Author: ocd web master

At the age of 94 years, Mons. Luis Alberto Luna Tobar, Discalced Carmelite and Archbishop Emeritus of Cuenca, died last February the 7^th in Quito, Ecuador.

Mons. Luna was born on the 15^th of December, 1923, into a well-to-do family from Quito. He became acquainted with Carmel in a visit he made to the Sucumbios mission with some friends, three of whom entered the Order with him, out of admiration for the friars and more specifically, using their own words, attracted by “their life, their happiness, their training, what they were like”.

As it turned out, he was the only one to persevere and was sent to study in Spain. At that time he became the first Ecuadorian to take the Carmelite habit, which happened at Burgo de Osma on the 3^rd of August, 1939. He was ordained priest on the 25^th of July, 1946, in the Carthusian Charterhouse in Miraflores, Burgos. Once ordained priest, he went back almost immediately to Quito and was appointed Pastor of the church of Saint Therese, where for 22 years, he worked tirelessly up until 1968 as Pastor, becoming the “fashionable” priest, there being no baptism, confession or marriage that he did not do. He had a certain charism for inspiring confidence, he became advisor to numerous well-known political people and those of the social world in the Capital. He was also professor in the Catholic University and in 1972 was appointed a member of the Ecuadorian Academy of Language. From 1970 to 1973 he was Definitor General of the Order. In 1977 he was named Auxiliary Bishop of Quito. But this great Bishop, great shepherd, great friend of the poor and country folk was to emerge as Archbishop of Cuenca in 1981.  He was received with suspicion and distrust by the clergy in Cuenca, thinking him as rather elitist because of his origin and his term as Auxiliary of Quito. Accompanied by his rural Pastoral Vicar, Fr Hernán Rodas, he was to visit even the remotest corner of the diocese. In doing this he found conversion. The very spirit he had shown in Quito for receiving political personages, aristocratic and cultural people . . . was to become in harmony with the country folk: “My greatest pleasure is to be understood by the country people, we get on so well together”.

In this way, he became known as “the Bishop of the poor” and “the Bishop who makes no distinction” or by his own fellow Bishops, who acknowledged him as “the prophet of Ecuador!” His death has caused an enormous impact on the Ecuadorian Church and society, to the extent that President Correa himself publically lamented his death and gave the funeral elegy for Mons. Luna.

Together with Mons. Proaño, dead now for nearly 30 years and our Mons Gonzalo, who was recently taken from us, he formed the most notable group of Bishops involved in leading the reform that followed Vatican II, as well as the meetings of the Latin-American and Carribean Bishops celebrated in Medellin and Puebla.

May our brother rest in peace.

From the on-line Spanish religious periodical “Religión Digital”, we learnt of the news that our brother, Monsignor José Silvio Baéz Ortega, OCD, auxiliary bishop in Managua has been nominated Church personality for 2016 in his country of Nicaragua.

He has been awarded this distinction for his constant, evangelical condemnations of abuse with regard to human rights in Nicaragua, but also for his devotedness as a pastor: as a person of humility, he loves the most poor and teaches all to love God and Sacred Scripture.

According to the afore-mentioned article, the exercise of his episcopal ministry has been increasingly appreciated not only by the faithful Catholics of Nicaragua, but also by those who previously did not support the Church’s stance on different issues.

On 20^th December, 2016, Pope Francis appointed as Bishop of the Lismore diocese, in Australia, our brother Fr Gregory Homeming who, since 2014, has been Regional Vicar of that area of jurisdiction, which is dependent on the Anglo-Irish province. Fr Greg, as he is familiarly known amongst us, also fulfilled this office from 1998 to 2002 and from 2005 to 2011.

Born in 1957, he made his profession on 1^st February 1987 and was ordained priest on 20^th July 1991. He has a degree in Economics and Law from the University of Sydney and completed his theological studies in the Catholic University of Melbourne.

May the Lord bless him and accompany him in this mission to which he has been called in God’s Church. It is absolutely certain that he will not lack the prayers of his Teresian Carmelite family.

The General Delegation of Egypt has established a new presence in Alexandria, that city which resonates so much in Christian history.

Present in Egypt for 90 years, the Teresian Carmel is exploring new growth because of the vocations the Lord is blessing us with in those lands.

There are already two entities under our responsibility in Alexandria: a school and a hospital. Now, with the permanent presence of two religious, Abuna Cyril and Abuna Anthony, the reach of our apostolate can extend to other schools as well as parishes. They will also focus on the specific pastoral work of our spirituality.

We pray for these brothers of ours, whose presence began precisely under the patronage of Saint John of the Cross, on his feast day, and for the entire Delegation. May the Virgin of Carmel assist them in their difficulties.

From 27^th November to 2^nd December 2016, the Superiors General of the Carmelites, Fr Fernando Millán O.Carm. and Fr Saverio Cannistrà OCD, together with the General Definitors or Councillors of both religious Orders, met together on Mount Carmel (Haifa, Israel), to spend time together and to discuss various matters. This initiative is part of the practice of dialogue and fraternal closeness that has been customary in recent years.

The central topic of the meeting was the relationships between consecrated life and the local Church, with regard to the new version of the document Mutuae Relationes, which is in an advanced stage of preparation in the relative Vatican congregations. The discussion was directed by Fr Agostino Montan, from the Congregation of St Joseph (Murialdo Josephites) a professor in the Lateran Pontifical University and a recognized specialist on the topic. Together with him they went over the history of the question, giving special attention to the viewpoint adopted by Vatican Council II and its evolution afterwards, with the rediscovering of the local Church and the ecclesiology of communion. The present situation was analyzed, as well as the prospects for the future, valuing, among other elements, the emphasis of the recent document Iuvenescit Ecclesia on the coessentiality (oneness in essence or nature) of the hierarchical gifts and the gifts of charisms.

The rich dialogue of these day took specially into account the experience of our Carmelite families in particular fields (parishes, missions, laity…). Also discussed was female contemplative life and the new directions of the Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei Quarere and its implications at various levels (monasteries, federations, friars and nuns, diocese, Vatican congregations, etc).

On the other hand, during the days of the meeting, those taking part took the opportunity to come in contact with the past and the present of Carmelite presence in the land of Israel. One of the special visits was to Wadi-es-Siah, the cradle of Carmelite life; there they were able to check and comment on the steps to be taken, little by little, to preserve and dignify the ruins of the first monastery and to facilitate pilgrimage to this enclave which is so significant in our history. They also visited the present Carmelite monastery of Muhraqa, tied to the tradition of the prophet Elijah and the destination of numerous pilgrims and visitors. The stay in the Holy Land was completed with a day of pilgrimage to places of special mention in the Gospel, such as Mount Tabor, Nazareth, Capernaum and the lake of Galilee.

The experience of these days served to strengthen the cordial and fraternal relationship between the general governments of our religious families and to renew the desire to continue living and transmitting this style of gospel life which was born in the land of the bible and is now spread throughout the whole world in many forms and nuances. We all felt called, in the spirit of the Rule given by St Albert to the first hermits on Mount Carmel, to “live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, serving him faithfully with a pure heart and a good conscience”, meditating day and night on the law of the Lord”.

Between the 7^th and 11^th November the European Conference of Provincials met in Linz, Austria. Taking part at the meeting were the Major Superiors of the various European areas of jurisdiction together with Fr Agustí Borrell, the Vicar General and Fr Lukasz Kansy, the second Definitor General.

During the first day, the Superiors reflected on dependence on the internet, assisted by Fr Giovanni Cucci, s.j. This is an argument of enormous pertinence in our time involving, as it does, not only religious in formation but also adults.

On the morning of 9^th November, Fr Agustí Borrell gave a presentation on the situation of the Teresian Carmel in Europe as well as the progress of the re-reading of Constitutions, of great worth at this time of crisis, as we seek to invigorate our own identity as Carmelites.

The same day, in the evening, Fr Lukasz Kansy presented to the assembly a proposal from Fr General: to set up a year in the Salamanca monastery (Spain), together with an adequate community, for the European students in formation. This has the purpose of deepening knowledge of our patrimony of the Teresian charism, as well as assimilating the fundamental elements of our spirituality. The proposal will be studied in the provincial seats so that dialogue on the subject with the General Government can be continued.

On the 10^th, the delegates were able to enjoy a day of rest and fraternal sharing by visiting the city of Vienna, and on the morning of the 11^th they returned home.