Author: ocd web master

Father General met with 162 Discalced Carmelite nuns from monasteries in the United States from April 25th to 29th in St. Louis (Missouri). The meeting can be regarded as historic, and its organization was aided by some OCDS members.

Father Saverio gave the sisters two conferences based on the Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere. They were titled, “Contemplative life and cloister” and “Contemplative life and the Word of God.”

Father General described the life of the contemplative Carmelites as a life of “seekers of the ways of the Spirit,” who do not limit themselves to welcoming the guest as industrious housewives – in the style of Martha – to the point of forgetting him and neglecting their relationship with him.

Likewise, Father Saverio pointed out, it is obvious that a plurality exists in the cloistered way of life among Discalced Carmelites, but “it is preferable to have diversity that seeks accord than discordance that coerces uniformity.”

In his second conference, Father General insisted upon the need to establish a profound relationship with the Word of God, essential to the contemplative life.

The sisters had the opportunity for group reflection on the proposed topics in Father Saverio’s conferences, and he also had the opportunity to meet with the councils of the different federations.

Accompanying Father General from Rome were Father Daniel Chowning, Definitor, and Father Rafal Wilkowski, his personal secretary and the one responsible for the secretariat of the nuns.

Father Michael Berry of the Province of California-Arizona and Father Jude Peters, Provincial of Washington, also participated in the meeting.

A detailed record of the meeting in English with photographs may be found at this link:

http://ocdnunsnationalmtg.blogspot.com.au/

With the ending of the cycle of Teresian Congresses (2010-2015) and the Congress on Mercy (2016) which has taken place, the University of Mysticism is undertaking a new project for the diffusion of the spirituality of St. Teresa and St. John by organising a cycle of Congresses dedicated to each of the works of St. John of the Cross.

The cycle of congresses will open with the Ascent of Mount Carmel (4th-10th September 2017). Doctrinally, this book develops a profound vision of man’s path of freedom and of his progressive drawing closer to God, who transforms him. It is a process in which God makes himself known to man, at the same time that a change takes place in man leading from the senses to the spirit. St. John of the Cross wrote this work for the many souls to whom God gives the talent and grace to advance far along the path of union and who get lost because they do not know how to respond to this grace or who have no-one to direct them. A detailed programme of the content and guest speakers will later be made available.

From the 5th of April last, the Teresianum Pontifical Theological Faculty and the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality in Rome has become more accessible, thanks to the possibility of making a virtual visit, which gives an opportunity of getting to know its more important facilities.

The 360 degree tour begins with a visit to the central cloister, which you can move around by means of the directional arrows which can be found at the bottom of the computer screen or, on mobile devices, simply by rotating the screen or moving it with the finger. As they move around, visitors will find a series of pulsating camera shaped icons which, when pressed, will make it possible to see the entrance to the Teresianum, the crypt and classrooms, and the secretarial office.

One icon with an arrow enables you to make a virtual visit to the chapel and move about in it with a 360 degree vision. From the heights of the organ pipes, visitors can again press another arrow which will take them to the library, where some of the more significant items in its collection can be seen. Another icon on the door of the chapel will take you on a visit to the Aula Magna – the Great Hall.

The work was done so unselfishly by the photographer José Ángel Barbero and by Juan Borrego Alonso, from the leading company in technology and communication services for the Church, COMUNICA+, from Salamanca, Spain (www.comunicamas.com).

The website for the virtual visit is this:

http://www.fotografiaspanoramicas.com/teresianum/

The 5th OCDS Provincial Chapter took place at Medellín in the Francis Palau retreat house of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters on the 24th, 25th, and 26th of March. Taking part in the event were delegates from the seven communities of the country (Medellín, Pereira, Villa de Leyva, Cali, Bogotá, Anzá and Bucaramanga). Also present were the Discalced Carmelite friars, Fr Milton Moulthon and Fr Arcesio Escobar.

 

The primary purpose of the meeting was to elect the members making up the Provincial Council who will offer their services during the next triennium in the following offices:

President: Lucy del Carmen Quexada;

Formator: Esther Leonor Galvis;

Councillor for Spiritual life: Josefina Espitia;

Councillor for the Apostolate: Gabriela Marín;

Consejería de Vida Mariana: Francisco Neira;

Treasury Auxilliary: Rosario Serrano;

Secretary: Caroline Gebehart.

Also discussed in the meeting were the concerns raised by Fr General in his letter sent from Rome on the 27th of March 2016.

Holy Week in Egypt begins with the blood of martyrs. We were all celebrating Palm Sunday in our Basilica of Santa Teresa parish in Shubra (Cairo) when the news was received of an attack on a Coptic church in the city of Tanta. We did not want to communicate this to the people so as not to provoke fear. This is painful news that increases the number of martyrs in heaven and decreases the number of apostles on earth. A bloodbath that after a little while was prolonged in another church in Alexandria. A total of more than forty dead. A painful moment for Christians. We all ask ourselves: Why? How long? The Answer comes to us from the first martyr of Calvary, Jesus who gave his life for love and in love. Let us pray that the Father may forgive these people who know not what they do, and convert them to peace and love. We pray for all Christians and for all peacemakers that with their blood they may render fertile the dry and arid land of the human heart. Carmel in Egypt is united to the sorrow and pain of our brothers and asks for prayers from Carmel throughout the world. In a special way, we thank Father General Saverio Cannistrà for his solidarity and closeness in this moment to his confreres in Egypt.

Abuna Patrick, OCD General Delegate

 

A series of activities, which began with a round of celebrations in each community on the feast day of the Patroness of the Vicariate, St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, 1st October, 2016, in order to celebrate twenty-five years since the arrival of the first missionaries from the Province of Manjummel in Odisha, North-East India, the Vicariate of St.Thérèse, which was established there.

The slogan for the celebrations is as follows: “Always renewed in You”, which seeks to express the call to both individual and collective renewal in the Vicariate, to the radical values of the charism of the Teresian Carmel. Our Carmelite brothers in Odisha want to give thanks on this sublime occasion, anchored in their roots and at the same time, wishing to continue to bear much fruit, trusting in God’s help to build a future in hope with his blessing.

Among the many activities scheduled for this year, we highlight the spiritual retreats, the sessions of study on the Constitutions and the individual anniversary celebrations of the various religious.

The festivities have been scheduled with the intention of this joyful anniversary and will close with a celebration on the 1st October, 2017.

The Order of Carmelites and that of the Discalced Carmelites, prompted by the celebration of the first centenary of the apparitions in Fatima, have decided to call an International, Marian Congress as one family as an offering to the whole Church, in order to revitalise our Marian spirituality, since Carmel is all of Mary.
It was through her inspiration and protection that, in the XIIth century, the first hermit-friars came together on the summit of Mount Carmel to foster their relationship with the living God. With great joy, our brothers of the Teresian Carmel invite us to this Congress, with the support of the Superior Generals of both Orders, which will take place from 15th – 17th September in Fatima, Portugal.
Further information with regard to the Congress can be found at: http://www.congressomarianocarmelita.com, in Portuguese, Italian, French, English and Spanish.

The conventual church of the Discalced Carmelite friars in Poznan, Poland, was proclaimed a minor basilica on the 19th of March, this year, at a solemn ceremony at which presided Archbishop Gądecki, accompanied by various members of the secular clergy and various male and female religious. Present also were the civil authorities and a large group of faithful from the city.

The Provincial, Fr Jan Piotr Malicki, was also present at the ceremony, accompanied by a good number of Carmelite religious.

We share the joy of our brothers and sisters of the Warsaw Province and pray that the new basilica may become a centre point for spread of devotion to Saint Joseph and evangelization.

Our brothers and sisters in Peru have suffered from the consequences of the floods that have hit the country, though not in a devastating way, as the Commissar, Fr Alfredo Amesti ocd reports.

The most affected areas are in the north of the country, where the monastery of Trujillo and the convents of Truhillo and Piura are situated, which suffered slight floods and water infiltration.

In the south, the convent of St Vincent of Cañete, thanks be to God, narrowly missed an avalanche of mud and stones (huaico en quechua, in the native tongue), which passed nearby.

The communities of Lima suffered only from cuts in water and electricity. The Commissar thanks all those who are praying that the situation gets better and those people within the country who are mobilizing to help those most affected.

The presence of the Teresian Carmel in Morocco, as made evident by the community of Discalced Carmelites in Tangiers, continues its work in those Islamic lands with God’s help.

It has been involved with various activities promoted by the Archdiocese, throughout 2016, punctuated by the Jubilee of Mercy. The community serves as a point of reference for all Christians travelling in Tangiers.

Several Carmelite religious friars have accompanied our sisters, the first of whom was the Fr. Provincial, Miguel Márquez, OCD, Ordinary of the community, giving courses of formation or exercises and the sisters have also been able to attend meetings organised by the Federation or those organised by the Centre of the Order. In addition to their link with the Federation of Discalced Carmelites of Andalucia, the sisters in Tangiers are deepening their relationship with their Carmelite sisters in the Holy Land. Making the most of their stay in Rome, at the request of Pope Francis, sisters María Inés Agnès, coordinator of the Association of the Holy Land and Prioress of the Carmel in Jerusalem and Maira, Prioress of the Carmel in Haifa, were able to visit the community in Tangiers at the beginning of February.

Our sisters are  assiduously continuing with their study of the languages of the country, since Spanish is continuing to diminish in use among the citizens of Tangiers. Thus, they have received help from different sources to improve their knowledge of French and Arabic.

The stay of Sr. Julia in Tangiers, from the community of Pescara, has come to an end. Sister Anastasia, from the Carmel in Osiny, Poland, has also been part of the same community  since 10th October. María Ana from the Campinas Carmel, Brazil, joined the community this year as well. The presence of the Teresian family in Morocco has thus been enriched thanks to the generosity of these sisters and their communities.

To conclude, we will quote the words of our sisters in Tangiers: “We give thanks for everything we have received from our benefactors, thanks to whom, we have been able to take on some restructuring work in the house, some of which was very urgent.  Thanks to them, we have been able to revamp the interior of a new, little chapel, which was blessed on 22nd December by our Sr. Archbishop and named by him, the Tent of meeting.

‘Believing that a being called Love is indwelling at every moment of the day and night and who calls us to live in society with Him, trust me, this is what has made my life an anticipation of heaven’ (St. Elizabeth of the Trinity).

May this eternal meeting with Jesus, who dwells in us, help us to always be a place of communion and encounter”.

 

Fr. General, Saverio Cannistrà, is visiting members of the Secular Carmel, nuns and friars from 12th to 24th March, in Belgium, Sweden and Denmark, staying in different monasteries and convents: those of Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp, Glumslöv (Rydebäck), etc.

He will concelebrate at the Mass in which Mons. Anders Arborelius will preside on 21st March in thanksgiving for the fifty years since the founding of Carmel in Sweden. Representatives of the OCDS from all over Scandinavia are expected to take part. Let us pray for Fr. Saverio’s visit.

During the months of January and February, Fr. Alzinir Debastiani, ocd, the Father General’s delegate for Secular Carmelite communities, made two important visits to OCDS communities.

The first was in Croatia from January 27th to 30th of this year at the invitation of Father Sreko Rimac, ocd, Provincial. He was accompanied by Father Dario Tokic, ocd.

Together, they visited the OCDS communities in Zagreb, Split and Krk, and also visited the Discalced Carmelite nuns in Brezovica.

Meetings with the Discalced Carmelite students and the assistants of the various communities were particularly important. Father General’s Delegate talked about the current situation of the OCDS in the world, its needs, and the importance of accompanying the communities and collaborating with them within the apostolic mission of the friars.

There are two formed communities in Croatia: Sombor y Zagreb-Remete, although the latter was divided in two last year due to its large number of members. Two other communities are in formation: Split and Krk. In Sofia, Bulgaria, there is another community founded in the late 60s around the nuns’ presence that is dependent on the Province. Within the harshness of the communist regime, they lived out their consecration in hiding. Thanks be to God, the community renewed normal activity from the year 2000 forward and currently has eight members.

Near Zagreb there was a flourishing community in Lasinja. The disasters of the 1990s war caused great damage, human and material, and dispersed the inhabitants of the area. May God grant that one day that fraternity will be recreated.

Afterward, between February 11 and 12, Father Alzinir Debastiani visited the OCDS communities in Sardinia. These belong to the Province of Central Italy. On Saturday the 11th, representatives of the communities of that city, Ozieri, and Bosa, met in the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Nuoro. The visit with the communities of Cagliari-Sant’Isidoro and Pula, as well as with some members of the new community that is forming in Cagliari, took place on Sunday.

There was time for sharing the activities of each community in a fraternal setting, reinforcing the bonds that unite all Sardinian Secular Carmelites in the selfsame vocation to the Teresian Carmel. God grant that new vocations come to the OCDS and to the friars and nuns of Sardinia.

From Monday, 6th March, the Definitory General, presided by Fr. Saverio, will meet in at its headquarters in the General House, as it normally does every three months.

On this occasion, in addition to the usual ongoing matters, such as information with regard to visits made or the economic situation of the Order, preparations will begin for the Extraordinary Definitory to be celebrated in September this year. All circumscriptions will be advised of the definitive dates, place and agenda in due time. As is usual, at the end of the meeting, a letter from the Definitory will be sent to all superiors, so that it can be distributed to the friars, nuns and seculars of the Order. We are called upon to pray especially at this time for Fr. General and our brother Definitors.

For more than a year in the region of Kananga (Democratic Republic of the Congo) there have been clashes between members of the ethnic tribal majority and the central government of Kinshasa, resulting in the death of the local leader Kamuina Nsapu. Having been declared in rebellion, his militia continue to generate many problems affecting the citizens, despite the growing presence of the Congolese army.

In particular, they have chosen the Catholic Church as a target for their anger since it offered itself as a mediator for peace and for the rebels who, in mad rage, interpreted this gesture as helping the government.

So, last Saturday, February the 18th, they looted the Cristo Rey seminary and on the same day broke into the monastery of our nuns at Malole who, fortunately, did not suffer any harm.

However, to avoid greater evils, the Nuncio in the Congo decided that the nuns be transferred to the “Tabor” retreat centre in the centre of the city, where they will be safer in the hope of returning soon to their monastery.

Let us give our sisters and the Congolese people the support of our prayers.

The website of the Teresianum now offers a new tool developed under the supervision of the director of its periodical, Teresianum, Father Christof Betschart, ocd. It allows the user to access and consult all the articles published in the periodical since its first edition in 1947 until 2014.

Specifically, it is a search engine that can be found on http://www.teresianum.net/rivista and is available in Italian, Spanish, English, French, and German.

Once the desired title is found, a link -“attiva il link”- will be found on its index card. The link leads to the scanned article.

To research articles published in the periodical from 2014 forward, the following link may be used to access a PDF version of each number: http://www.teresianum.net/rivista/ultimo-numero/.

A video showing an example of a search using the new tool can be seen on https://youtu.be/bWpwKLSmglg (courtesy of the YouTube channel of the blog https://delaruecaalapluma.wordpress.com).

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