Former bishop of Rochester, New York, television personality in the 1950s, and renown preacher and speaker, Fulton John Sheen, was beatified in a ceremony in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 24, 2026. He was also a member of the Carmelite Third Order. He was professed by the Prior General, Kilian Lynch, in the chapel of Whitefriars Hall in Washington, DC., on July 17, 1948.

On the occasion of the beatification of this Third Order Carmelite, the prior general issued a letter to the Carmelite Family in the official languages of the Order. His letter can be found here.

In his homily at the beatification in St. Louis, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle began by greeting all present in the name of Pope Leo. Cardinal Tagle said, “Pope Leo rejoices at the beatification of his fellow countryman, his fellow Illinoisan, and brother bishop.”

At his regular Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope spoke about the beatification and held up Archbishop Sheen as an example for everyone engaged in evangelization. Known affectionately as “Uncle Fultie,” Archbishop Sheen had a national program on the relatively new medium of television. An estimated 30 million viewers regularly watched Sheen’s Life Is Worth Living which aired from 1952 to 1957. He won an Emmy Award for this work.

“Tomorrow in Saint Louis, Missouri, Venerable Fulton Sheen will be beatified,” the pope said. “May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm."

In his letter declaring Bishop Sheen Blessed, Pope Leo described him as “a tireless preached of the Gospel through the modern means of communications and a diligent shepherd animated by missionary zeal.”

Cardinal Tagle, in his homily, highlighted two aspects of Sheen’s life that stand out in particular: his identity as an evangelizer, or proclaimer of the Gospel, and his vocation as a missionary shepherd.

For the Cardinal the American bishop’s fame as a communicator was secondary to his vocation as a missionary. Cardinal Tagle spoke of Sheen as having a communion with Christ and a communion with people, especially the poor and vulnerable. Tagle noted that the Mass’s three readings likewise place evangelization and mission at the center.

Cardinal Tagle retold the story of a conversation between Sheen and Pope Pius XII: Asked how many conversions he could claim, Sheen replied that he had never counted them, lest he be tempted to think they belonged to him. He described himself instead as “simply a porter” who was sometimes able to lead people to the open door of God’s house.

The evangelizer, the Cardinal explained, does not own the people he encounters, nor does he take credit for what God accomplishes in them. He simply opens the door.

The ceremony was held at The Dome at America’s Center in Saint Louis, Missouri. An estimated 50,000 were in attendance, “exceeding all expectations and hopes” according to one commentator. The entrance procession alone took some 26 minutes.

Read the Circular Letter to the Carmelite Family On the Beatification of Venerable Fulton J. Sheen here

Elective Chapter Held for the Carmelite Monastery in Batu, Indonesia

The Carmelite monastery of Flos Carmeli in Batu, Indonesia, held its Chapter of Elections on September 24, 2026

The monastery of Flos Carmeli was founded in 1962 by two Indonesian nuns from the "St. Mary Magdalene" monastery in Boxmeer, Netherlands, together with three nuns from the "Holy Trinity" monastery in Schlüsselau, Germany. This undertaking was carried out with the approval of Antonius Everardus Ioannes (Avertanus) Albers, O. Carm., the bishop of that diocese.

The Batu monastery is the first Carmelite monastery in Indonesia. In 1993, nuns from this monastery established a daughter foundation at Palangka Raya, Indonesia.

The website of the monastery is: www.floscarmelibatu.org

The nuns elected to leadership roles are:

Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sr M Brigitta Gitasianiningsih Purnama, O. Carm.

1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sr. M. Gerarda Suwarti Jokasemo, O. Carm.

2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Sr. M. Rosa Sukatmi Rahayu Moensarip, O. Carm.

3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Sr. M. Laura Inacentia Sulistiowati Widjajakusuma, O. Carm.

4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Sr. M. Angelina Wiwik Andriani Koesman, O. Carm

Formator | Formadora | Formatrice:
Sr. M. Gabriela Sri Wiharti Solichin, O. Carm.

Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa:
Sr. M. Elisabeth Widhi Habsari Soetadi, O. Carm.

Sacristan | Sacristana | Sacrestana:
Sr. M. Lusia Dwi Estina Waluyaningrum, O. Carm.

New Leadership Elected for the General Commissariat of Paraná

The Fifth Chapter of the General Commissariat of Paraná is taking place from 21 to 25 September 2026 in Maringá, Brazil, under the theme "Carmel: Presence and Mission" and the biblical motto, "Lord, in your light we see light" (Ps 36:9).

During the Chapter, Frei Edmilson Borges de Carvalho, O. Carm., was elected Commissary General. The Chapter also elected Frei Flávio Barbosa dos Santos, O. Carm., First Councilor; Frei Cleidimar Vilela Roquim da Silva, O. Carm., Second Councilor; Frei Vagner Sanagiotto, O. Carm., Third Councilor; and Frei Romualdo Borges de Macedo, O. Carm., Fourth Councilor.

In 1951, the Upper German Province of the Order began missionary work in the city of Paranavai, in the Brazilian state of Paraná, and within a few years sent fifteen missionaries to the new foundation. The friars immediately fostered local vocations, and as early as 1953, they established a second foundation in the city of Graciosa, where a minor seminary was built.

In 1965, the Paraná mission was raised to the status of a Provincial Commissariat. In 1967, the friars assumed pastoral care of the parish of Saint Joseph in Cidade Gaúcha and the parish of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin in Fanny-Curitiba; at this latter parish, they also established a novitiate and a minor seminary. In 1968, following the division of the Cidade Gaúcha parish, the friars took charge of a new parish in the city of Tapira. The following year, the friars established the Saint John of the Cross Seminary and middle schools in the city of Paranavai. In 1984, the friars took over the Good Jesus parish in the city of Dourados, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. In 1994, the friars relinquished the parishes they had been serving in Cidade Gaúcha and Tapira in order to launch a new mission in the northern region. Consequently, they assumed pastoral care of the parish of Our Lady of Aparecida in the city of Rolim de Moura, in the state of Rondônia (Amazon region).

In 1996, a house of formation was founded in Barrio Novo, Curitiba; there, the Blessed Titus Brandsma friary for postulants and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel friary for professed friars studying theology were also established. At the beginning of the third millennium, communities were established in Manaus and Navegantes [2009] and in Florianópolis [2011]. On October 20, 2012, the Prior General, with the approval of the Council of the Order, canonically erected the General Commissariat of Paraná.

After successful congresses of the Titus Brandsma Circle held in 2023 in Nijmegen (Netherlands) and 2025 in Rome (Italy), another congress on research into Titus Brandsma will be held from November 17-20, 2027 in Freising (Germany). 

The Congress is as always open for all aspects in relation to Titus Brandsma. Because of the location the focus if the next Congress will be the death of Titus in Dachau, including a one day trip to the Dachau concentration camp.

The Draft of the programm is available: https://titusbrandsmacircle.org/program-congress-2027/

Registration is possible: https://titusbrandsmacircle.org/congress-registration/

Call for Papers Congress 2027

If you would like to give a presentation at the 2027 congress, submit a proposal on the Call for Papers page: Call for Papers | Titus Brandsma Circle

The General Council Meets in Nocera Umbra for Prayer, Fraternity, and Reflection

From September 7-11, 2026, the members of the General Council gathered at the Centro di Spiritualità "Il Carmelo" in Nocera Umbra, a house of the Italian Province, for several days of prayer, fraternity and reflection. The Council is grateful to the brothers of the Italian province and to the local community for their warm hospitality and for making it possible to step away from the usual rhythm of work.

Nearly one year after the General Chapter in Malang, Indonesia, the meeting was a chance to look back on the Council’s first year of service and to look ahead. The first year after a General Chapter is always a busy one. New members of the Council need time to settle in Rome, and the large number of Provincial Chapters during these first months requires considerable travel, especially on the part of the Prior General. The Council reflected on how the scheduling of Chapters in future sexennia might allow a new Council more time at the beginning to come together, establish its way of working and plan for the years ahead.

The Global Plan for the 2025–2031 sexennium is complete and is now being translated. It will be distributed throughout the Order once the translations are ready. During these days the Council also reflected on the perspective that should guide it as the Plan is put into practice.

One conviction became particularly clear during the conversations: the spiritual renewal of the Order and fidelity to the Carmelite charism cannot simply be one priority among many others. They need to provide the horizon for everything else the Council does. Again and again, the discussion returned to a simple question: How can the work of the General Council help the brothers and communities of the Order to live the Carmelite vocation more deeply and to hand it on faithfully to those who come after them?

Within this horizon, the Council looked more closely at three areas. The first was the renewal and transmission of Carmelite life. The conversation took in initial formation, but also ongoing or permanent formation, the preparation of formators, spiritual accompaniment, vocational discernment and liturgical life. It also turned to something that cannot be separated from formation: the quality of the communities in which brothers actually live. Formation does not end when a brother leaves a formation house. Throughout religious life, brothers continue to form one another in community.

The second area was structures and communities. Some entities of the Order are facing significant changes in numbers, leadership, vocations, finances and ministry, while other parts of the Order are growing and face different challenges. The reflection was not mainly about preserving or changing juridical structures. The more important question is whether the structures of the Order, and its local communities, allow brothers to live genuine Carmelite fraternity, prayer, discernment and mission together.

The third area was finances and the resources entrusted to the Order. Here too, the conversation went beyond money and property. The resources of the Order are meant to serve its life and mission. That calls for responsible planning and transparency, but also for greater solidarity among the different realities of the Order and a willingness to consider how available resources can best serve Carmel in the years ahead.

The meeting was not intended to answer every question or to produce another program. It did help the General Council see more clearly the perspective from which it wishes to continue its service. The question is whether its decisions help the brothers and communities of the Order to live and hand on the Carmelite charism with renewed vitality.

The General Council will continue to take up the fruits of these days during its forthcoming plenary meetings and in its accompaniment of the different entities and communities of the Order.

Hate Speech Condemned by Vatican as Threat to Human Dignity and Source of Violence and Division Among Peoples

At the Global Conference on Promoting Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech, Archbishop Christophe Z. El Kassis, the Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, reaffirmed the moral imperative to reject every form of intolerance, discrimination, and hate speech. He described them as “wounds [to] the human family [which] undermines the conditions for peaceful coexistence.”

The Nuncio cited Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica humanitas, reminding those present that the “first contribution we can make toward a more humane civilization is to be mindful of our words.” Because of the power of words, “by disarming words, the first steps are taken to weave the fabric of social peace and foster a culture of dialogue, tolerance, and respect for differences.”

He also stressed that “peace cannot be woven by words alone. True tolerance is … that active recognition of the equal dignity or every person and the freedom of conscience that belongs to each. It requires the patient effort of dialogue, mutual understanding, and the rejection of stereotypes.”

The Archbishop was appointed the new permanent observer of the Holy See to the U.N. in July 2026. These remarks on Sept. 17 were his first address to the international body.

Disobedient Obedience
(Matthew 21:28-32)

Over the next three Sundays we will listen to three parables where Jesus, having cleansed the temple, addresses the Jerusalem priests and elders. These “parables of judgement” voice God’s judgement against Israel – especially her leaders – for their rejection of Jesus.
The message, however, is also for us.
In this Sunday’s parable, the message could not be simpler: action speaks louder than words.
The tax collectors and prostitutes acted like the first son. Initially they said no to God, but hearing John the Baptist’s preaching they converted and did what pleased God.
The chief priests and elders are like the second son. They, too, heard John’s preaching and saw the responses of the tax collectors and prostitutes but didn’t change. They pretended acceptance of God but refused to accept John’s message. It is the tax collectors and the prostitutes, therefore, who will enter the Kingdom of God before the chief priests and elders.
It is easy to say that we are going to do something to please someone. But the real honour comes in doing.
If we really want to honour our God, we must find ways to do the will of God. Sometimes it won’t be easy, sometimes it will put us out.
We are not called to ‘police’ God’s mercy – to decide who is deserving of it and who is not. If we have truly heard the Word of God we will be more concerned about extending the reign of God’s mercy and love to everyone, especially to those most despised in the world.

• Celebrating At Home - 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time [PDF]
• Celebrating At Home - 26thSunday in Ordinary Time [ePub]
• Celebrando en Familia - XXVI Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario
• Celebrando in Casa - XXVI Domenica del Tempo Ordinario
• Celebrando em família - XXVI Domingo do Tempo Comum

Retreat for Young Carmelite Living in Europe – Prophetic Fire: Renewing Our Carmelite Heart in the Land of Mary.

On July 25-31, 2026, the younger Carmelites living in Europe met for a retreat at Casa São Nuno, Fátima in Portugal). This included the simply professed, newly solemnly professed, and newly ordained Carmelites from the various entities within Europe. In total, there were 29 participants.

The week together was also an important opportunity for those who have recently joined the Order in diverse European countries to get to know each other and create connections for the future. Translation was provided in the official languages of the Order.

In welcoming the participants, the Commissary General of Portugal, Fr. Altamiro Tenório da Paz, O. Carm., noted that the participants came from many different nations and languages of Europe. He said that, “It is with profound joy that I welcome you, on behalf of the Commissariat General of Portugal, here at Casa São Nuno, beside the Sanctuary of Fátima and the small Chapel of the Apparitions, where Mary chose to speak to the world through the simplicity of three shepherd children.”

The retreat was led by Dr Donna Orsuto, an expert in Carmelite spirituality, who has been a professor in the Gregorianum since the 1990s, and, who is also an honorary member of the First Order. She is also a member for the Dicastery for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments. The retreat was entitled: Prophetic Fire: Renewing Our Carmelite Heart in the Land of Mary.

In opening the retreat, Dr Orsuto noted that Carmelite life begins in listening to God. It is deepened in silence, renewed by conversion, strengthened in fraternity and sent forth with prophetic fire to serve the Church and the world.

As well as celebrating the liturgy in Casa São Nuno, the participants participated in the International Sunday Eucharist at the Sanctuary of Fátima and also attended the nightly rosary and candlelight procession at the Shrine of Fátima. They led the Eucharist at the Chapel of the Apparitions on one of the afternoons.

The group also prayed the Via Crucis (The Way of the Cross) which is along the route the three visionaries took from their home village in Aljustrel to Fátima. At the end of the Via Crucis, the group celebrated the Eucharist in the Chapel of St Stephen. An excursion to Nazaré was made on one of the afternoons which included a visit to the famous Chapel of Remembrance to see the image of the Sítio de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré.

In evaluating the retreat, as well as noting the incredible hospitality of Casa São Nuno, the participants expressed their gratitude for the profound Carmelite input in such an important Marian location. They found the ten conferences given by Dr Orsuto to have been very concrete and challenging. Sharing with brothers from different provinces and realities was found to be especially enriching. There was a strong desire to repeat these experiences in the future.

Carmelite NGO Joins with CSTIP and Others to Fights Trafficking in Persons

The Carmelite NGO is joining with other NGOs at the United Nations to co-sponsor an event during the 80^th Session of the UN’s Third Committee. The theme is Bankrupting the Business of Human Trafficking: Prevention Techniques to Reduce Prevalence and Illicit Profiteering. The event’s main sponsor is the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons (CSTIP). The interview will feature leaders from government, business, the financial sector, law enforcement, media, and the NGOs who have implemented successful prevention programs that reduce trafficking prevalence. The session will be held on October 21 from 1-3pm (East Coast USA time).

CSTIP has been at the forefront in recognizing that the growth of human trafficking is driven by immense profits and little risk to perpetrators, enablers, and buyers. Because raising awareness in the community has not prevented human trafficking, especially of children, CSTIP proposes a new prevention model focuses on found strategic pillar designed to bankrupt the business of human trafficking: financial detection, ending impunity, ending demand, measuring and publicly displaying the results.

The event can be viewed via UN TV or Zoom on October 21.

The XVth Ceneral Chapter of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm Elects Leadership

The Congregation of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm held their 15th General Chapter in Germantown, New York. 

On September 14, 2026, Mother Mary Rose Heery, O. Carm., was elected as the Prioress General of the Congregation. On the following day, the Chapter elected the members of the General Council. They are Sister Theresa Marie Pfeffer, O. Carm. - 1st Councilor/Vicar General; Sister M. Peter Lillian Angeline DiMaria, O. Carm. - 2nd Councilor; Sister Patricia Margaret Rawdon, O. Carm. - 3rd Councilor; Sister M. Anthony de Lourdes Veilleux, O. Carm. - 4th Councilor; Sister M. Richard Carmel Brusca, O. Carm. - Secretary General; and Sister M. Veronica Robert Bien, O. Carm. - Treasurer General.

Sr. M. Richard Carmel Brusca is from Brooklyn, New York, and was re-elected to the office of Secretary General, which she has held since 2002. Sr. Patricia Margaret Rawdon is from Brooklyn, New York, and was elected to the office of Councilor General. She has been serving as Vice President and Chief Mission Director of the Carmelite System, and Director of Mission Integration at Carmel Richmond Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center on Staten Island.
Sr. M. Peter Lillian Angeline DiMaria is from Enfield, Connecticut. She was elected to the office of Councilor General in 2020 and was re-elected to a second term of six years. Sr. Theresa Marie Pfeffer is from Altoona, Pennsylvania. She has been serving on the General Council since 2023 and was elected to the Office of 1st Councilor and Vicar General. Sr. M. Anthony de Lourdes Veilleux is from Manchester, New Hampshire. She was elected to the office of Councilor General. She had been serving as the Prioress and Director of Mission Integration at St. Patrick’s Residence in Naperville, Illinois. Sr. M. Veronica Robert Bien is from Cincinnati, Ohio. She was re-elected to the office of Treasurer General, which she has held since 1996.

Mother Mary Rose Heery is from Queens, New York. She was elected to the Office of Prioress General of the Congregation in 2020, and was re-elected to a second term of six years.

The Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm are a religious congregation of Pontifical Rite. They were founded by Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory (1894-1984) on September 3, 1929, with the approval and encouragement of Cardinal Patrick Hayes, archbishop of New York. Elias Magennis, the prior general of the Carmelites, granted affiliation with the Order on August 24, 1931. The congregation's specific mission is to attend to the needs of the elderly and to care for the sick, in the spirit fo the Carmelite tradition. They serve in various locations in the United States and have one home in Dublin, Ireland.

The website of the congregation is: https://www.carmelitesisters.com/