Mariam Baouardy was born at Abellin in Galilee on 5th January 1846 to very poor parents who were good living and devoted Greek-rite Catholics.

She was canonized by Pope Francis in Rome on 17 May 2015.

Her tomb, a place of pilgrimage by Christians and Muslims, is located in Carmel's church in Bethlehem.

Read more

For a religious order well known for its charism of prayer and contemplation, the Carmelites of Australia and Timor-Leste have made a big splash in social media, clocking up more than 230,000 Facebook followers in just over four years.

Communications Director Fr David Hofman O.Carm says the Carmelites have been surprised and delighted at the growth of their social media following and the opportunities for connecting with people that it presents.

“We are not one of the enclosed Carmelite orders,” Fr David said. “We work in a variety of ministries including parishes in Australia and Timor-Leste, and we have a secondary school and the Carmelite Centre here in Victoria, but certainly, our charism is one of prayer and contemplation.

“So the purpose of our outreach on social media is to try and share that spirituality with people. We post prayer and reflections as well as invitations to things we’ve got going on and we see that as part of our contemplative ministry really.”

During the past month the Carmelites Facebook page reached over one million users with over 140,000 post engagements.

Fr David said that from time to time, the Carmelites use the Facebook page to ask people to contribute their prayer intentions, which are then offered at Mass.

Fr David said a particular highlight of the Facebook growth has been the fact that nearly 25,000 followers are from Timor-Leste.

“That was a surprise to me,” he said. “I hadn’t expected it, because getting onto the internet in Timor via a computer is hard.

“But what I hadn’t counted on is that almost everyone in Timor has a smart phone, because in a country where land lines are either patchy or non-existent, mobile phones are the only way to communicate. So they’re accessing our Facebook page on their phones.

“I think that’s great. It’s a real point of contact with the people in Timor and much more effective in outreach than waiting for them to come to our webpage.”

The Carmelites are trying to use beautiful images and engaging posts as a means of attracting people to their page and say they are grateful for the professional advice and support they’ve received.

“We started out with around 1000 followers and to see it grow to over 230,000 in 4 years has been really wonderful. We’ve been surprised and delighted at the connections we’re making with people and it is very encouraging to see that 78% of our Facebook followers are aged between 18-34”, Fr David said.

On July 19, 2021, the major superiors of religious congregations present in Latin America and the Caribbean met. The meetings was convened by Luis Maza, General Counsellor for the Americas, with the presence of Míċéal O'Neill, prior general. Marlene Frinhani, Irmãs Carmelitas da Divina Providência (Carmelite Sisters of Divine Providence), explained the theme of the meeting: "Something New is Emerging. "

Also participating were the major superiors with sisters in Brazil, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, and Venezuela. They represented, the Corpus Christi Carmelites, the Divine Providência, the Hermanas Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Hermanas de la Virgen María del Monte Carmelo, Irmãs Missionárias Carmelitas de Jesus, Istituto di Nostra Signora del Carmelo, Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù, Hermanas Carmelitas de Madre Candelaria. Also participating were members of the Carmelite Family Secretariat for the Americas.

The prior general, Míċéal O'Neill, introduced the meeting, "Something New is Emerging," pointing out the new directions in the Church. He noted that the Church asks for forgiveness for not listening. He went on to quote Pope Francis that we are contemplatives with mercy. Another point highlighted by the prior general is how to be faithful who listen to the Word of God and reflect on the impact that COVID-19 has brought to the world— "people who can do nothing without God and without their brother and sister." He concluded his remarks with a question: so, what are we going to do?

Afterwards, there was a moment to share what the Spirit inspired through the words of the Prior General, echoing the invitation to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to this emerging change. On the other hand, the need to continue to walk together as Carmelite Family in unity and with the hope that arises when you are confronted with the most difficult realities was confirmed.
Marlene Frinhani presented her remarks "Signs of a New Time," using two metaphors. The first metaphor was of old hands handing over a plant to the new hands receiving it. It reflects the experience of walking into the new. The second metaphor was of the smoke that warns of someplace being on fire. Marlene also pointed out that we are slow sometimes to perceive the signs revealing changes that are emerging, and she invited us to recognize some of the signs of change in our personal circumstances.

Marlene also expressed that darkness, when we are far from God, prevents us from seeing the light. She invited us to listen, observe, and perceive God's presence in our midst, in economic disparities, technological progress, inequalities in living conditions and in the lethal power of the pandemic and its variants. How does the Carmelite Family stand in response to these warning signs? What are we going to do? We are invited to walk with the people amidst their anxieties and hopes, open to the search for truth and the practice of universal fraternity, as Pope Francis recommends in the documents Fratelli Tutti and Patris Corde.

The online meeting concluded with an invitation to participate in FOCAM in August and a presentation of the JUCAR-AMERICA project. There is the hope of meeting again to share the experiences as the Carmelite family.

FOCAM (Formators of the Carmelite Family of the Americas) will be hosting a workshop on August 26-28 on the theme “Living in Carmel in Allegiance to Jesus Christ: Memory Identity and Commitment.” FOCAM replaced FOCAL (Carmelite Formators of Latin America) earlier in the year.

On the first evening of the workshop, Marlene Frinhani, Enrique Laguna Vargas, Zilda Aparecida Rocha, and Nicolás H.D. Medina will reflect on the historical journey of the FOCAL from the perspective of formation.

Other speakers scheduled to address the participants are Carlos Mesters giving biblical reflections on “Elijah in the Formation Process of Carmel,” “Mary in the Formation Process of Carmel,” and “Elisha in the Formation Process of Carmel;” Carmelite Bishop Francisco de Sales Alencar Batista speaking on “Carmelite Identity: Living in Allegiance to Jesus Christ Today;” and Benny Phang on “Aspects that Challenge Us in the Formation Process of the Carmelite Identity.”

Talking from the formation point of view, Gilfranco Lucena will speak on “Living in Carmel in Allegiance to Jesus Christ as a Lay Person;” Rose Mary Lancelloti and Sabina Giraldo will speak on the experience of living the lay Carmelite vocation. Rosario María Vera Martin concludes this section with a talk entitled “Formation Plan for the Laity of the Order / Experience of Formation in the Order.”

On the final afternoon the topic “Encourage the Brothers and Sisters in the Commitment to ‘Live in Carmel in Allegiance to Jesus Christ’" with speakers Mícéal O’Neill, prior general, Consuelo Hernández Abreu, and Gildete da Silva. A lay person will also be joining the panel.

Because of the covid restrictions, the presentations will be held on Zoom.

Today we celebrate the memorial of Bl. Angelus Augustine Mazzinghi.

The year of birth of Bl. Angelus in Florence, Italy, or nearby, is unknown but it was certainly before 1386.

He was an eloquent preacher and a reformer with zealous love for the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He was received into the Order in 1413 and was the first member of the reform at Santa Maria delle Selve.

Read more

Covid-19 continues to bring challenges to people around the world. As has been reported we have reported previously, Carmelite ministries around the world have responded to the needs of the people they serve as well as those they live around. 

For the last 3 years, the Carmelites of the Province of St. Elias Commissariat of Vietnam have been providing food to its neighbors but for the last three weeks, when the 4th wave of Covid came on the scene, Vietnam has been hard hit. The response of the members of the Commissariat has been to redouble their efforts to make sure that people have the food they need on a regular basis. Particular efforts have been directed to the immigrants from the countryside who come to town for employment. Many of the buildings near the Carmelite ministries have rooms that these workers rent to sleep in. 

Since the recent increase in covid infections, strict quarantines have been imposed and movement has been very limited, Daily curfews have been in place, especially in Saigon where the Carmelites have four priories. The supply of food available and accessible to the people has become severely limited. The situation is complicated by the placement of fences everywhere in order to control movement. “You are not allowed to leave your particular neighborhood. Everyone is literally fenced in,” reports Provincial Commissary Joseph Hung Tran, O. Carm. “Everything is closed. No one is working. No stores are open. These people can only stay in their rooms whereas normally they are only there to sleep.” 

Because of the generosity of the friends and benefactors of the Carmelites, a lot of food—especially rice, vegetables, and fish—has been available for the Carmelites to distribute. “Our neighbors are immigrants who are workers on daily wages. We try to provide rice and some food for them as there are more than 1,000 rooms around our priories but no one is working. So far we have distributed over 13 tons of rice. We have also had a lot of vegetables and fish to give out as well,” said Fr. Hung. “People were very concerned about us. But we have enough food. So we are now busy making the food available to those who have no way of getting the food they need." 

The Provincial Commissary of Vietnam was established on March 19, 2019. It currently has 45 members with 4 houses. 10 of the members study and work in the parishes of the province in the United States. Four are currently studying in Rome.

The Caribbean Carmelite Conference 2021 was held virtually from July 13th to July 15th 2021 with the theme, “Mary in the Carmelite Tradition.” The main speaker was Dr. Johan Bergström- Allen, T.O.C. of the United Kingdom, author of “Climbing the Mountain: The Carmelite journey.” The Conference was conducted on Zoom as a result of implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The conference, the third of its kind in the past 8 years, was a collaborative effort among all branches of the Carmelite family in the English-speaking Caribbean. Conference participants were mainly from Trinidad, as well as participation from Guyana, Grenada and St. Lucia; with a few participants from the United States and the Netherlands. Fr. Brent Alexis. O. Carm spearheaded the coordination and planning of the many parts of this year’s conference. There were approximately one hundred participants in attendance which included vocation prospects, friars, Corpus Christi Carmelite sisters, Carmelite Tertiaries (Lay Carmelites), Handmaids of our Lady of Mt. Carmel, members of Carmelite parishes and friends of Carmel.

Dr. Johan explored the conference topic of Our Lady in Carmel, over the three days, with sub-topics of “Mary in Carmelite History,” “Mary in Carmel’s Art & Devotions” and “Mary in Carmel’s Liturgy.” Dr. Johan’s well-prepared power point slides, historical facts, reference to Carmelite literature and his sharing his own experiences as a Lay Carmelite kept attendees very engaged and interested. There was ample time after each of his talks for questions, observations and conversation.

The goal of the Conference was to bring together members of the various branches of the Carmelite Order in the Caribbean region and to deepen our knowledge of the Carmelite spirituality and charism. Parishioners of Carmelite parishes and friends of Carmel have also attended these conferences and expressed greater interest to learn more about the Order and some have even expressed greater enthusiasm toward becoming members of the Third Order.

Following the main talk, participants were broken into smaller groups for workshop topics of their choosing. Workshop topics were: Carmelite Family Dynamics by Fr. Hasely King, O. Carm, Liturgical Prayer by Bro. Nigel Ali, O. Carm, Lectio Divina by Sr. Claire Marie Nero, O. Carm, Contemplative Prayer by Mr. Kirk Nancoo, the Prophet Elijah by Sr. Katrina Charles, O. Carm, Blessed Titus Brandsma by Fr. Michael Driscoll, O. Carm, St. Angelus by Fr. Gerard Tang Choon, O. Carm, Servant of God Mother Mary Ellerker by Mrs. Neila Todd, T.O.C. and St. Therese by Fr. Mikhail Woodruffe, O. Carm. One week before the Conference, there was a shorter online session led by Fr. Hasely King, O. Carm that introduced persons to the fundamentals of Carmelite spirituality and history in preparation for the Conference.

The three-day conference concluded each day with a Triduum of Masses celebrated each day by one of the friars in Trinidad and livestreamed. Similarly, conference attendees as well as other members of the Carmelite family across the Caribbean viewed the special livestreamed Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16th.

This was the third Caribbean Carmelite Conference, which are held every 2 to 3 years. The past two conferences were held in-person in Trinidad with main speakers: Fr. Leopold Glueckert, O. Carm of the United States of America and Fr. Kevin Alban, O. Carm of the United Kingdom (RIP).

Conference attendees provided feedback that they felt very enlightened about areas of their Carmelite heritage and feel excited to see the future of Carmel in the region.

The Rio de Janeiro Province provides a variety of significant outreach programs. But the covid pandemic and the resulting food shortage has required the Carmelites to become grocers to the masses.

Thanks to Cançao Nova, a religious news service in the Portuguese language, we are able to show the solidarity between the province and the people in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16th. (A translation is provided.)

Watch here

A devoted catechist, Isidore Bakanja did not hesitate to offer his life to God, filled with the certain beliefs he found in his faith and in his regular praying of the rosary. A witness for his canonization testified that a Belgian overlord accused Bakanja of teaching prayers and “all sorts of stupidities to my workers, to my servant-boys, and even to the villagers. If that does not stop, no one will want to work anymore for me.” His tirade ended with another beating for Isidore.

The Belgian possession of the Congo since 1885 was no more than crass, unjust exploitation of the native people. Bakanja was employed as a servant-boy, eventually returning to his native village. Mild, honest, respectful by nature, Isidore worked conscientiously and prayed faithfully, as many non-Christian witnesses attested. Often with rosary in hand, he looked for opportunities to share his new-found faith with others, to the extent that many thought of him as a catechist.

Working again for agents of a Belgian company, Isidore was told to discard his scapular. When he did not, he was twice flogged. The second time, the agent flew into one of his rages. He jumped at Isidore, tore the scapular from around his neck and threw him to the ground. He had two servant boys hold Isidore by his hands and feet and a third domestic flogged him. The whip was made of elephant hide with nails protruding at the end. The writhing Isidore asked for mercy. "My God, I'm dying", he muttered. But the colonizer kept kicking Isidore in the neck and head, and ordered his domestic to scourge him harder still. After 100, those assisting lost count of the number of blows.

An inspector for the company physically prevented the worker from killing Isidore. He took Isidore to his own settlement, hoping to help him heal. But Isidore felt death in his bones. He told someone who had pity on him: "if you see my mother, or if you go to the judge, or if you meet the priest, tell them that I am dying because I am a Christian". Two missionaries spent several days with him. He devoutly received the last sacraments.

He told them the reason for his beating: "The white man did not like Christians.... He did not want me to wear the scapular.... He yelled at me when I said my prayers". The missionaries urged Isidore to forgive the agent; he assured them that he had already done so and that he nursed no hatred for him. "Certainly I shall pray for him. When I am in heaven, I shall pray for him very much."

Isidore’s agony, his own cross, lasted six months. He died on either August 8 or 15, 1909, rosary in hand and the scapular of Our Lady of Mt Carmel around his neck.

Edith Stein was born on October 12, 1891, the Day of Atonement, into an observant Jewish family. She later wrote: "My mother laid great emphasis on the occurrence, and I think more than anything else, it made her youngest child especially dear to her... The Day of Atonement is the most solemn of all Jewish holidays, the day when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies, taking along the sacrifices to be offered in atonement for himself and all the people, after the scapegoat, burdened with the sins of the nation, had been driven into the wilderness."

Edith Stein was clearly a high strung, independent young child, possessing a precocious mind. As a teenager she struggled with her faith. She studied philosophy and became associated with Edmund Husserl, the father of phenomenology. In 1922 she converted to Catholicism. She entered a Discalced Carmelite monastery, professing final vows in April of 1938. She took the religious name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, in honor of St. Teresa of Avila and St. Benedict of Nursia.

Because of the Nazi program to liquidate the Jews in Europe, Edith and her biological sister, Rosa, were moved from their monastery in Cologne, Germany to the Discalced monastery in Echt, Netherlands for safety. Following the pastoral letter of the Dutch bishops complaining about the Nazis’ treatment of the Jews, all baptized Catholics of Jewish origin were arrested. The Stein sisters were sent to Auschwitz concentration camp near Krakow, Poland. They were murdered on August 9, 1941, in the so-called “Little White House” gas chamber at the rear portion of the camp on August 9, 1942.

With the witness of her life, Sister Teresa Benedicta enfleshes the words of St. Teresa of Avila: "I do not regret having given myself to Love." She was given the title “martyr of love” when she was canonized in 1998.

Her final testament says in part: "I joyfully accept in advance the death God had appointed for me, in perfect submission to his most holy will. May the Lord accept my life and death for the honor and glory of his name, for the needs of his holy Church - especially for the preservation, sanctification and final perfecting of our holy Order and in particular for the Carmels of Cologne and Echt - for the Jewish people, that the Lord may be received by his own and his kingdom come in glory, for the deliverance of Germany and peace throughout the world, and finally, for all my relatives living and dead and all whom God has given me: May none of them be lost."