Author: ocd web master

At breakfast, they had placed three hyacinths next to each one’s plate to celebrate our priesthood. Sister Alina greeted us. She says that they congratulated us and prayed for us with the three bulbs, Faith, Hope and Charity.

We said goodbye in the street, and I was very surprised by the warmth of their welcome, true sisters.

We set out on our way to Berdichev. It takes seven hours.

Some sections I travelled through were full of potholes.

Many control barricades and many soldiers all the way. We got through without problems and without being made to stop.

We passed through a city where you could see the effects of the bombs.

We left at 7.20 a.m., and we arrived in Berdichev at 2.20 p.m.

We were welcomed by the whole community of friars. I visit the Sanctuary, our Mother of Carmel. We ate a typical Ukrainian dish. We chatted animatedly.

In a while, at 6.00, we will have the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is overwhelming to be here and to see the joy and liveliness of the friars. God bless them.

Holy Thursday evening. The church, the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Mount Carmel of Berdichev, patron saint of the Ukrainian Catholics. Beautiful icon of the Mother with the scapular, offering her protection. Full church. The elderly, young people and children… a large group of altar boys in perfect Vatican harmony open the celebration with scrupulous detail. I have to say that rarely in my life have I celebrated a Holy Thursday with so much emotion within. The singing, attention to every detail, care for the flowers, acolytes helping one another to vest for the Mass…

I washed the feet of the friars in the community. Here, the celebrant dons a  kitchen style apron to do it. Significant. I kiss the feet of my brothers who take care of all these people here. I kiss Jesus in them.

Although Vitaly, the prior (Ukrainian), presided, I gave the homily, explaining the mystery that is celebrated, with examples of the war and current situation surrounding these days. The Breaking of Bread reminds us of the broken bodies of so many people in some cities. Tomorrow the broken body of Jesus remains a mystery that we do not understand and, while apparently defeated, gave life to the world.

At the end of the Mass, how could I describe the atmosphere of family and affection of the people? They greeted the priests with a touching affection. Everyone congratulates us and hugs us. They bring fruit, flowers and gifts. Everyone wants photos. Everyone says words of thanks for being with them. Everyone tells me, thanks to you all for praying for Ukraine. A grandmother asks me that when I go to Rome, please would I tell the Pope to come.

When leaving the Church, another very cordial time of discussion with volunteers, families, friends.

A relaxed and very fraternal dinner.

A very pleasant time of recreation without wanting to finish it. They celebrated the presence of the General and also of Paweł, who since the beginning of the war has been living on the other side in Poland, to organize humanitarian aid and the transport of material, twice a week. Not a moment of silence in our conversation which consisted of intensity of topics and questions from them about known friars, and mine about the situation and what they are going through at the moment.

It was about 10 o’clock at night in Ukraine, when the siren began to sound for a few minutes. It was announcing that some projectile had left Belarusian territory.

But the friars continued their friendly conversation without moving themselves much. They worried about whether I was afraid. I was confident in their calmness.

And so the day ended… with the vivid sense of communion and family in times of war. Before sleeping, another siren sounded, and a prayer asking for True Peace.

 

Fr. Miguel Márquez, ocd

 

Paweł and Piotr picked me up at the Krakow airport. I arrived at 8.30 in the morning.

We went to the Carmelite nuns of Łobzowska, in Krakow. A very cheerful community.

We met the Kiev sisters, who have been staying there for a month.

An intense and emotional dialogue. It gave me great joy to meet them, we shared a lot about the harshest times of the war and the escape to Poland. They wanted to recount and say everything they had gone through.

The Eucharist in Latin.

We had a meal with them, then set out for the Przemysl monastery on the border. We were greeted by Christof the Prior, and we spend an hour talking with the friars of the community.

We left for the border: Piotr, Paweł Baraniecki and Paweł Ferko, who belongs to the Berdichev community, and since the beginning of the war has been in Przemysl to organize aid and cars that are sent twice a week from Poland to Berdichev with food, clothes for soldiers, bulletproof vests, generators, night binoculars,  etc.

We arrived at the border and crossed on foot. Piotr and Paweł stayed on the Polish side. Before the border, we came across a multitude of NGOs from all over the world in order to give help and support to those who were coming from the Ukrainian side: food, clothing, etc. etc.

We found a group of young Spaniards who had come on their own from Cadiz, Malaga, Barcelona… and they had placed their tent in the entrance corridor with a multitude of other organizations. They asked us if we were going to celebrate the ceremonies at the border, because they would like to share in these days of Holy Week.

Paweł and I managed to pass with relative ease the Polish and Ukrainian border. There were many people on the Ukrainian side, waiting to cross to Poland. Many families and children.

Waiting for us on the other side was Rafał Myszkowski, who had made a seven-hour drive to come to pick us up.

The greeting here these days is Dobryy vechir / den. My z Ukrayiny which is to say, Good night / day, we are from Ukraine.

Today, we spent the night in Mostyska, at the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, founded by a Capuchin, Father Honorato Kozminsky. Sisters Alina and Edithson were kindness personified. The dinner, welcome, room, were all very exquisitely prepared.

 

 

 

The feast of the Child Jesus was beautifully celebrated at the Carmel of Koteshwar (Kundapur, India). The faithful gathered to listen to Brother Prakash and his team preach the preparatory triduum for the feast.

On February 26, at 5 p.m., Praveen Frank, Regional Vicar of the Carmelite Mission in Tanzania, celebrated the Eucharist and gave the homily. Father Prakash D’Souza, at the end of the three-day retreat, led the hour of adoration before the solemn Mass. He later warmly thanked all the benefactors who made such a beautiful celebration possible. Father Alwyn Sequeira, Superior of the Carmelite Monastery, thanked all the participants for their generous collaboration in making the triduum a success. Father Deep Fernandes prepared the liturgy and Father Alwyn conducted the choir. About 20 diocesan priests and religious participated in the Eucharist.

Previously, Father Prakash D’Cunha, Provincial Councilor, had inaugurated the new hall and guest room. Father Archiebald Gonsalves, a former Carmelite Provincial, blessed the new building.

After the Mass, a festive meal was held at which all those present attended.

 

In addition to our Carmelite annual retreat and the sports meeting between priests and students that usually concludes this beautiful fraternal time, this new year of 2022 began with the grace of the solemn profession of three brothers and their ordination to the Diaconate. Since the covid crisis has calmed down somewhat, the State has authorized the opening of churches and celebrations without too many restrictions. It was nice to see the friars’ families again and enjoy meeting them once more after after months of silence and distance.

We are slowly coming out of the Indian Ocean’s cyclonic period. A time of grace for some desert or semi-desert regions, but for the majority, it is the annual nightmare. This time, two intense tropical cyclones caused a lot of damage in Madagascar (Batsirai and Emnati), as well as a moderate tropical storm, the first of this year. We are still assessing the damage, both human and material. For us, it is the monastery in Manakara, on the east coast of the island (usually the most affected), which suffered greatly from the passage of these cyclones, particularly with the collapse of a part of the wall.

 

At the end of the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Teresian Carmelite Order, the OCDS in Senegal was born in Dakar on November 18, 2019. On this occasion, the Carmelite friars met Véronique Lukelo, OCDS from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and asked her to give witness to her journey of more than 20 years with her husband within the Secular Carmel. Her testimony was a motivation for Michelle and André, who later asked the Carmelites to create a branch of the secular order in Senegal. The first meeting took place in Dakar on the second of March, 2020. On  December 08, 2020, André and Michelle entered formation and made their first promises on 05 December, 2021. The group now has 10 members: two temporary professed, three in the first year of formation, three women in formation and a couple of perpetually professed (from the Democratic Republic of Congo, living in Dakar).

St. John of the Cross is the patron saint of the group. The same group promotes devotion to the scapular in Senegal, organizes monthly meetings on the first Saturday and the annual retreat, and the patronal feast every December 14.

 

On Sunday, February 20, the community of the Shrine of Sainta Teresa of Los Andes was celebrating the visit of Father Miguel Márquez. This coincided with the visit of the Animator General of the Sisters, Sister María José Gay. Both came on pilgrimage from Rome, accompanied respectively by Father Martin Martinez and Sister Maria Teresa Garcia. It should be noted that the Order of Discalced Carmelites and the Teresian Carmelite Missionary Sisters are responsible for the pastoral care of the Shrine, in collaboration with the community of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, to whom Saint Teresa of Los Andes belonged.

The Eucharist on the seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time was presided over by Father Miguel, concelebrated with Father Rodrigo Segura, Provincial and present Rector of the Shrine, and by several Discalced Carmelite friars. In his homily, Father Miguel emphasized that we are all searching for that love of God that sets life on fire; often it is there without our realizing how rich we are, what treasure there is in each one of us, and we let it go unnoticed. He also meditated on the living love that is present in the Shrine, a fire that burns and that must inflame us, through the intercession of Saint Teresa of Los Andes. We are invited to discover the presence of a God who touches hearts and makes us fall in love with him every day.

At the end of the Eucharist, we all went to the tomb of Saint Teresa of Los Andes to leave there all of our intentions and those of the pilgrims.

 

In our Snagov monastery in Romania reside Fr. Antonio Prestino, Fr. Marco Secchi, Fr. Mihai Lauș  Fr. Tarcisio Favaro, from the Venice Province. Together with them are members of the Carmelite Ecclesial Movement. Since March 9, they have been joined by three postulants of the Venetian Province.

From 24th of February, they began to prepare, from what they had, places to welcome refugees who might arrive: cleaning, cars, kitchen, translators, etc. but also trips to the border (4 hours by car) to take refugees in need of assistance. The first to arrive were foreign students who attended Ukrainian universities: they had to return to their countries of origin (Morocco, Egypt, Kazakhstan …). Then there were Ukrainian mothers (or other nationalities) who fled with their children, some foreign families who were returning to their homeland with their children.

Then there followed a great deal of phone calls to coordinate: cars to take to the station or airport, alarm clocks to wake you up in the night to pick up or take someone else, prepare kitchens and cleaning to put things in order, medicines, laundry, embassies, etc. It is a fast, short, but necessary hospitality so that, at least for now, everyone has a clear destination. Currently the house of spirituality in Snagov hosts about forty fleeing Ukrainians.

After a tour of the borders with Ukraine, Vito d’Ettorre, a journalist of TV2000, visitied the centre to document the activity of the Carmelites, and he shared with us his impressions: «Romania has found itself as the “Lampedusa of Europe”, the reception is organized everywhere, even to private homes and monasteries. The experience at the Carmel of Snagov is beautiful. I first interviewed a lady fleeing Ukraine: as soon as she arrived here, she entered the church, and she shouted loudly, Lord, give us peace! Those who are on the run need to find spirituality more than bread, as happens in this Shrine».

 

I would like to share with you the current situation of our OCDS communities in Ukraine. There are 46 of us who want to live by Carmelite spirituality. But first, let’s make a brief history of Secular Carmel in our Eastern European land.

On the outskirts of the ancient city of Kiev is the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross: it is here that the Carmelite Fathers began their mission after the communist period. In October 1994, the first community of the Secular Carmel «of the Guardian Angels» was founded. Today the Kiev community has 18 members. In February 2003, in the city of Khmelnytsky, the community «Mary, Mother of God of Grace» was formed with the support of the Carmelite Fathers. It consists of 14 members. In the city of Berdychiv, in the shadow of the image of St. Mary of the Scapular, in autumn 2014 the community of the «Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary» was formed. It has 8 members. The youngest community is currently in Kharkiv. It was born in January 2020 and is called «Infant Jesus of Prague».

Today, in these times of war, the period is difficult for all communities and for all our families. We are trying to stay in touch with each other. At the moment, only one member of the Kharkiv community remains in this destroyed city. When electricity and food ran out and the heating stopped, he took refuge in a bunker near a parish. Members of the Berdychiv community remained in their homes, as the city had not yet been bombed. Everyone helps each other as much as they can: some welcome refugees from the east of the country, others prepare military nets or sew clothes for the soldiers and defenders of the city, others work as volunteers. In Khmelnytsky, members of the community live locked in their homes. Around Kiev, many places were razed to the ground and destroyed. Civilian homes were ruthlessly destroyed. Four OCDS people remained in Kiev.

Let us entrust our lives into the hands of the Lord and his Divine Mercy. In a very special way, we find refuge in the great protector of Carmel, St. Joseph. All our communities pray to this great saint, remembering what our holy mother Teresa of Jesus said about him. We also ask you to pray to St. Joseph for peace in Ukraine.

 

Avila

The opening of the Holy Door on Sunday, March the 13th, by the Bishop of Avila, Msgr. José María Gil Tamayo, marked the beginning of the Jubilee Year. The church of the La Santa Monastery is the church of the Jubilee. The faithful looked on with great devotion. Next to the bishop were representatives of civil, religious, university, military and police authorities. The event was broadcast by Spanish television TVE 2.

The Bishop of Avila was accompanied by Father Antonio Ángel Sánchez, OCD, Provincial of the Iberian Province, and Father David Jiménez, OCD, Prior of the La Santa monastery. The City of Avila Band accompanied the opening of the Holy Door by playing the National Anthem. The Mass was accompanied by the La Santa Gregorian Choir and the procession through the city, after the Eucharist, was accompanied by the El Amarrao band of trumpets and drums.

 

Alba de Tormes

The church of the Annunciation of Alba de Tormes was crowded for the celebrations on this day. The Bishop of Salamanca, Msgr. José Luis Retana, presided over his first Pontifical Mass in the Church of the Annunciation.

The Discalced Carmelite Order, in collaboration with the Municipality of Alba de Tormes, organized an exhibition «Teresa de Jesus: Woman, Saint, Doctor». It was inaugurated on March 28, the day of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila. The exhibition aims to explore these three aspects of the Saint. It will be open to the public until October 22, 2022, in the church of the Monastery of the Annunciation, where Teresa died in 1582 and where her tomb has been venerated ever since.

 

Rome

The Mass for the 400th anniversary of the canonization of Saints Isidore the Farmer, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Jesus and Philip Neri was celebrated in the church of the Gesù in the presence of Pope Francis. For health reasons, he could not preside over the celebration. Jesuits, Carmelites, Oratorians and members of the Diocese of Madrid gathered to celebrate this great event. Here is a passage from the Pope’s homily:

«One of the great tragedies of our time is the refusal to open our eyes to reality and instead to look the other way. Saint Teresa helps us to move beyond ourselves, to go up the mountain with the Lord, to realize that Jesus also reveals himself through the wounds of our brothers and sisters, the struggles of humanity, and the signs of the times. Do not be afraid to touch those wounds: they are the wounds of the Lord».

 

CITeS (Avila)

From March 11 to 13, a series of discussionss were held on «Holiness, Mission and Experience of God» on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the canonization of Saints Isidore the Farmer, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Jesus and Philip Neri. This canonization was a true spiritual renewal for the Church and for the whole of Western society.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Bishop of Avila, Fr José María Gil Tamayo, the Mayor of Avila, Mr Jesús Manuel Sánchez Cabrera, the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Canon Law of the Pontifical University of Comillas, Father Francisco Ramírez, and the two directors of the symposium: Fathers Fernando Millán and Francisco Javier Sancho Fermín. The topics covered concerned the experience of God, the mission and the charism at the service of the Church for each of these figures.

 

Br. Mary-Dominic Savio, OCD, was ordained a priest on 11 February. He was born at Naju-si (Korea) in 1986 and made his First Profession as a Carmelite in 2015. He studied at the Teresianum in Rome

Fr. Mary-Dominic’s family, the Carmelite community and OCDS members attended the Ordination ceremony at which Monsignor Peter Chung, OCD, Archbishop of Seoul, presided. You are kindly asked to keep Fr. Mary-Dominic Savio in your prayers.

 

This year St. Joseph’s Monastery has 16 friars from Togo, Burkina and the Ivory Coast. They are involved in Parochial ministry, studies, teaching and spiritual accompaniment. Their daily programmes revolve around prayer, liturgy, recreation and various other community activities that reinforce their family spirit.

On Saturday, 11 December 2021, the friars shared a day of spiritual renewal with members of the OCDS and with other religious and lay congregations affiliated to our Order. There was the double objective of preparing for the feast of St. John of the Cross and for the Christmas festivities.

The eventual Christmas celebrations were well attended by the faithful. In a gesture of welcome for the New Year 2022 with renewed gratitude, the whole parish gathered in a huge field to share the Christmas Vigil of 2021 in adoration, praise and prayer.

On Monday, 27 December 2021, our community had a recreational outing to the beach at Assinie (Abidjan).  Our reciprocal enjoyment of the occasion strengthened our spirit of brotherhood and reminded us that we too, as a community, are part of God’s garden where He takes His delight.

 

Ever since Fr. Juan Vicente Zengotita, OCD, launched La Obra Maxima in January 1921, there have been continuing changes both in its format and content. Thanks to the collaboration of so many Discalced Carmelites, the review has become the mouthpiece of our missionaries. Through their writing and witness, we have been made aware of the difficulties and challenges, not only of their communities and their work, but indeed of the life of the whole Church.

Obra Maxima was begun by the Carmelite Province of Navarre with an edition in Spanish. Inevitably then, many communities of the Order that do not understand Spanish were unable to avail of the news published in it. Due to this, the current director, Fr. Jon Korta, OCD, has launched two international editions, one in English and another in French. As a result of quite a few years of work and organization, both these editions were issued in January 2022, thanks to a group of collaborators and translators. Under Fr. Jon’s direction, the review is now available for and can reach more communities of the Order.

It is essential that the whole Order should be aware of these projects and supportive of them. They are inherent to our Carmelite culture, especially as they seek to promote the life and witness of those Discalced Carmelite friars who proclaim the Gospel of God in missionary lands.

 

https://www.laobramaxima.es

 

On Saturday 15 January, the eruption of an under-water volcano near Tonga caused tsunamis in various islands of the South Pacific Ocean. Sea levels rose along the coast of Peru and the Pacific coasts of the United States, while tsunamis and evacuations were reported in Japan. Nearly two islands were completely destroyed and there are no longer any houses left on them. Fortunately, God protected Tonga itself. Although the eruption was massive, only three persons died. It could have been so much worse.

The Carmelite family has a presence in that part of the world. Our Carmelite nuns in Tonga are safe and well. As they have reported, it was a horrific and frightening experience, but they were sure that God would have protected them. They were aware of the prayers of all their brothers and sisters for them. When the volcano erupted, the convent was violently shaken. A few hours later, everything was hidden by clouds and then ash began to fill the air and fall on the roof like hailstones. The sisters climbed on to the roof to remove the thick ash while members of OCDS and parishioners came to assist in cleaning the whole monastery. The only remaining problem was lack of fresh water as the ash had contaminated everything. Thanks be to God, Australia and New Zealand sent them drinking water.

 

The Conference of Carmelite Superiors of Francophone Africa and Madagascar held a meeting in Dakar from 24th to 28th January. Eleven representatives from 5 of the 6 Circumscriptions of our Conference – Congo, Cameroon, Central Africa, West Africa and Senegal – were in attendance. The Madagascar Commissariate was excused.

In his message to the Assembly, Fr. General encouraged us to deepen our spirit of fraternity and collaboration. Our discussions concentrated on the following themes: co-operation in formation ( initial and that of formators and superiors); the intensification of interchanges with the Circumscriptions of Anglophone Africa; the second annual noviciate (which will be held this time around at Kinshasa in Congo-DRC; the Congresses of the Carmelite Family in Africa; the publication of literature adapted to the needs of our Circumscriptions.

A rest day provided the opportunity of visiting the Island of Goree, near Dakar, from where thousands of slaves departed for the Americas. The majority of our participants at the Assembly had either arrived early for our meeting or prolonged their stay. This allowed them to visit our Sisters in Sebikotane, the Benedictine Abbey of Keur Moussa or the Carmelite Community of Ndiaffate, 200 Kilometres from Dakar.