Author: ocd web master

On 2^nd February, Fr. General and the definitor in charge of India met with the IPCI General Assembly consisting of 7 Provincials and one of their councillors, 3 Regional vicars and two provincial delegates. The primary objective was to meet Fr. General who was in India at the conclusion of the pastoral visitation of the province of Andhra Pradesh. There were few communications from the part of the General administration and there was a discussion on the Indian members present outside their territories and about the forthcoming extraordinary Definitory in India in 2019.

Father Eduardo Sanz de Miguel, Discalced Carmelite of the Iberian Province (Spain), delivered a series of conferences on Saint John of the Cross in the Shrine of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Hadayek Shoubra, Cairo, Egypt) during the last week of January.

In the mornings he delivered a complete course to the Discalced Carmelites in Egypt, who were joined by the Carmelite Sisters “of Florence” and the Carmelite Sisters of Saint Joseph.

In the evenings he had the opportunity to meet with diverse groups of religious, families, and also had a meeting with priests.

The conferences were well attended and were a unique opportunity to transmit the Teresian charism and Sanjuanist doctrine to many Christians in Egypt.

On January 13th, Holy Father Francis appointed Father Silvano Giordano, Discalced Carmelite, as a consultor to the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.

Father Silvano is from the Province of Genoa, has a doctorate in ecclesiastical history (Gregorian University, 1992), and is a professor at the Teresianum in Rome, where he also holds the office of Vice Dean (“Vice Preside”). Additionally, he is a guest professor of modern history in the Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage of the Church of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

Professor Tiziana María di Blasio, who also teaches in our Faculty, was appointed consultor to the same congregation on that day as well.

Father Eulogio Pacho Polvorinos – Fr. Eulogio of Our Lady of Mount Carmel – died during the evening of February 1st in Burgos.

He was born on July 27, 1926, in Calaveras de Arriba (Leon) and made his profession on August 15, 1942. He was ordained to the priesthood on April 23, 1950.

Let us give thanks to God for the life of our brother, who served the Order and the Church with his intellectual work and tireless teaching activities in Rome, Burgos, and many other places. His efforts were always accompanied by a humble, unaffected, and welcoming demeanor.

His editorial and doctrinal work on notable persons such as Father Palau and, above all, Saint John of the Cross, was outstanding and remains a testimony of great value for the Church, the Order, and society.

Funeral rites were celebrated on Sunday, February 3rd, in the Church of Carmel in Burgos.

We request a prayer to commend him to the Church Triumphant. May he rest in peace.

(Source: www.ocdiberica.com)

Fr. Attilio Ghisleri, ex-General Bursar of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, on January 13, 2018, after the Saturday chant of the Salve in Stella Maris, he has taken possession of his new position as Delegate General of the Delegation of Israel. Then all the present religious have done the act of obedience, in order to walk together during the new triennium 2018-2021.

We wish him a fruitful service in charge of Stella Maris, Muhraqa and Wadi-EsSiah, emblematic places where our Order was born and it is still present, inspired by the zeal of the prophet Elijah and under the protection of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Congratulations and a lot of encouragement!

Some days ago, we reported the naming of Man of the Year in Sweden by the “Fokus” magazine of our brother Cardinal Arborelius. Today arrived the news –which we happily share with you– of the naming of Monsignor Silvio Báez, a Discalced Carmelite, as the Nicaraguan Man of the Year by the “La Prensa” daily.

As can be seen in the link below, which reports the interview given by our brother, the “La Prensa” newspaper appreciates his commitment to democratic values and to liberty, which have earned him some disagreement with the regime that currently governs the country.

Monsignor Silvio, well prepared theologically and biblically, does not wish to enter –as he explicitly states– into political questions but to defend human values tied to the Gospel of Jesus. His simple and approachable spirit, his desire to give a voice to those who lack it are the values standing out in the speech granting him the prize.

A great communicator, Silvio Báez evangelizes also by means of the internet and has recently produced a pocket book titled #EvangelioDeHoy: Tuits de la Buena Nueva de Jesús de Nazaret, [Today’sGospel: Tweets about the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth] which gathers together evangelizing tweets taken from his personal Twitter account which has thousands of followers.

https://www.laprensa.com.ni/2017/12/31/suplemento/la-prensa-domingo/2353427-monsenor-silvio-baez-dificil-sacar-ortega-esquemas-politicos

Recently, on the 3^rd of January, we received the sad news that Monsignor Adeodatus Micallef had died. He was a Carmelite Bishop, born in Birkirkara, Malta, on the 17^th of December 1928.

Mons. Micallef entered the Order on the 15^th of August 1947, was professed a year later and took the religious name of Brother Adeodatus of the Assumption. On the 15^th of October 1951, he made his solemn profession and was ordained priest on the 9^th of May 1954.

In his Province of Malta, Mons. Adeodatus held many offices: Prior of Birkirkara, Master of novices and, for one year (1972-1973), Provincial. In 1973 he was elected Definitor in the General Chapter, being mainly in charge of the missions of the Order. When this period finished in 1979, he became Rector of the Teresianum, an office he held for two years, when he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Kuwait and was consecrated Bishop by Pope St John Paul II on the 6^th of January, 1982.

During the first Gulf War, Mons. Adeodatue refused invitations to abandon the country and remained in Kuwait during the whole conflict.

When his retirement was accepted on the 14^th of July 2005, he was farewelled by the Christian pilgrim community on the 20^th of October that year, in a Eucharist in the Cathedral of the Holy Family, at which a multitude attended. When he retired, the Holy See decided to withdraw care of the Apostolic Vicariate from the Order, so Mons. Adeodatus was the last Discalced Carmelite Bishop of Kuwait. This decision particularly saddened Mons. Adeodatus who, despite showing his disagreement truthfully and sincerely, finally accepted it with humility and love for the Church.

Returning to his Province, he sought to live as a friar once again, placing himself at the service of his Superiors, with special care for the very sick, happily accepting whatever office entrusted to him, including barber for the friars who required his services.

After an illness lasting two months, which he accepted with great serenity, our much-loved brother died in great peace, surrounded by a goodly number of friars from the Province, who then accompanied him, together with a large number of the faithful, at the funeral at which presided Mons. Scicluna in the Valeta cathedral in Malta.

The funeral was transmitted live by means of YouTube and can be seen at this site:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHKfED7AjGM

From the Carmel in Bangui we have received some news from Fr. Federico Trinchero this past month of December about the Republic of Central Africa and the situation of the Teresian Carmel there. Unfortunately, the situation is still very difficult, despite the fact that there is scant coverage in the social communication media in the the rest of the world. Eighty percent of the land is occupied by rebel groups and the State has not managed to curb them and has been unable to reestablish its authority in much of the country.

Furthermore, according to the statistics of the UN, the Republic of Central Africa occupies the  the 188^th place out of 188 countries in the Human Development Index, therefore the poorest country in the world.

As to our brothers, two from the Republic of Central Africa and five Cameroonians began their novitiate in September in the monastery of St. Elijah of Bouar. Three other young men, two Cameroonians and one from Central Africa, made their simple vows after completing a year in the novitiate. Two of them have become members of the community of the Carmel in Bangui.

A solemn profession and priestly ordination were celebrated and as part of a programme of collaboration with the mission in Cameroon, which is dependent on the Province of Lombardy, some young Central African students will continue their theological and pastoral studies in that country.

The prestigious, Swedish news magazine ‘Fokus’ has named our brother, Cardinal Anders Arborelius, OCD, Swedish citizen of the year, taking into account his unwavering and inclusive character as the most visible head of the Catholic church in Sweden, where everyone is able to find a space in which to share faith, hope and love.

In an interview on the Spanish web page www.religionconfidencial.com, the priest, Andrés Bernar states that Monsignor Arborelius has always been a voice which is a reference point not only for Swedish Catholics, but who is also forthright when it comes to explaining the doctrine of the Church with simplicity and clarity, always placing himself on the side of the most vulnerable.

On Vatican Radio, Anders Arborelius stated: ‘Sometimes I ask myself if I am a true Swede, because people think that it is impossible to be one, when one is a Catholic priest, bishop and cardinal, all at the same time. I am happy for this recognition and consider that the magazine has been courageous in making this choice. It shows that the Catholic Church is becoming more and more of a Swedish reality and is part of the fabric of the society of our country’.

For their part, the panel recognised that our brother, Cardinal Arborelius, OCD, is a courageous man, when it comes to representing the Catholic Church with dignity in a country whose identity is mainly secular or Lutheran. He also plays a crucial role in the integration of Swedish people and immigrants who have come from other countries. In conclusion, ‘Focus’ states: ‘The Swede of the year for 2017 is Anders Arborelius, Discalced Carmelite, priest, bishop and cardinal’.

On 21st December, following his traditional Christmas greeting and address to the Roman Curia, Pope Francis revealed his gift this year to the cardinals, bishops and prefects who were present. On this occasion, the Pope has given them two books, one of which is I want to see God by Bld. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus, Discalced Carmelite, published in Italian by the Vatican Publishing House. Talking about the book, the Pope told those present: ‘It will do us much good to read it… Perhaps not all of it’, he added jokingly (perhaps given the thickness of the book), ‘by searching in the index for what is of most interest to us most or what we most need’.