Author: ocd web master

There took place in Madrid, on Saturday, September 17, on the feast of St. Albert of Jerusalem, the election of the first president and the first provincial councillors of the OCDS of the Iberian Province of St. Teresa of Jesus.

The Father Provincial, Fr. Antonio Angel Sánchez Cabezas, together with the General Delegate for the OCDS, Fr. Ramiro Casale, accompanied this first Provincial Assembly. Fr. Ramiro shared his projects and ideas for the immediate future of OCDS in the world.

The unification of the different OCDS groups in the Provinces making up the territory of the now Iberian Province took several years and all those who collaborated in it were warmly thanked. The journey continues with God’s help and the precious collaboration of the Carmelite Fathers. A fraternal meal concluded this important event.

We assure the OCDS of the new Provincial Council and its President of our prayers.

 

South Kerala

It is with immense joy and deep gratitude to God and to the Blessed Mother of Carmel that the Discalced Carmelite Friars of the Province of St. Joseph of South Kerala celebrated the Silver Jubilee of the religious profession of Friars Francis Sales, Marydasan K.S. Joseph Anthony, Shajers Robert and Jess Martin. The Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated on September 10, 2022, at 10:30 am, at the Provincial House of St. Joseph, in Kottiyam. The celebration was enlivened by the presence and prayers of families, relatives, friends and men and women religious from many congregations..

 

General Curia

On Tuesday, September 20, the Friars of the Generalate celebrated the 25th anniversary of religious profession of Friars Robert Mary, Rafał and Jerome. The whole community gathered for the Thanksgiving Mass at noon. Several confreres, relatives and friends joined us so that we could celebrate the festivities together. Afterward, everyone gathered to share a hearty and festive lunch. May the Lord and His Holy Mother bless our friars and their ministry at the service of the Order and the Church.

 

Saturday, August 21, 2022, at the Mary Queen of Carmel Spiritual Center in Gitega, the 2nd Youth Festival was held on the topic “Looking to the future. Empathy and the will to reconcile”. This theme concluded a year of community apostolate marked by three weekends of human and spiritual formation of young people. The title of the festival reflected the main attitudes deriving from this formation: to translate into a worldview and actions the condition of “a pure generation” after the atrocities and divisions that have sown death and resentment in Burundi’s tumultuous past; to bear witness to unity, with eyes fixed on the example of witnesses, in this case the unity of the 44 martyrs of the Buta seminary (30 April 1997); to be sensitive and cultivate non-violent communication.

The preparation of the various performances was been left to young people. In a rich and diverse way, they showed their talent by wonderfully embodying this topic in singing, dancing, theatre. with great creativity. In this initiative 4 dimensions converged: the artistic deployment, the spiritual impregnation, the relational capacity that penetrates through to following generations, the effectiveness of a work carried out in a team according to precise objectives.

 

The Discalced Carmelites of Senegal celebrated the 20th anniversary of their presence in Senegal on Sunday, July 17, on the occasion of the annual pilgrimage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to the Carmelite Nuns of Sébikotane. About 600 people came from the different parishes of Dakar but also from other regions of Senegal. After a conference by Fr Marie-Laurent on the history of the Discalced Carmelites and their foundation in Senegal, as well as on their vocation, a solemn Mass was celebrated by Mgr. Martin Boucar Tine, the current bishop of Kaolack, in whose diocese we are established.

After lunch, a time of Eucharistic adoration in the chapel of the Carmelite Nuns was followed by solemn vespers, during which about fifty people received the scapular. The day ended with the presentation of the Carmelite Family in Senegal: the Discalced Carmelite Nuns present since 1950, the Teresian Missionary Carmelite Sisters present since 1984, the Discalced Carmelite Friars who arrived in 2002, the OCDS, the Friends of Carmel Association, The Theresian youth group, aspirants, etc.

Let us give thanks for this magnificent day that marks a stage in the planting of Carmel in Senegal.

 

Brothers Bruno de Jésus (Adje K. Messan) and Emmanuel-Marie de la Croix (K. Dogbevi) were ordained priests by Msgr. Nicodème A. Barriga-Benissan, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lomé (Togo), on Saturday, August 6, 2022 in Adamavo, in the parish of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face. With them were ordained another 9 deacons from different religious congregations.

They prepared for this ordination with a spiritual retreat preached by Br Bernard Halla, OCD, on the theme: «Intimacy with Christ, foundation of a successful priesthood».

May the Lord bless and make fruitful the priestly ministry of our two confreres. May God bless and fill Carmel with holy vocations. We express our warmest congratulations to our confreres Bruno de Jésus, Emmanuel-Marie de la Croix, to the Provincial Delegation of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and to the Iberian Province!

 

On July 4, 2022, 19 simply professed friars met at the “THERESIANUM” spirituality center in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). They came from the Commissariat of Congo, the Commissariat of Madagascar, the Provincial Delegation of Cameroon, the Delegation of Central Africa, the Delegation of West Africa (Ivory Coast-Togo-Burkina Faso) and the Regional Vicariate of Burundi-Rwanda. Until the end of September, they will live together for three months of formation, fraternal life and sharing of experiences.

To help the friars in this period of preparation for solemn vows, 13 Discalced Carmelites will take turns to carry out weekly lessons on the theology of consecrated life and vows in the African context, without forgetting the issues related to the management of goods. As for the Carmelite dimension, the life, the main works and doctrinal syntheses of our Holy Ancestors are planned, together with the Rule, the Constitutions and the Norms.

With this session, the French-speaking Conference of Africa and Madagascar wishes to complete the formation in the charism of those being trained and to prepare them for Solemn Profession. Emphasis will be placed on human, religious and spiritual preparation, to help each candidate mature the commitment they are about to make.

 

July 13, 2022 was a day of great joy for the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Vietnam: the monastery was blessed and the altar of the first chapel of the Order in Vietnam was consecrated.

From the beginning, the history of the Carmelite friars in Vietnam has been a history of ups and downs and continuous challenges, even today. In 1961, the Carmelite Monastery of St. Joseph in Saigon celebrated its centenary. It was an opportunity for some young Vietnamese to discover the Order of Discalced Carmelites. They were sent to the Carmelite monastery of Montpellier, in the province of Avignon-Aquitaine (France) for formation. They made their solemn vows in 1968 and were ordained priests on the 6th of August 1971 in the Carmelite monastery in Saigon (Vietnam). The ecclesial and social crisis of post-May 1968 and the Vietnam War caused the end of the presence of the Friars in Vietnam.

On June 19, 1998, the Superior General, Father Camilo Maccise, and Father Charles Serrao, after a visit to Vietnam, decided to send new vocations to the Philippines for formation. To prepare for the foundation of the first community of friars in Vietnam, in 2002 the center of the Order purchased, with the help of the Discalced Carmelite nuns, a house in Cao Thai, large enough for four or five people and close to the local parish. The first Vietnamese friars returned to Vietnam on June 12, 2011. In December 2011, Cardinal Gioan Baotixita Phạm Minh Mẫn, of the Archdiocese of Saigon, authorized the installation of a new community in his diocese. Since the house had deteriorated and had become cramped, it was decided to rebuild the monastery.

On July 13, 2022, in the presence of Father Provincial Dan Lim, confreres and a large assembly, Msgr. Joseph Nguyen Nang proceeded with dedicating and blessing the altar of the chapel of the Discalced Carmelites. With hearts full of gratitude and remembrance, all the Vietnamese friars sang and praised the name of the Lord God. May the Lord continue to pour out his blessings on the Church and Carmel of Vietnam.

 

The first international Youth meeting on Mysticism and Humanism, “The challenge of interiority” was held at CITeS from July 17 to 24.

Five themes were discussed in the first five days of the Meeting: “The labyrinth: the challenge of interiority”, with Josep Otón, “The freedom to be oneself”, with Mario Piera Gomar, “Jesus, the mysticism that humanizes”, with Francisco Javier Sancho Fermín, “I am I and my relationships, and without them I am lost”, with María Ángeles Almacellas, and “Pilgrims of life”, with the Father Miguel Márquez Calle, General of the Discalced Carmelites. After each conference, a series of activities were proposed to the young people: the creation of labyrinths, a group reflection workshop, a moment of personal reflection and silence and listening to different life testimonies.

The program of the meeting also included two cultural activities. The first, on the afternoon of Thursday the 21st, was dedicated to a Teresian visit to the city of Ávila. The second was a pilgrimage to Alba de Tormes, where the tomb of Teresa of Avila is located, on Saturday the 23rd.

 

Following the formal request submitted to the Vatican by the Bishop of Avila, Monsignor Gil Tamayo, supported by the Carmelite Order, the Nuncio of His Holiness in Spain sent to Monsignor Gil Tamayo on July 13 the decree conferring the title of Minor Basilica «to the church of the monastery of St. Teresa of Jesus, built on the birthplace of the Saint of Ávila.» The Apostolic Nuncio in his letter describes this place as «important for the diocese of Ávila and for the universal Church».

On Saturday, August 27 at 8 pm, Bishop Gil Tamayo presided over the religious celebration in which the church of La Santa became a Minor Basilica. It is a unique moment for the Order of Discalced Carmelites, for the Diocese of Ávila, for all those who love Saint Teresa of Jesus, and an authentic gift in this Jubilee Year in which we celebrate the fourth centenary of her canonization.

 

Message of Father General, Fr. Miguel Márquez Calle, OCD.

 

The Discalced Carmel holds and embraces the Church and the Nicaraguan people. Today we are all for Nicaragua. The Teresian Carmel wishes to express its full solidarity with the Nicaraguan Church, which suffers because of its fidelity to the Gospel and the defense of the dignity and freedom of every human being.

I would like to ask the whole Order to pray together, to be «a merciful resistance» and for perseverance.

Spirituality and prayer in Carmel are always a source of truth and courage to be with the Church, with those who suffer, and with the poor. In Nicaragua, we have a parish, a monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns and Secular Carmelites. They are presences, like so many others in Nicaragua, who have as their sole interest that of living and proclaiming the Gospel by their life and care for the dignity of every human being and their freedom, with prayer and without cost. With the Discalced Carmelite Friars, Nuns, and Secular Carmelites we light our lamps asking for light, wisdom, humility and listening, for those who have the authority to serve defending freedom and truth.

Dear Church of Nicaragua, with Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross, with all the Saints of Carmel, we wish to invoke and ask for all of you the humble boldness and freshness of those who are in the middle of the people in order to give life and sow seeds of fraternity and reconciliation. We make your pain and restlessness our own.

Let us pray insistently, without losing heart, without losing our heads, that in every city, in every country, in Nicaragua and throughout Latin America, there may always be paths of peace, dialogue, respect, coexistence in diversity, faith and hope, and that the Gospel may continue to be a seed of peace in truth.

We express to you our fraternal friendship and our closeness in prayer, trusting in the words of Jesus: «I am with you always, to the end».

We learned with great sorrow of the violent arrest by the police of Msgr. Rolando Álvarez Lagos, bishop of the diocese of Matagalpa. As Teresian Carmelites, «children of the Church», we feel great sadness to see the people of Nicaragua deprived of another faithful servant of the Gospel. I invite you to pray for this bishop, a defender of human dignity in the name of Christ, so that his integrity may be respected and he will be released immediately.

 

Fr Miguel Márquez Calle, ocd

General

Rome, 19th of August 2022

From Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 of May 2022, the Community of Discalced Carmelites of Gitega hosted about fifty young people studying in secondary and university institutes in the cities of Bujumbura and Gitega.

They came to live together an experience of prayer, study and contemplation, on the occasion of the session that promoted the protection of creation in these days in which the 7th anniversary of the encyclical letter “Laudato si” of Pope Francis is commemorated. The aim was to raise public awareness of the urgency of protecting and promoting the environment following the Stockholm Convention (1972), the Rio Declaration (1992), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1993), the Johannesburg Declaration (2002), the Encyclical Letter “Laudato si'” (2015). This session is part of a continuous effort to achieve a state of spirit and operational programs that take into account the environmental imperative, if we do not want to be guilty of having hindered the flow of life in all living beings.

The Community of Carmelites of Gitega is financially supported by the Diocese of Stockholm (Sweden), which we thank from the bottom of our hearts. We are also grateful to the Definitor General of the Order, Father Jean-Baptiste Pagabeleguem, who took part in the entire session.

 

The second novitiate course of the year 2022, organized in Pushpadaan (Calicut), the theme of which was “With Empty Hands”, has just ended. The participants came from 7 provinces: 9 from Manjummel; 2 from South Kerala; 6 from Malabar; 3 from Delhi; 6 from Andhra Pradesh; 5 from Karnataka-Goa; 3 from Tamil Nadu. Fr. Antony Ittikunnath was the coordinator of this session. Specialists from different fields gave lectures on various topics related to religious and Carmelite life. The course was solemnly inaugurated by Father Thomas Marottikaparambil OCD, Provincial of the Province of Manjummel, on April 3, 2022, in the presence of the 34 friars.

Once a week, the friars met in groups to discuss topics based on the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux. On Sundays, the brothers had the opportunity to go for outing. On some days, the brothers showed their talents by doing manual and gardening work, followed by sports activities. Every Thursday, the friars carried out housework during the day and gathered in the evening for fraternal meals. We could also use the multimedia conference room to watch edifying films and short films made by our brothers. A regular confessor from outside the community had been appointed, but the friars were free to turn to any priest in the community for confession and spiritual guidance. Every Saturday evening, the friars animated Eucharistic adoration and vespers.

The session ended with a week-long retreat preached by Father Augustine Steejen, OCD. It officially ended on May 15, 2022.

 

As the Universal Church celebrated the solemnity of Pentecost last June 6, the Province of St. Teresa of Jesus gratefully held its 75th anniversary of the Carmelite presence in the Philippines.

It all started in 1947, with the overflow of contemplation expressed in an ardent missionary zeal of 6 brave friars from the Washington Province. They labored in the most “forsaken parishes” of the prelature of Infanta. After some time, the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, made an appeal to the Superior General of the Discalced Carmelite, Fr. Silverio de Santa Teresa, asking the Carmelite friars to make another foundation in the Philippines. It was made possible through the acceptance of the Anglo-Irish Province by sending 3 friars. These three Irish Carmelites started the foundation at the heart of the country, primarily working with the Carmelite nuns and the Secular Carmelites and were engaged in the retreat apostolates. These two groups of Carmelite missionaries tilled together the spiritual ground.

Their labor and sacrifice have become the focal point of the celebration. In Bacolod City, a Triduum Mass focusing on the importance of mission in the Church was held. It concluded with a procession honoring the saints of the Discalced Carmelite Order. In Manila and other houses, a video commemorating the American mission was made and played after the mass. The celebration culminated with a Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Junjun Agruda, OCD together with the friars from different houses, and a thanksgiving message given by the Provincial, Fr. Danilo Lim, OCD.

Today the Philippine Province is consist of forty-nine solemn professed friars, 17 student friars, 9 novices, and 8 postulants. Now, with gratitude and zeal, the Province continues the story started by the fruit of the prayer of our holy parents, St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross, and its actualization by the American and Irish missionaries.

 

A new monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns was founded in the central highlands of Vietnam. On June 7, Bishop Aloisius Nguyen Hung officially founded the Monastery of St. Joseph in the city of Kon Tum. A great multitude gathered for the occasion,.

Msgr. Nguyen Hung expressed his deep gratitude to God for this foundation. He emphasized the crucial role of prayer in the life of faith of Christians: “a life of continuous prayer and silent sacrifice are like lungs that infuse God’s blessings on the diocese of Kon Tum”.

The new monastery consists of 11 solemnly professed nuns and 4 novices. They come from Saigon Monastery. Since the first Discalced Carmelites from France arrived in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1862, Vietnam has 11 monasteries with about 300 members.

 

On Friday, June 10, our confrere Cardinal Anders Arborelius, OCD, received from His Majesty, the King of Sweden, the medal of the ribbon of the Order of Seraphim, 12th degree, for his significant contributions to the life of the Swedish and international Church. The medal ceremony took place at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. We congratulate our confrere for this award! In an interview with the directors of the European cultural magazines of the Jesuit Order on May 19 and published in La Civiltà Cattolica, the Pope cited our confrere as an example. To the question «do we evangelize in a culture that has no religious tradition», such as Sweden, Pope Francis referred to our confrere:

“I don’t know how to answer your question, to tell you the truth. Because only those who live there, in that context, can understand and discover the right paths. I would like to point out, however, a man who is a model of guidance, Cardinal Anders Arborelius. He is not afraid of anything. He talks to everybody and is not against anybody. He always aims for the positive. I believe that a person like him can indicate the right path to follow.”

https://www.laciviltacattolica.com/pope-francis-in-conversation-european-jesuit-journals/