Author: ocd web master

From 29 to 31 December, we had a wonderful experience with the second stage of the Carmelite Path for Young People. Twenty-five young people chose to bid farewell to the previous year and welcome the new one by embarking on a journey with light backpacks and a strong desire to share their faith and friendship. This year’s theme is mental prayer, guided by St Teresa of Ávila. It is a simple, concrete and achievable form of prayer in everyday life.

The sun accompanied us on two wonderful hikes: the first from Montemarcello to Ameglia and the second around Portovenere up to Fort Mottarone. The experience was made even more special by the house that welcomed us: our convent at Bocca di Magra. Two lovely ‘bonuses’ were added to all this. First, we had the opportunity to arrive in Arenzano on 28 December to take part in the closing of the Jubilee and pray for suffering children. The second was the option for those who wished to extend their stay until New Year’s Day in Arenzano, where they could attend midnight Mass and watch the fireworks. They would also have an extra day to welcome the relics of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, which were passing through at that time.

These were intense days lived with simplicity and depth, filled with walking, prayer, friendship and a great desire to listen. It was a beautiful way to begin the new year, taking things step by step together.

 

The Infant Jesus Shrine, Bikarnakatte, marked a significant spiritual milestone on Sunday, January 11 as it commemorated the 30th anniversary of its consecration on the seventh day of the Novena in preparation for the Annual Feast of the Infant Jesus. The day’s celebrations were centred on the theme “I will make streams in the desert,” inspired by the spirituality of St John of the Cross.

A total of nine Holy Eucharistic celebrations were held in various languages, enabling devotees from different linguistic backgrounds to participate actively. Religious priests and sisters were specially remembered in prayer, and the faithful were encouraged to reflect on vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life as paths of faithful surrender and selfless service. Following the 10:30 am solemn Mass, a special Eucharistic Adoration was held.

The commemoration of 30 years of the shrine’s consecration made the seventh day of the Novena a deeply meaningful spiritual landmark, renewing the faithful’s commitment to prayer, service, and trust in God’s guiding grace.

 

Sunday, 28 December 2025, was a historic day for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Mission, Vikonje, entrusted to the care of the Discalced Carmelite Friars of Tanzania.

On this day, the community celebrated the first Baptism in the new church, during which 28 children received the Sacrament of Baptism. The celebration also coincided with Family Day and Children’s Day, highlighting the importance of Christian family life.

The day further marked the first anniversary of the entrustment of the outstation to the Carmelite Friars and the inauguration of the Jubilee Year of St. John of the Cross.

After the Holy Mass, a fraternal gathering was held, and food was shared with all the faithful, fostering joy and unity among the community.

 

The seminar entitled “Experiencing God in the Dark Night: The Spirituality of St. John of the Cross” was held on January 9, 2026, at the Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Jakarta, in celebration of the Jubilee of St. John of the Cross. The event was initiated by the OCD Friars and the OCDS Jakarta, and featured Fr. Christianus Surinono OCD as the main speaker. A total of 160 participants attended the seminar.

As a continuation and deeper exploration of the theme, a national retreat was conducted from January 10–11, 2026, with 55 participants joining from various regions across Indonesia. The retreat offered participants an opportunity to interiorize the teachings of St. John of the Cross through prayer, silence, and guided reflection, fostering a deeper personal encounter with God.

The theme of the “Dark Night” in the spirituality of St. John of the Cross reveals that experiences of darkness, spiritual dryness, and uncertainty are not signs of God’s absence, but rather a path of purification leading to deeper union with Him. This seminar and retreat invited participants to view suffering and silence not as an end, but as a grace-filled journey toward spiritual maturity and authentic love.

 

The Philippine OCD Province, comprising friars from Vietnam and the Philippines, was privileged to host the East Asia and Oceania Students and Formators Encounter, held from 28 December 2025 to 2 January 2026.

With the theme “Kapit (Hold On): Journeying as One in Hope,” the encounter gathered some of the major superiors, formators, and students from various circumscriptions of the Order in the region: Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Singapore-Thailand-Malaysia and the Philippines.

Among the highlights of the encounter, aside from moments of communal prayer and celebration of the Holy Mass, were conferences delivered by various speakers, recreational and sports activities, audiences with communities of OCD nuns, fellowship dinners, and cultural nights that showcased the rich diversity of traditions within the region. During the week of the encounter, the brothers also welcomed the new year 2026 through the celebration of the Midnight Mass with the parish community and the traditional New Year’s Eve dinner.

The encounter was especially graced with the presence of the Definitor General of the Order, Fr. Christianus Surinono, OCD. Meanwhile, the Father General also expressed his closeness and encouragement through a video message.

 

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Discalced Carmelites community on Łobzowska Street in Kraków, the friars of the Province of Kraków gathered on 20 November 2025. This jubilee celebration held particular significance, as the sisters played a key role to the rebirth of Carmel in Poland at the end of the nineteenth century.

Mothers Jagellonne Wielhorska, Maria Ksawera Czartoryska, and Teresa Steimetz, together with the nuns of Liège-Cornillon (Belgium), were at the origin of this renewal of the charism. Thanks to them, the reform of the friars’ monastery at Czerna founded by St Rafał Kalinowski became a reality. He himself stated that he “owed everything to the sisters”. Their collaboration lasted thirty years. Other monasteries were founded, and the deep bond between the friars and the sisters bore abundant spiritual fruit.

 

In response to several requests regarding the indulgences granted to our Order, the General Postulation has compiled the Decrees issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary (for the whole Order or for particular branches) that remain in force following the Second Vatican Council reform. This small collection, intended as a kind of “Manual of Indulgences OCD”, is now available on our institutional website, both in its original Latin version and in translation:

https://www.carmelitaniscalzi.com/en/2026_manual-of-indulgences-ocd/

The Carmelite Family Encounter gathered more than 200 participants at the Carmelite school of El Melón. The day started with the prayer of Lauds and the exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament, followed by the words of welcome of the general coordinator, who highlighted the history of Chilean Carmel and the spirit that unites the country’s communities.

The first formative moment was led by Sister Adriana Montenegro, CMT, who reflected profoundly on the pillars of Carmel, which led to group work and plenary expositions. After lunch in community the attendees participated in a moment of prayer inspired by St. Teresa of Los Andes and listened to testimonies on the Carmelite life.

The scholar Myriam Dúchenos led the second formative moment, focused on the presence of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Chile. The afternoon continued with religious dance, expression of popular piety and Marian devotion.

The Encounter concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist presided by Monsignor Mario Salas Becerra, stressing Carmel’s mission as a sign of hope. The day reaffirmed the communion, spiritual identity and pastoral commitment of the Chilean Carmel under the theme “Pilgrims of hope with Carmel”.

 

From 24 to 28 November 2025, in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, we, the friars of the Southern Cone, gathered together for a formation meeting entitled ‘Elijah and Elisha Project’.

The purpose of this project is to offer accompaniment during the first ten years following initial formation. Thus, the ‘young brothers’ are represented by the figure of Elisha, while the ‘more experienced brothers,’ who accompanied us during this meeting, are represented by the figure of Elijah. We shared in the Liturgy, times of personal prayer and recreation. We benefited from formation courses on human, psychological and spiritual development, some of which were inspired by the Carmelite saints.

We visited the Discalced Carmelites Nuns of Porto Alegre, where we shared Mass, breakfast and sang together. We concluded our meeting with a walk through the most significant sites of Porto Alegre.

It was a beautiful moment of fraternal exchange, which, without a doubt, gave us the strength to continue facing the years ahead in the complexity of our vocation.

 

On Saturday, December 13 took place the Advent retreat of the five Roman OCDS communities at the Basilica of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus in Anzio in an environment of joy and deep communion. Joining them were the OCDS Provincial Delegate, Fr. Basilio Visca, Fr. Joseph Heimpel, Fr. Mario Ottaviani and the Fathers from the religious community of Anzio.

The center of the day consisted of listening to the vocational testimonies of three Carmelite young students from the St. John of the Cross International School – Br. Niccolò (Central Italy), Br. Christian (Albania), and Br. Agostino (Egypt). With freshness and profundity they reminded everyone that each one is loved and guided by God in a unique and special way.

The fraternal dialogue after the testimonies, the Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Joseph Heimpel, and the shared lunch reinforced everyone’s sense of belonging to the great family of Carmel.

This was a new and fruitful experience that opened spaces for knowledge and fraternity, transforming Advent’s expectation into encounter and communion. With gratitude the OCDS from Central Italy carries this day in its heart as a concrete sign of renewal and hope.

 

On November 19, 2025 at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of the Teresianum in Rome it was inaugurated an academic chair dedicated to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The objective is to strengthen and promote the doctrinal and intellectual contribution of this young woman, whom Pope John Paul II declared Doctor of the Church in 1997 and whom UNESCO recognized in 2021 as an intellectual “whose work examines the depth of the human heart and opens possible response ways to men and women of this world in search of meaning, in search of personal and universal peace.”

The purpose of this academic chair is also to make known not only the teachings linked to the “little doctrine” that has inspired generations of believers and non-believers, but also the contribution of this French saint to the cultural dimension of the faith in dialogue with the intellectuals of her time and today.

VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE

The OCDS World Encounter will take place in Avila, Spain from July 23rd to the 26th of 2026. Almost 1,000 people from all over the world will be participating. The theme is: “Witnesses of the Experience of God: Identity and Mission”. The objectives of the encounter are to:

  • Go deeper into the spirituality and charism of the Secular Carmel.
  • Strengthen communion among OCDS communities of the different regions of the world.
  • Share experiences and formation.
  • Do homage to St. John of the Cross in the celebration of the 3rd centenary of his canonization and the 1st centenary of his declaration as a Doctor of the Church.
  • Remember with gratitude the spiritual heritage of the Discalced Carmel.
  • Contribute to the cultural and religious life of Avila.

The event offers a unique opportunity for the members of the Discalced Carmel to know one another, share the faith, renew of the Carmelite charism, and strengthen the fraternal bonds that unite them. Inspired by the rich spirituality of St. Teresa of Jesus and St. John of the Cross attendees will be able to go deeper in their journey towards union with God through prayer and fraternal life. For more information we invite you to visit the event’s website: https://ocdsavila2026.com

On December 13 in Segovia, by the tomb of St. John of the Cross took place the solemn celebration of the Eucharist and opening of the Holy Door, visible signs of the official beginning of St. John of the Cross Centenaries. The celebration was presided by the bishop of Segovia accompanied by the bishop of Avila, the Father General of our Order, the Provincials of the Iberian, Portuguese and Navarre Provinces, representatives of the City of Segovia, and numerous religious.

On December 14, Solemnity of St. John of the Cross, also started the Jubilee Year of St. John of the Cross in the Diocese of Avila, at the parish of St. Cyprian of Fontiveros, birthplace of the saint. The Eucharist was presided by the bishop of Avila, Monsignor Jesús Rico, and started with the opening of the Jubilee Holy Door. In Avila the day started by the saint’s monument, with a prayer led by Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez, and continued with a procession to the Basilica of St. Teresa, where it was officially declared a Jubilee church.

On December 15 the Holy Door was opened in Ubeda. The celebration, presided by the bishop of Jaén, Monsignor Sebastian Chico Martínez, started in St. Paul’s Parish, and continued with a pilgrimage to St. John of the Cross oratory. There the doors were officially opened and they prayed before the tomb and relics of the saint. The Eucharist was then celebrated in the church of San Miguel, with multitudinous participation.

The following places have been established as Jubilee sites associated with these centenaries:

  • Ubeda, place of his death
  • Segovia, the place where his tomb is
  • The Diocese of Avila, with the city of Avila and Fontiveros, place of his birth

In this way a shared journey begins which invites all to go in pilgrimage, pray and rediscover the timeless power of St. John of the Cross’ message. May this Jubilee Year help us to walk with depth, fraternity and hope.

 

The night of his arrival to the Land of Cedars on Sunday, November 30 and after meeting with the official authorities, Pope Leo XIV went to the Monastery of the Theotokos and the Unity of Harissa. There he received a typical gift of Carmelite spirituality.

Pope Leo XIV is the third Pope received by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Harissa, after St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. In the visit, which lasted approximately thirty minutes, the Pontiff greeted each one of the sisters and received the gift of a small statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague, a “typical” gift of the Carmelite spirituality that throughout the centuries has spread in a special way the love for the infancy of Christ.

Text & images: © Vaticano

 

4 October 2025 marked the anniversary of the Teresa Mwiza Festival, organized annually by the Carmelite Brothers in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Bujumbura. Twelve choirs took part in the final stage of the celebrations. Each had different skills, but the organizers finally selected the three that stood out: the Regina Cæli choir, the Voix des Anges choir and the Charismatic choir, all three from the Vicariate of Saint Michael. In addition to the praise given to the three choirs that sang first, congratulations were also given to those who had performed the requested songs.