, pray the liturgy of the hours, practice mental prayer and Lectio Divina, and organize spiritual events. The meeting was fruitful and balanced; there was time for prayer, learning, discussions, and recreation.

A Psycho-Spiritual course was organised by the Federation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Sadbhavana, Carmelite Provincialate of Karnataka Goa Province, Bengaluru, from 3-22 June 2024. Sixteen Nuns from nine Carmels and from the Raipur Carmel took part in it. As they testified, it became an experience of coming to a deserted place to answer perennial question posed by the Beloved, “Where are you Adam”?, to reflect on the vulnerabilities and the various defense mechanisms used to hide one’s nakedness before the One, “we know loves us”.

The Nuns examined some of the key concepts, at times distorted, and paradigms, which motivate the living-out of the charism in community, learning to handle anger and conflict. There were scientific therapeutic sessions of handling childhood trauma and negative memories through Brain Equilibrium Therapy. The renewed understanding of the essentials underpinning the Carmelite prayer journey, the practice of spiritual direction, personal reflection and group discussions coupled with the lavish love and care of the friars challenged and motivated the participants to return to their communities with courage and fervour to be the “Salt and Light”. The sessions helped to renew the lives of the Nuns.

The Federation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel held their General Assembly from the 5th – 11th May 2024, at the Bishop’s Residence at Xuan Loc under the presidency of Father Francis Nguyễn Quách Tiến OCD, the Religious Assistant of the Federation. The Bishop’s residence consists of a seminary and many buildings catered for big groups. The 5th May, the new President and Councilors were elected. We keep them in our prayers as they begin this new triennium.

From the 13th – 19th May, the Nuns from the 11 Carmels of the Federation had a Formation course. When all 83 sisters were assembled, the course began: one sessions in the morning and another in the afternoon with Questions and Answers. The topic of Fr. Rafal’s course was a continuation on ‘The Identity of St. Teresa’s Carmelite Spirituality’. It covered many areas of our lives as Carmelite Nuns. It was lovely to see the joy radiating from the sisters. They were free to ask questions and thanked to Fr. Francis for translating from English to Vietnamese. It was indeed a wonderful week of learning and sharing.

The four OCDS communities in Austria located in, Graz, Jeutendorf, Linz and Vienna received the visit of the Provincial of Discalced Carmelites in Austria, Fr. Paul Saji, OCD and the General Delegate for the OCDS, Fr. Ramiro Casale, OCD. Each community participated actively in the meetings presenting themselves, their projects and challenges, and renewed their commitment to continue to collaborate building up the Secular Order in Austria. All members are particularly grateful for their spiritual assistants who accompany them regularly and help them with great generosity. There were moments to pray together and to recreate. The OCDS is Austria have a close relationship with the Carmelite Friars and Nuns and are ready to participate in common projects to promote Carmelite spirituality in their country.

On the 24th May, with the launch of a book recounting our history, we brought to a close our year of celebration of the 350th anniversary of our presence in Piacenza. We had begun more than a year-long of thanksgiving festivities on 19 March 2023, with Fr. Miguel Marquez Calle, OCD General, presiding at a solemn Eucharistic celebration. In his homily that day, Fr. Miguel had told us: “An adventure, yours, that today celebrates 350 years, a story of the lives of so many people, (your sisters), who were in love… Permit this dream of God to continue, because Jesus is still incarnate today, continue to believe, with absolute fidelity, that nothing is impossible for God”.

We refer below to some of the other memorable events that took place throughout this special anniversary year.

On 4 July 2023, our Mother, Sr. M. Francesca in the company of three others sisters from our community, were received in the Basilica of St. Antonino by His Lordship, Bishop Adriano Cevelotto. To mark the memorable occasion and the extraordinary 350th anniversary of the Carmelite presence in their city of Piacenza, Bishop Adriano presented them with the prestigious “golden Antonino Award” in recognition and appreciation of the Carmelite Community. Later in the year, in October, the Community hosted special conferences with Fr. Saverio Cannestra OCD and Sig. Matthew Corradini, (writer and Hebrew scholar) on the theme “Teresian Spirituality and Hebrew Mysticism”. Fr. Saverio lectured on “Prophetism in the Mysticism of St. Teresa”.

On 17 March 2024, as an “official” closure of the centenary, Bishop Adriano presided at a solemn Eucharistic celebration while on 21 April, we had an added “gift” of a musical recital of “Vuestra soy” performed by some special friends!

And now, loving souls, let us recommence…

The digitalization and online publication of the Order’s official bulletins has finally been completed. This is the result of a prolonged process of collecting and cataloguing of all the informative material produced in nearly 60 years.

It all began with an informal initiative of students at the International College in Rome on the occasion of the General Chapter (2nd session) in 1968. The first bulletin was called “S.I.C. – Servitium Informativum Carmelitarum”. It became official very quickly, introducing a varied series of publications in different languages and formats: S.I.C. (1968-2002); Communicationes Definitorii Generalis OCD (1979-1992); S.I.C. Missionum (1982-1994); S.I.C. Pro Monialibus (1984-1991); Communicationes OCD (from 1993 to the present day: from 2003 being issued from the General Curia in an exclusively digital format.

In the “Bibliotheca Carmelitana Digitalis section of the www.digicarmel.com search engine, we can now offer an inexhaustible mine of information on the recent life of the Order (names, persons, places, events, news items and activities of all sorts). These can be consulted on PDF and they complete the double collection of the Official Acts of the Order: Analecta OCD (1926-1953) and Acta OCD (from 1955 to the present day).

From 11 to 16 June 2024, His Eminence Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, engaged in a Pastoral Visitation of Haifa, meeting with the ecclesial and religious communities there. In particular, he visited the Latin Parish of St. Joseph which is under the care of Carmelites of the Lebanese Province and Carmel School where around 700 boys and girls are taught. The Cardinal also met and prayed with the various Religious Orders in Haifa, including our Carmelite Nuns and the Friars of Stella Maris Monastery. On Friday 14 June, the Feast of St. Elijah, the Cardinal presided at the morning Mass in the Grotto of St. Elijah. On 16 June, the annual procession in honour of Our Lady of Mount Carmel took place. Cardinal Pizzabella led the procession and was joined by a large crowd coming from all the surrounding region and by numerous Bishops and Priests.

It is interesting that the origin of this procession dates back to the end of the First World War in 1918. Earlier in that conflict the Ottoman authorities ordered the Carmelite Fathers to evacuate the Stella Maris Monastery within three hours, as it was to be taken over by the Ottoman army. The faithful inhabitants of Haifa then asked the Superior of Stella Maris if they could bring the Monastery’s statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to their Parish of St. Joseph, so that Our Blessed Lady would protect them from the incessant bombardments of the French and British ships in the Bay of Haifa. At the conclusion of the War, the population of Haifa returned the statue of the Madonna to Stella Maris in a first procession, accompanied with hymns of thanksgiving.

 

With immense joy we share with you the official announcement that Pope Francis will preside at the ceremony of beatification of Venerable Anne of Jesus in the Arch-diocese of Malines-Brussels on Sunday 29 September 2024.

Anne of Jesus is one of the corner stones of the entire successful history of the Teresian Reform.  She was born on 25 November 1545 in Medina del Campo (Spain) and died on 4 March 1621 in Brussels (Belgium).  Her 76 years of life are among the outstanding factors in the initial establishment and the later transmission of the Teresian charism to succeeding generations.  The first period of her life is marked by the fact that she shared intimately in the final 12 years of St. Teresa’s life.  Those years were decisive in establishing the spirit and identity of the Order. The later years of her life were characterized by some courageous decisions on her part and by a flourishing expansion of the Teresian Reform in France and Flanders.

Fr. Jerome Paluku OCD, Secretary General for Missionary Cooperation, ran a Formation Programme in Financial Management and Project Organization for the Provincial Delegation of West Africa.  The training sessions were held at Abidjan in the Ivory Coast from  21 to 27 April 2024.

Numerous members of all branches of the extended Carmelite family were able to avail of this very helpful initiative – OCD Nuns, Carmelite Missionaries, the Teresian Sisters as well as the OCD Friars from the various communities of our Provincial Delegation.  Some twenty Friars and Sisters of the Carmelite family were trained in involvement in financial sustainability and management of the various projects in their respective communities.