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N. 1 – JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2000 English Edition  CONTENTS ACTIVITIES OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL NEWS FROM THE GENERAL COUNCIL "PASSING THROUGH THE HOLY DOOR" INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF FORMATORS FROM THE POSTULATOR GENERAL CARMELITE CLOISTERED NUNS FIVE HUNDRED YEARS OF "CARMELITE WEDNESDAYS"  THE MOST IMPORTANT DUTCH CATHOLIC OF THE  CENTURY FIRST REGIONAL MEETING OF CARMELITE CONGREGATIONS ABOUT 36.500 MEALS SERVED EVERY YEAR CARMELITE ATTEND NOMADIC PEOPLE IN  KENYA  EVANGELISATION THROUGH MUSIC THE SOCIAL CENTRE "CONSULTORIO MADONNA DEL CARMINE" CARMELITE PUBLICATIONS NEWS IN BRIEF UPDATE OF ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE  NUMBERS CARMELITE MILESTONES CARMELITE NUNS AROUND THE WORLD: CARMEL OF OUR LADY OF NAZARETH CARMELITE MOVEMENTS: THE CARMELITE LAY  COMMUNITY - PARISH OF OUR LADY OF  BEGOÑA, MADRID ABBREVIATIONS USED BY CITOC

ACTIVITIES OF THE MEMBERS
OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

Fr. Joseph Chalmers, Prior General

• Various visits and meetings

At the end of November 1999 I went to Aylesford in England for a very sad event - the funeral of Fr. Paul O’Brien O.Carm., member of the British Province. He was only 43 years of age when he died in a fire which engulfed the retreat centre run by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts, U.S.A. We had lived as students in the same community, at St. Albert's International Centre (CISA), Rome, for several years, made solemn profession together in Rome and were ordained deacons together in England.

In early December I was invited to give a talk to the community at CISA with the theme "Prepare the way of the Lord" and a few days later, together with several members of the General Council we met some leaders of the Sant’Egidio Community in Rome. Many will have at least heard of this community for its great work in helping forge peace deals in parts of Africa. It also serves the poor in many ways in Rome.

Next I went to Carmine Maggiore in Naples on my way to visit the Carmelite nuns in Roccagloriosa. While in Naples, I visited Cardinal Giordano. From Naples I went to Mesagne for the celebrations surrounding the elevation of our church there to the status of Minor Basilica on 9 November 1999. I gave a talk to members of the Third Order on "The Marian Dimension of the Carmelite Order: Gift and Mission for the New Millennium". This was followed by the celebration of Mass.

I had to return quickly to Rome for the plenary meeting of the General Council. During the week of meetings we welcomed the members of CISA community to Evening Prayer and supper with us. Due to their numbers, they came in three groups. At the end of the week, I attended the funeral of Fr. Riccardo Palazzi (Ita). He is well known throughout the Order especially for the posters he produced on Carmelite topics. Most Carmelite houses I visit have at least one of Fr. Riccardo’s posters on show. He had lived a very active life until about five years ago when he was struck down by a mysterious illness which left him almost totally paralysed. Despite his infirmity he continued to work and was a great example to everyone with whom he came in contact. He said during the Provincial Chapter of the Italian Province in 1997: " I understood that Jesus had simplified everything. His final question for each of us will be very simple: Have you loved?"

On Christmas Eve I attended the Papal Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica where the Pope opened the holy door and proclaimed the beginning of the Jubilee Year. Many thousands attended this historic event and a great number were prepared to sit outside in St. Peter’s Square for nearly three hours during the night in order to be present.

New Year passed and the General Curia did not seem to be affected by the millennium bug! In the middle of January, a meeting took place at our house of friars who are assistants or delegates to the Carmelite cloistered nuns throughout the world. Together we looked at the role of the friars in relation to the life of the nuns from our perspective. Immediately this meeting ended, Fr. Alexander Vella (Councillor General) and I set off for Bari to begin a fraternal visit of the Neapolitan Province.
 

Fr. Alexander Vella, General Councillor

• Provincial Chapter of the Neapolitan Province

From 21 to 26 June 1999, I presided, as delegate of the Prior General, at the Provincial Chapter of the Neapolitan Province, held at the Benedictine Abbey of S. Maria della Scala, Noci (Bari). Fr. Nicola Barbarello was re-elected Provincial and Frs. Anastasio Filieri, Lorenzo Sansevero, Antonio Merico and Bro. Antonio Calvieri were elected Provincial Councillors.

• General Assembly of the French General Delegation

From 8 to 10 November, I accompanied the Prior General to the Annual General Assembly of the French Delegation. On 11 November, before going back to Rome, we also attended the meeting of the Council of the Delegation. Bro. Raffaele Santoro (Neap) recently joined the seven brothers of the Delegation. The noviciate year was initiated on 8 September in Nantes with one French candidate, Jean Beaupère, who took the name of Bro. Yves de Sainte Marie. Fr. Joseph Abad (Aust) is the novice master.

• Fraternal visit to Sardinia

In Sardinia the Order has two communities, each with three friars, one in Cagliari and one in Sassari, the two principal cities of the island. The convents belong to the Italian Province. From 13 to 16 November, I accompanied the Prior General on a visit to these communities. We started in Sassari where, attached to the convent, is a very popular Marian sanctuary. There is also a flourishing Third Order. In Cagliari we have a parish. In both houses we held meetings with the community and the Prior General spoke of our charism and of the present situation of the Order. We also had the opportunity of getting to know the life and activities of the communities.

• International Congress of OCD Formators

Our Discalced Carmelite brothers invited our Order to send some representatives to their International Congress of Formators, held in Lebanon from 8 to 15 September. The General Council sent me, as General Councillor for Formation, and Fr. Christian Körner, as member of the joint O.Carm-OCD commission for Formation. During the Congress, whose theme was "Dynamic formation for the future of Carmel", I was asked to speak on formation in our Order and I presented the work in progress on the revision of the RIVC.

• The Revision of the RIVC

The sub-commission for the editing of the new RIVC met at the General Curia from 11 to 19 June to prepare the draft copy to be presented to the General Congregation in Bamberg and to the International Congress of Formators (see page 5). After the Congress, the International Commission for Formation met at the General Curia (7-9 October) to evaluate the proposals made both at the General Congregation and the Congress of Formators. The sub-commission for the editing of the text completed its work from 23 November to 2 December. Bro. Günter Benker (GerS) was also invited to this last meeting. Now the definitive text needs to be prepared in Italian, English and Spanish, to be approved by the Prior General and his Council.

• Other activities in the field of formation

The International Commission for Formation welcomed the suggestion made during the Congress of Formators in San Felice del Benaco (Italy) to organise a Formation Course for formators and decided to propose to the General Council a course of four weeks to be held on Mount Carmel, Israel, from 9 January to 3 February 2001. The General Council gave its approval. Also, the Commission has delegated its members, with the help of other formators, to organise the international meeting of Carmelites in initial formation to be held in the Holy Land from 23 July to 10 August 2000.

• O.Carm-OCD Joint Commission for Formation

The commission met again twice last year. The first meeting took place on 17 June in the Carmine Maggiore in Naples and the second on 29 November at St. John of the Cross International College, Rome. Apart from the usual exchanges concerning activities and experiences in the field of formation in both Orders, at the Naples meeting we dealt with the theme of prayer and at the Rome meeting with the theme of fraternal life.

• Liturgical Commission

The Liturgical Commission of the Order met at our General Curia on 22 May and 4 December to continue its work on the revision of our ritual concerning the rites of initiation to the noviciate and of professions.
 

NEWS FROM
THE GENERAL COUNCIL

The General Council nominated:

• Frs. Cees Bartels (Neer), Michael Plattig (GerS), Fernando Millán (Baet), Anthony Lester (Brit), William Harry (PCM), Josué Ghizoni (GerS-Par), Edison Tinambunam (Indo) and Mario Alfarano (Neap) members of the Preparatory Commission for the General Chapter 2001. The commission will meet for the first time during 18 - 25 February 2000 at the General Curia (Rome). Frs. Míceál O'Neill and Alexander Vella were nominated representatives of the General Council on the Preparatory Commission. (Session 209, 2 November 1999)
• Fr. Richard Copsey (Brit) Delegate for Culture to replace Fr. Paul Lennon (Hib) who had to resign due to ill health. (Session 220, 14 December 1999)
• Fr. David Waite (Brit) Librarian of the Carmelite Library in Rome and responsible for the Annual Carmelite Bibliography. (Session 223, 16 December 1999)

Three new groups of religious affiliated to the Carmelite Order

The Hermits of Christoval together with the Prior General and Fr. M. O'Neill

There have been three groups of religious recently affiliated to the Order and they are all from the U.S.A. They are also all eremitical communities. The first to be affiliated was the "Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel", a community of female hermits based in Chester, New Jersey. They were affiliated on 25 March 1998. The superior of the community is also the foundress, Sr. Mary of Jesus and St. Joseph. The other two groups of male hermits were affiliated on 8 December 1999. Both are named "Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel" although they were founded completely independently of one another. One community is based in Christoval, Texas, and the other community is based in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. In Christoval, the founder is Fr. Fabian Rosette and in Lake Elmo, Fr. John Burns. Although each of these communities is at present small, all the founders have great hope and trust in the providence of God. The three newly affiliated communities share many things in common although each has its own particular spirit. They share a focus on the eremitical life and have the individual hermitages grouped round the chapel in the centre. They share a love for the Carmelite tradition and have had contact with the Order for several years. The female "Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel" have a particular emphasis on reconciliation through self-revelation. The hermits in Lake Elmo are very interested in the Carmelite Liturgy while the hermits in Christoval try to live an integrated life of prayer both liturgical and personal and manual work.
 

"PASSING THROUGH
THE HOLY DOOR"

This is the title of a letter published on 14 November 1999 by the OCD and O.Carm., Superiors General, Fr. Camilo Maccise and Fr. Joseph Chalmers, to mark the Third Millennium and addressed to all Carmelite brothers and sisters.

In the introduction of their message, the two Superiors General affirm: "God has pitched His tent in our midst" (Jn 1:14). He dwells amongst us and dialogues with us; He frees us from every servitude and teaches us the path of solidarity and service.
We, the members of the great family of Carmel (men and women religious and laity), must use this event as a moment of grace, an occasion of renewal in creative fidelity. All the great themes of this Jubilee find a lively echo in our heart and in our faith: pilgrimage, the Holy Door, purification of memory, the witness of the martyrs, the new prophetic solidarity.
In imitation of those holy men and women who brought about our renewal and re-foundation we are invited to return to the essential sobriety of the Rule. We ask you to keep before you our past, our present and above all that future towards which the Spirit is leading us by means of the challenges of the signs of times and places.

The subject of the letter is developed around three main themes: I. Keep our true founders before us, II. Crossing the threshold of the third millennium with a renewed identity, III. Practical guidelines for crossing the threshold of the new millennium. The letter then concludes with an exhortation to cross the threshold of the third millennium "under the protection of Mary…in company of the great prophet Elias and of our saints…through the light of Christ… We go through all those closed doors which separate, blocking communication, dividing and denying fraternity and communion. We go through the door of this new millennium with living faith and active hope to serve the Lord of the Centuries with a pure heart and unalloyed generosity."
 

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS
OF FORMATORS

Forty-five formators from 27 Provinces, Commissariats and Delegations took part in the International Congress of Carmelite Formators held at the retreat house "Il Carmine" in San Felice del Benaco (Brescia), Italy, from 28 September to 5 October 1999. Present were: the Prior General, some members of the General Council and of the Curia community as well as the Secretary for Formation of the OCD General Curia, Fr. Andrzej Szewczyk. The OCD General Definitor for Formation, Fr. Dominic Nirmal Kumar, was present for one day.

The main point of the Congress was that of making final suggestions concerning the new draft of the RIVC before presenting it for definitive approval by the Prior General and his Council. Also it was meant to start a process of deeper understanding of the document by the formators. The first day, Fr. Alexander Vella, General Councillor for Formation, pointed out the importance of the 1988 RIVC in understanding the charism of the Order and traced the history of its revision up to the draft copy presented to the Congress, a history which involved practically all the formators of the Order and the Provincials present at the General Congregation in Bamberg.

Three talks were given during the Congress: the Prior General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, spoke on contemplation; Fr. Anthony Scerri, General Councillor, spoke on "Formation for Mission"; Fr. Bruno Secondin (Ita) gave a conference on "The Carmelite charism and priest-hood: affinity, tensions, prospect-ive". There was plenty of time for discussion in groups on the themes presented and the relevant parts of the draft of the RIVC. On the last day, six formators from six different regions of the Order gave their answers to the question: "How does the RIVC challenge your formation programme and the concrete situation of your Province?" Those who spoke were, Fr. Dionysius Kosasih (Indo) for the Asia region, Fr. Jean Marie Lodya (Ita-Con) for the Africa region, Fr. Jerry Payea (PCM-Per) for the Latin American region, Fr. David McEvoy (PCM) for the North American region, Bro. Günter Benker (GerS) for the North European region and Fr. Desiderio Garcia Martinez (Arag) for the Mediterranean region.

The hospitality of the Prior, Fr. Matteo Palumbo, and of the community, and the generous service provided by our sisters of the Missionary Family "Donum Dei" and the personnel of the house, greatly helped the proceedings of the Congress.
 

FROM THE
POSTULATOR GENERAL

• The Process for Bl. Titus Brandsma

About a month ago, Fr. Felip Amenós handed over to the Under-Secretary of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints the Positio in order to have it reviewed before being submitted to the panel of medical doctors. The Positio in regard to the reputed miracle of Bl. Titus contains the Fattispecie, i.e. the documents which the doctors have to study, in chronological order, based on the declarations of a number of witnesses regarding the history of the cure as presented by the diocesan inquiry, in order to help the work of the doctors. In the meantime the Prior General has given information to the Holy Father regarding the present state of the process.

• The Opening of the Diocesan Inquiry Regarding Mother Maddalena

On the occasion of the 250^th anniversary of the birth of the Servant of God, Mother Maddalena Mazzoni Sangiorgi, Foundress of the Carmelite Sisters of Graces (Suore Carmelitane delle Grazie), on 26 December 1999, in Bologna (Italy), in the parish church of St. Caterina, the cause for canonisation was opened at the first sitting of the diocesan inquiry. During this sitting, at which the Cardinal Archbishop Giacomo Biffi presided, in the presence of the members of the tribunal, the Postulator General and the Vice Postulator for the cause, took the oath to carry out their work faithfully. This was followed by a celebration of the Eucharist in thanksgiving to God for the gift of Mother Maddalena and for the success of the Cause. In his homily the Cardinal referred to the importance of this Cause because it has to do with someone who lived in the 18^th century, but whole message is very relevant for today.

On 30 December 1999, while still in Bologna, the Postulator General, Fr. Felip Amenós, at the end of a year dedicated to Mother Mazzoni, gave a talk at the Mother House of the Sisters. The subject of the talk was "Carmelite Holiness and Mother Maria Maddalena Mazzoni". Mother Maddalena united her prayer, her union with God, with a deep desire to take care of the needy in her society. As a married woman, the mother of a family, widow and foundress, in touch with the world of her time she could be a very good model for women today.
 

CARMELITE CLOISTERED NUNS

• Cordoba, Spain

As in other years the Federation "Mater et Decor Carmeli" of the Carmelite Nuns of the Betica Province organised the Ongoing Formation Programme for the year 2000 in two sections:

1. In the Federal House in Cordoba from 15 to 22 October a course will be offered to all the Carmelite Nuns of the Federation on the Instruction Verbi Sponsa by Fr. Alfonso Moreno (Baet).
2. A course for all the communities on the topic: "Jubilee 2000: The Eucharist" will be given by Fr. José Vioque and Fr. Miguel Barbero, Carmelites, and Rev. Dr. Francisco Parrilla, Vicar for Religious in Malaga (Spain). This course is part of the programme in preparation for the Jubilee Year in the monasteries of the Federation.

In addition, the Federation organised a Programme of Studies for sisters in simple vows. The course lasting 10 weeks will begin on 23 April with the theme "The Church" which will be directed by various religious and priests.

• Dumaguete, Philippines

The nuns of Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas y S. José announce with great joy that while the relics of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus are in the Philippines they will be brought to Dumaguete and they will remain there on the 13^th and 14^th March 2000. This visìt was made possible thanks to the efforts of the prioress of the community, Sr. Ma. Angelica Verdugo García. The relics will arrive in the city in the morning of 13 March and after the celebration of the Eucharist in a public place they will be brought to the monastery where they will remain overnight. On the following day, after Mass they will leave the monastery for Bacolod.
 

FIVE HUNDRED YEARS OF
"CARMELITE WEDNESDAYS"

The origin of the cult to St. Mary of Carmel, so-called "la Bruna", in Naples (Italy), goes back to the XIIIth century and is connected with an icon of the Virgin with the Child kept in a small church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari. According to one tradition, the said icon was brought by the Carmelite friars who were forced to leave Mount Carmel and landed in Naples about the middle of the XIIIth century (certainly before 1268).

1500 Jubilee: The icon of "La Bruna" on its way back to Naples
In 1500, on the occasion of the jubilee proclaimed by Pope Alexander VI, the confraternity of tanners went on pilgrimage to Rome carrying the icon of the Bruna Virgin. On the journey, which they accomplished on foot, "many miracles to several men in various lands" took place by the intercession of the Virgin. When they arrived in Rome, they exposed the picture of the Bruna in the Vatican Basilica for the veneration of the faithful and there Pope Alexander VI himself also paid homage to it. On the way back the same graces and prodigies took place again so much so that it was decided to place the picture, which previously had been kept in the crypt of the small church of St. Nicholas, above the main altar to take the place of a picture of the Assumption.

By order of Frederic II of Aragon, on 24 June of that same year, 1500, many sick people gathered in the Carmelite church to implore, through the mediation of Mary, the desired cure. Later, many cures were reported. Now 24 June was a Wednesday. This determined the choice of day for venerating the Bruna Virgin in a special way. Thus were born the "Carmelite Wednesdays", a pious devotion which soon spread from Naples not only throughout the ancient Kingdom of Naples, but also further afield and especially in the churches of the Carmelite Order.

This devotion is still practised today and the pious pilgrimage remains a reality in the devotion of all the peoples towards the Blessed Virgin. Nevertheless, the "Wednesday", while keeping some of the traditional elements, today is practised by many Carmelite communities as a day of catechesis, every year elaborating a special theme, thus perpetuating in time the great works which God has accomplished by the mediation of Mary.
 

THE MOST IMPORTANT DUTCH CATHOLIC
OF THE CENTURY

Last December the Dutch Catholic Broadcasting Corporation RKK/KRO launched a survey about the most important Catholic of the Century. The organisers presented a list of 50 Dutch Catholics who played an important role in the Netherlands during the 20^th century. There were two juries: the "public jury" and the "expert jury".

During the programme "Kruispunt" the speaker reported the results of the survey. The "public jury", made of over 7000 Catholics, had to vote by phone or by e-mail. In this poll the first three places were given to three important Dutch bishops: Bekkers, Muskens and Alfrink. Next to them was placed Bl. Titus Brandsma.

The second "expert jury" put Titus Brandsma in the first place! The Chairman of this jury, the former politician Norbert Schmelzer, said that the reason of this preference is because: "Titus Brandsma was a great mystical and spiritual man, who was always in contact with reality. He offered much inspiration to others and this same inspiration has also led him to involve himself. He gave his life for freedom and for Christ". Cardinal Simonis, who was present during the transmission, said that Titus Brandsma is also for him the Catholic of the Century, "because he is a saint, a man who lived his priesthood in the best way and with an enormous mystical force. He gave his life for what is good, just and truth."
 

FIRST REGIONAL MEETING
OF CARMELITE CONGREGATIONS

The chronicles of some hundred years ago say: "It was the dawn of 31 October 1894 when, after Mass, the Most Blessed Virgin of Carmel appeared to those present in church pale and her eyes seemed lifeless. Those present and others who came later noted that the pillars of the altar, the face of the Virgin as well as the walls of the church were dripping water. The Virgin also kept closing and opening her eyes, constantly changing the colour of her face, now pale now cheerful. On 16 November the people decided to carry the Most Blessed Virgin of Carmel in procession. They took her around the streets of the city. A very large crowd followed the venerated statue. When they came to the edge of the city, far from any buildings, a terrible underground rumble, a deep, whirling and immensely violent motion, manifested God’s just indignation which spares the lives of people, but punishes them materially and physically. In one minute, the prosperous and rich city of Palmi was destroyed and rendered uninhabitable, but the inhabitants were safe".

Palmi after the earthquake of 1894

On 16 November 1999, on the anniversary of the liturgical feast commemorating the miracle of 1894, in the hall of the Carmelite Sanctuary of Palmi (Italy), the first regional meeting was held on the theme "The Motherly Protection of Mary – The role of Carmelite Congregations at the threshold of the Third Millennium". About 200 representatives, priors of Carmelite Congregations from Calabria and Sicily, priests and religious and spiritual assistants, various representatives of the Carmelite Family and members of the Scapular confraternity were present at the meeting, which was organised by the Noble Congregation of Carmel in Palmi under the management of the rector of the Sanctuary, Fr. Giovanni Demilito (Neap).
 

ABOUT 36.500 MEALS
SERVED EVERY YEAR

On 27 November 1999 the 20^th Anniversary of the foundation of the Dining Room, in the Carmelite parish of Zaragoza was celebrated. This is a social programme organised by over three hundred volunteers under the leadership of the Parish Priest, Fr. Frutuoso Aisa and Fr. Roberto Barreneche, Carmelites of the Province of Arago-Valentina. Along with the dining room, which can seat 130 guests, there are also other services such as the laundry and the distribution of clothing. It has been calculated that in one year the operation serves around 36,500 meals and gives out around 13,000 items of clothing.

The parish’s social action extends even further to include:

• Social Assistance for those who come to the parish looking for specific social assistance.
• Rehabilitation Centres for Alcoholics. Care for those suffering from alcohol abuse and their reintegration into society.
• Houses for families: for families whose financial resources are insufficient.
• The "Virgin del Carmen" Office: to help people find work and to help with new creative initiatives.
• Asilo del Carmen, a Carmelite Nursery: with place for 40 children from 3 months to 4 years. The house is run by the Hermanas de la Caridad de Santa Ana who work in the parish.
• Other activities include: After-school help, (given by teachers who help the children with their school exercises), Parish Caritas, caring for the elderly, and the Piccola Residenza "Pignatelli" (caring for people who have been in difficulty and want to start anew).

All the efforts of the Social Programme run by the Carmelites have been such that the local people in Zaragoza and the principal communications media have all taken an interest in the programme. In the operation for the year 1999, according to the report title "Memoria 1999", published by the parish, more that 47.000.000 million pesetas were spent on all the work.
 

CARMELITE ATTEND
NOMADIC PEOPLE IN KENYA

Fr. Robbie MacCabe (Hib) was a young medical doctor not long graduated when he entered the Carmelite Order as a novice in 1953. He is now a Carmelite missionary priest, working in the Turkana Desert in Northern Kenya, a place served by the Kiltegan Fathers (St. Patrick's Missionary Society). Where Fr. Robbie lives and works is a remote and lonely place, thirty miles from the nearest post office - he is as eremitical as any of the Desert Fathers.

In 1961, after his ordination, Fr. Robbie was assigned to the Carmelite Mission in Zimbabwe (then called Southern Rhodesia) which covered the Diocese of Umtali along the eastern boundary of the country. When the War for Independence broke out, which saw the expulsion of Bishop Donal Lamont, O.Carm., and some of the friars, Fr. Robbie had also to leave in 1977. While he is truly a practitioner, he is also an expert in tropical medicine so that when he returned to Dublin he resumed research and subsequently received the M.D. degree from the University of Liverpool. He continues to lecture in the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, for a few months every year.

Prevented from working in Southern Rhodesia during the war, Fr. Robbie agreed to help the Kiltegan Fathers in Kenya and there, in Turkana, he has since had his apostolic work. He stayed for several years, first in a village settlement and later in the town of Lokitaung where he saw patients in the hospital at which he established a small laboratory. Lokitaung is some 600 miles north of Nairobi, near to the borders of Sudan and Ethiopia.

He now lives in Kaling, some 30 Kms from Lokitaung, where he has a small clinic. He has a mobile laboratory, which he drives daily to remote watering places where he holds clinics, which enables him to treat the nomadic people. Because of the environment and their way of life and diet, the people never develop heart disease or high blood pressure.

At the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland where Fr. Robbie teaches for a few months every year in the Department of Tropical Medicine, he was nominated for the Student Union Teaching Awards (1997-98) and in the Pre-Clinical and Clinical Teaching was awarded: Highly Commended.
 

EVANGELISATION
THROUGH MUSIC

• The Little Singers of Torrespaccata (Rome)

In addition to the "ordinary" activities - serving in Church, annual Christmas concert, practice sessions at the end of the scholastic year, concerts in parishes and hospitals, recently the Piccoli Cantori (Little singers) of the Carmelite parish of Torrespaccata in Rome had some extraordinary activities.

* On 30 October 1999, they took part in St. Peter’s Square in the programme organised for the Catholic Schools in the presence of His Holiness, which was broadcast live on TV. The Piccoli Cantori, directed by Fr. Lucio M. Zappatore (Ita), sang "Viva il Papa" by Fr. Lucio, "Canto di Gloria" by Nino Rota and "Vita mia" by Stelvio Cipriani, and together with the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, the songs "I cieli narrano" and "Alleluia, lodate Dio".

* On 3 December 1999 – they took part in the inauguration of the international exhibition of 100 cribs in the Church of Santa Maria in Piazza del Popolo, in the presence of leading figures from Church and State. The Piccoli Cantori, directed by Prof. Barbara Dattino and Fr. Lucio, sang "Gloria in excelsis Deo" (French Christmas Carol), "Prendi i rami dell’agrifoglio" (Scottish Christmas Carol), "Arrivano i pastori" by Fr. Lucio M. Zappatore and "Jingle Bells" by J. Pierpont.

* From 29 December to 2 January 2000 they took part in the International Jubilee for Pueri Cantores from all over the world. At the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica there were over 5000 Pueri Cantores (of which the Piccoli Cantores are part). They also joined the programme for the Jubilee celebrations which will include concerts in the various churches in Rome.

• The "Zecchino d'Oro" Festival

Sr. Josephine Bascones, of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù), organist and music teacher in the elementary school in Santa Marinella (Italy) composed and arranged a song for the 42^nd Zecchino d'Oro Festival which was broadcast on Italian television (Rai Uno) from 25 to 28 November 1999. The song, whose original title is Ang pista ng pagtatanim ng palay - "The song of the grains of rice" refers to some of the characteristics of the culture and traditions of the Philippines. Rice is one of the most important staple foods of the Philippines. At sowing time the people celebrate with singing and dancing as a way of asking for a good harvest. The song, sung by Mark Angelo Magmanlac, an eight year old Filipino child, not only reached the final but was placed first among the foreign entries. Sr. Josephine was motivated to take part in the festival by a solidarity project which is organised every year to help poor children or those who are living in difficulty around the world.
 

THE SOCIAL CENTRE
"CONSULTORIO MADONNA DEL CARMINE"

On 8 December 1999, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Archbishop of Catania (Sicily) Luigi Bommarito, after the celebration of the Eucharist in the Carmelite Basilica, blessed the new Social Centre "Consultorio Madonna del Carmine". This centre will bring together, lawyers, psychologists, social workers and doctors, to work, most of all, for the very poor, abandoned and marginalised.

The motivation behind this centre, as the lawyer Andrea Ventimiglia, principal co-ordinator, explains "is to offer and leave a tangible sign of the Gospel of love. Before making any decision, we surveyed our parish: we divided the population into age groups; we looked at what kind of social structures they needed, and what were the most urgent expectations of the people. In a social reality with a high percentage of old people (52%), 18% of whom live alone; where 32% of the families live in serious need; where 18% of children have only one parent, and are force to live in difficult circumstances; where right at the boundaries of the parish, many young immigrant girls are being exploited; given all of this we could not simply limit our commitment as Catholics to bring people closer to the Gospel, to merely empty words: We had take on the task of examining and evaluating what is happening and put together a plan which would allow us to put into effect the values of the social teaching of the Church."

The workers as the surgery, entirely voluntarily, offer their services to families, to do something about the problems involved in bring up young people, and to offer psychological and other forms of health care to those who need it. Setting up the Centre was the result of co-operation between the Parish Priest, Fr. Gerardo, the Carmelite community, the women and men of the Carmelite Third Order, and all the other parish workers. All of these together are working to transform those lost and forlorn looks on the faced of the abandoned into smiles of trust and confidence.
 

CARMELITE PUBLICATIONS

2000 Carmelite Directory,
Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, Published by Leo McCarthy, O.Carm., 1999, pp. 101.

Carmelite Liturgical Guide,
Carmelite Communications, Melbourne, 1999, pp. 16.

DE PAZZI, Santa María Magdalena,
Éxtasis, Amor y Renovación, (edición preparada por P. Alberto Yubero), Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, Madrid, 1999, pp. 298.

Il Miracolo Annunciato,
Nobile Congrega Maria SS.ma del Monte Carmelo, Palmi, 1999, pp. 48.

L-Istatuti tal-Provincja Karmelitana Maltija,
Segreterija Provincjali, Fgura, 1999, pp. 52.

MACCISE, Camilo, OCD; CHALMERS, Joseph, O.Carm.,
Per varcare la porta santa, Lettera circolare dei Superiori Generali OCD e O.Carm., in occasione dell'inizio del Terzo Millennio, Roma, 1999, pp. 20.
Para Cruzar la puerta santa, Carta circular de los Superiores Generales OCD y O.Carm., con ocasión del inicio del Tercero Milenio, Roma, 1999, pp. 20.
Passing Through the Holy Door, Circular Letter of the OCD - O.Carm., General Superiors at the beginning of the Third Millennium, Rome, 1999, pp. 20.
Pour Franchir la Porte Sainte, Lettre circulaire des Supérieurs Généraux OCD et O.Carm., à l'occasion du commencement du Troisième Millénaire, Rome, 1999, pp. 20.
Die Heilige Pforte Durchschreiten, Rundschreiben der Generaloberen OCD und O.Carm., zum Beginn des Dritten Jahrtausends, Rom, 1999, pp. 20.

McGREAL, Wilfrid, O.Carm.,
"Whitefriar here and there", [The Friars, Aylesford, 2000, pp. 96.]

Meditar dia e noite na lei do Senhor,
Centro da Família Carmelita, Lisboa, 1999, pp. 32.

North American Province of Saint Elias,
(2000 Carmelite Directory), Provincial Office, Middletown, 1999, pp. 56.

Penanggalan Liturgi 2000 - Ordo Karmel,
Provinsi Indonesia, Malang, 1999, pp. 83.

Status Ordinis,
Fratrum Ordinis B. Mariae Virginis De Monte Carmelo, Edizioni Carmelitane, Romae, 1999, pp. 528.

Terenure College Annual 1999,
Terenure College, Dublin, 1999, pp. 176.

The Mission of Carmel for the Third Millennium,
(General Congregation 1999), Carmelite Communications, Melbourne, 1999, pp. 87

VALABEK, Redemptus M., O.Carm.,
Profiles in Holiness II, Edizioni Carmelitane, Roma,1999, pp. 260.

WAAIJMAN, Kees,
The Mystical Space of Carmel - A Commentary on the Carmelite Rule, (trans. by John Vriend), The Fiery Arrow Collection, Peeters, 1999, pp. 279.

Calendars 2000:

• Agenda della Cappellania Ospidaliera S. Elia Profeta dell'Ospedale "Sandro Pertini", Roma, Italia.
• Calendario della Basilica-Santuario Annunziata, Trapani (Sicilia), Italia.
• Calendario Mariano-Carmelitano, Il Carmelo del Garda, S. Felice del Benaco, Italia.
• Cinquecento anni dei "Mercoledì", Basilica Santuario del Carmine Maggiore, Napoli, Italia.
• Djarju Parrokkjali 2000, Parrocca Madonna tal-Karmnu, Fgura, Malta.
• El Carmen - Museo de Ciencias, Onda (Castellón), Spagna.
• Mount Carmel Hermitage, Christoval, Texas, USA.
• St. Theresa School, Carmelite Sisters, Kercem, Gozo, Malta.
• Virgen del Carmen, AMACAR - Apostolado mariano-carmelitano, Onda (Castellón), Spagna.

N.B. For inclusion of publications and other information in this list, CITOC requests that a copy of the new publication and a short notice about its content be sent to: CITOC, Curia Generalizia dei Carmelitani, Via Giovanni Lanza 138, 00184 - Rome, Italy.
With regard to the Carmelite Library, another copy should be sent to: The Carmelite Library, Via Sforza Pallavicini 10, 00193 - Rome, Italy. Publications for review in CARMELUS: A copy should be sent to: The Book Review Editor, CARMELUS, Via Sforza Pallavicini 10, 00193 - Rome, Italy.
 

NEWS IN BRIEF

• A New Doctor

On 17 December 1999, at the Pontifical University of Comillas, Madrid (Spain), Fr. Eugenio Kaborè (Baet), successfully defended his doctoral thesis titled, "Why I am God and not man, the Holy One in your midst" (Hos. 11,9) – A synchronic approach to the metaphors in the Book of Hosea. Before defending his thesis, Fr. Eugenio offered an exposition on the theme: "Diachrony and/or Synchrony". In his thesis the new Doctor in Biblical Theology (also a graduate in semitic languages) explained the meaning of metaphor in the classical usage and in a modern perspective. In the Book of Hosea he discovered some sixty different metaphors which occur in connection with Hosea 11,9. There were many present at the ceremony, including the Prior Provincial, Fr. Rafael Leiva, twelve other Carmelites along with professors and friends.

The following day, 18 December, in the church of Buen Suceso in Seville, Fr. Eugenio received the missionary cross along with Fr. Francisco Daza and Fr. Desirè Kouakou (Baet). These three, together with Fr. Ubaldo Pani (Ita), opened the new Carmelite Foundation in Bobo-Doulasso in Burkina Faso in January 2000. Fr. Eugenio will teach Sacred Scripture at the Interregional Seminary of Koumi.

• A New Church for the Parish of Colonia Tovar

On 11 November last year, a new parish church dedicated to St. Martin of Tours was consecrated in Colonia Tovar (Venezuela). The Church is under the care of the Carmelites of the Commissariat of Catalonia. The ceremony was attended by Vicente Henríquez, Titular Bishop of the diocese, Reinaldo del Prette, the Auxiliary Bishop, Gustavo García, Bishop of Guarenas. Representing the Carmelites, the Prior Provincial of Catalonia Fr. Manuel Bonilla, along with the Commissary Provincial Fr. Raul Masana and other members of both the Commissariats of Catalonia and Betica. These were joined by numerous priests and seminarians of the diocese of Maracay. The ceremony was very simple, made special by the celebration of the First Communion of 40 young children and the Confirmation of 135 of the faithful.
 

UPDATE OF ADDRESSES AND
TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Addresses of new houses

Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
8249 de Montreville Trail, Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042, USA.
Tel & Fax: (651) 779-7351; E-mail: <carmelus@mn.uswest.net>

Hermits of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
Mt. Carmel Hermitage, P.O. Box 337, Christoval, TX 76935-0337, U.S.A.
Tel & Fax: (915) 896-2249; E-mail: <fatherfabian@juno.com>
Website: www2.cybercities.com/m/mtcarmel

New phone / fax numbers

Mosteiro Flos Carmeli
Rua Coronel Sodré, 652, Cx. Postal 87, Jaboticabal, SP - 14870-000 Brazil. Fax (016) 322-1458

Changed phone / fax numbers

Upper Germany Province
- Comunidade de Teologia N. Sra. do Carmo, Rua Dr. Pedro Darcy de Souza, 308, Bairro Novo A, 81920-280 Curitiba, PR. Brazil. Tel: (041) 289-3375.
- Casa de Postulantado Tito Brandsma, Rua Otávio Afonso da Silva, 1.909, Sítio Cercado - Bairro Novo B, 81925-526 Curitiba, PR. Brasilia. Tel. (041) 289-5288

Missionary Family "Donum Dei"
Travailleuses Missionaires, Foyer Louis et Zélie Martin, 15 Avenue Sainte Thérèse, 14100 Lisieux, France. Tel: 02-31620933; Fax: 02-31628865

New e-mail addresses

Italian Province

Ariesan, Ilie M. Boschetto, Vincenzo Bellotti, Claudio Cau, Luca Cicconetti, Carlo Negri, Lauro Vitrugno, Carmelo Convento di Castellina

<ariesan@lycosmail.com> <fraboschetto@tin.it> <p.claudio@flashnet.it> <cauluca@tiscalinet.it> <ccicconetti@pcn.net> <lauronegri@ctgred.net.co> <anvitrug@tin.it> <castellina@pcn.net>

Arago-Valentine Province

Oliveras, Jose Casa de Formación Parr. Nuestra Señora de Sonsoles, Madrid Residencia Monte Carmelo, Madrid

<joseocarm@yahoo.com> <se.carm@teleline.es> <soncarm@retemail.es> <remoncar@planalfa.es>

St. Albert's International Centre

Smet, Joacim (PCM)

<jsmet@ocarm.org>

Cloistered Nuns

Jaboticabal, Brazil Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

<convento@netsite.com.br> <mtcarmelo@caribe.net>

Neapolitan Province

Barbarello, Nicola

<Nicolabcarm@libero.it>

PCM American Province

Boley, Bob Boyle, Sylvan  Hibner, Cyprian  Judy, Myron  Larkin, Jack  McCarthy, Frank Weber, John Benedict

<rboley@erols.com> <sboyle@worldnet.att.net> <st_raphael@diocesephoenix.org> <luthian@bellatlantic.net> <jacklarkin@worldnet.att.net> <fmc@compaq.net> <jbwcarm@juno.com>

Dutch Province

Bartels, Cees Buitendijk, Tom

<ceesbartels@hetnet.nl> <tom.buitendijk@hetnet.nl>

Castilian Province

Lozano Moreno, Marín A. Tejerina Espeso, Matías

<resiunicarm@retemail.es> <mtejerina@mixmail.com>

Irish Province

Crowley, Christopher

<chriscrowley5353@yahoo.com>

Istituto Nostra Signora del Carmelo

Istituto Nostra Signora del Carmelo

<inscarmelo@tiscalinet.it>

Maltese Province

Brincat, Albert  Cassar, Adrian

<pertoc@cosett.com.bo> <snoopy@mail.global.net.mt>

Missionary Family "Donum Dei"

Travailleuses Missionaires, Lisieux, France

<foyer-martin@therese-de-lisieux.com>

St. Elias American Province

Amodio, Francis Champigny, Richard

<FMACarm@aol.com> <champcarm@compuserve.com>

(N.B. For an update list of all Carmelite e-mail addresses see page
http://www.ocarm.org/citoc.news/emailadd.htm)

New Web sites

Parroquia Nuestra Señora del Carmen, Morovis
http://www.morovis.net/catolica/
The Good Word by Father Tom Butler
http://goodword.home.mindspring.com
St. Joseph's Parish, Demarest
http://stjosephdemarest.org/parish.htm
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish, Fairfield
http://olmc-fairfield.org/
 

CARMELITE MILESTONES

Novices

8 September 1999
Jean Beaupère (Gal)
29 September 1999
Giovanna Pirrera (CAR)
Carla Zinno (CAR)
8 January 2000
Valmir Aquino Lima (Flum)
Edvaldo Francisco de Moura (Flum)
José Francisco Ferreira Raulino (Flum)
Rafael Neves de Oliveira (Flum)
Welinton Angelino da Silva (Flum)

Simple Professions

8 January 2000
Claudio Florentino Alves (Flum)
Luiz Antônio Altriz Júnior (Flum)
Silvio de Freiras Pereira (Flum)
Fernando Bezerra Leite (Flum)
21 January 2000
Maria Rosanna Serrata Collado (MON)

50 Years Simple Profession

1 March 2000
Brian Pitman (Aust)
4 March 2000
Sebastião Joaquim Trinidade (Pern)
12 March 2000
Immacolata Patisso (OST)
10 April 2000
Josefina Rodríguez Covo (CAU)

Solemn Professions

20 October 1999
Alfredo Di Cerbo (Brun)
27 November 1999
Alonso Malaquias (Flum)
Rothmans D. Campos (Flum)
Miguel Guzzo Coutinho (Flum)
Agostinho Marques de Castro (Lus)
Ismael Pereira Teixeira (Lus)
8 December 1999
Kevin John Alban (Brit)
Dionisio Ramos (Neer-Phi)
Roberto Noel Rosas (Neer-Phi)
17 December 1999
Vitalis Benza (Hib-Zim)

Diaconate Ordinations

28 November 1999
Alain Diallo (Baet)
8 December 1999
Roberto Noel Rosas (Neer-Phi)
Pedro Manilag (Neer-Phi)
18 December 1999
Vitalis Benza (Hib-Zim)
15 January 2000
Alonso Malaquias (Flum)
Miguel Guzzo Coutinho (Flum)

25 Years Priestly Ordination

23 March 2000
Matthias Geurts (Neer)
31 March 2000
Mark Anthony (Paul) McChrystal (Hib)

50 Years Priestly Ordination

8 April 2000
Manuel Moreno Martin (Baet)

Necrology

16 October 1999
Angelo Scarpecci (Ita)
19 October 1999
Agapito Scaramella (Ita)
15 November 1999
Ma. Amparo Pons García (VAL)
17 November 1999
Desiderio Petrucci (Ita)
23 November 1999
Asunción Betés Montori (ZAR)
15 December 1999
Riccardo Palazzi (Ita)
1 January 2000
Bernadette Thomassen (BOX)
11 January 2000
Lamberto Lambooy (Flum)
15 January 2000
Anzelm Leopold Rachlewicz (Pol)
 

CARMEL OF OUR LADY OF NAZARETH

Address: Cloistered Carmelite Nuns
P.O. Box 213
3100 Cabanatuan City, N.E.
Philippines

Diocese: Cabanatuan

History:
It was on 8 July 1982 when the 16 year old Carmelite community of Guiguinto (Philippines) received the invitation from the Bishop of the Diocese of Cabanatuan, Mgr. Vicente P. Reyes, D.D., to found a monastery in his diocese to pray for the increase of priestly and religious vocations, and the sanctification of priests and Christian families.

Fr. A. Scerri, General Councillor, together with the cloistered nuns of Cabanatuan
The following 27 August, the Chapter of the cloistered nuns considered the invitation and prepared themselves for their first encounter with the bishop of Cabanatuan. The nuns set the date of their first trip for 30 August, the feast of St. Rose of Lima, patron saint of the parish where they met the bishop and the chancellor, Mgr. Lamberto Bondoc. The latter generously offered them his house and a lot located in the barrio of San Antonio, but the site of his house was not suitable due to its isolated location. So the bishop offered them a one hectare lot at the back of the seminary which satisfied the nuns. Yet this first offer did not materialise.

On 22 September the nuns received the official permission from the bishop confirming the proposed foundation. On this date a provisional house was offered to them and an association of ladies offered and promised to help them to make this foundation possible. All the clergy of the diocese expressed their agreement and acceptance of the new foundation.

On the feast of Our Lady of Pilar, 12 October 1982, the nuns met the bishop together with the Vicar General, Mgr. Florentino Cinese, at his residence which was at the same time the chancery. On this second visit, the bishop showed the nuns a place in his own house and offered it to them as their provisional house. Though the nuns found this place very good for them, the offer never materialised because the MCST active sisters took residence there. In the same period the Liwag family, a local prominent family, offered to the nuns a lot for the new monastery, but because of its distance from the city it was not accepted.

During a meeting held on 29 November the bishop offered, and the nuns accepted, a very good provisional house in Muñoz, some 30 minutes drive by car from the city. On 12 January 1983 the official letter of the bishop specifying the place of the provisional house and the permission to take residence was finalised. On 2 March the nuns of Guiguinto received the much awaited permission from Rome for the new foundation.

Since the bishop, Mgr. Vicente P. Reyes, was very ill, on 22 March 1983 the nuns were met by Mgr. Ciceron Tombocon, auxiliary bishop of Cabanatuan, who helped them to arrange the definitive date of the inauguration and to finalise the ceremony in Muñoz. This house was previously occupied by the active sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who left the country temporarily for lack of vocations. That same day the five nuns, together with five lay persons, started to clean and arrange the temporary residence.

The canonical erection of the contemplative monastery in the diocese of Cabanatuan was celebrated on 8 April 1983 at 12.30 in the afternoon. The ceremony of departure was held in the chapel of the monastery of origin in Guiguinto Carmel. The Mass was presided by the Bishop of Malolos, Mgr. Cirilo Almario and Mgr. Deogracias Iñiguez, the confessor of Guiguinto Carmel concelebrated. The first community was made up of five solemnly professed and two simply professed nuns. These were: Sr. Maria de los Angeles de Jesús, Sr. Ma. De Jesus Hervas, Sr. Ma. Susana Gracia, Sr. Ma. Bernardita Blanco, Sr. Ma. Soccoro Padin, Sr. Ma. Leoncia Sampana and Sr. Ma. Herminia de la Cruz. They were accompanied by Sr. Inmaculada Rodriguez, who was then the prioress of Guiguinto Carmel and Sr. Maria del Henar Rodrigo, the treasurer, both foundresses of Guiguinto Carmel. That year, 1983, the first week of Easter, was their definitive transfer to the new foundation. It coincided with the Holy year of Redemption, a year of grace for the new community. Before the end of the month of April, Bishop Reyes died. He was succeeded by Mgr. Ciceron Tombocon.

In the first temporary house the nuns encountered many difficulties due to the irregular schedule in the celebration of the Eucharist at the monastery and because it was hard to find a possible source of sustenance for the community. It was during the Advent season of 1983 that the community experienced a fearful trial when a drug addict started to throw stones and left all the window panes of the house broken. The nuns stayed nine months in the first provisional house. Then, on 28 January 1984, they moved to the second temporary house located at the centre of Cabanatuan City.

The laying of the first cornerstone of the new monastery was held on 30 December 1984. The simple ceremony, attended by several religious active sisters and by Third Order Lay Carmelites, was headed by the Bishop and Mgr. Deogracias Iñiguez. In the span of two years, progress in the construction of the new monastery was so advanced that the nuns were able to move in on 8 April 1986, the date of the inauguration. From the first year of the foundation the community grew steadily in number and today it counts about 20 religious.
 
 

THE CARMELITE LAY COMMUNITY
PARISH OF OUR LADY OF BEGOÑA, MADRID

"To live in allegiance to Jesus Christ, in the midst of the people"

Presentation

This community is made up of 20 members between the ages of 22 and 34 years. Most of the members are married, ex-alumni of San José College. Both spouses (10 members) attend the community meetings and some of their children. Engaged or married persons whose partner does not belong to the community also attend.

History of the community

The community was born as one of the youth groups of the parish of Our Lady of Begoña about 24 years ago. The group is founded on three basic pillars:

• Prayer: The group holds a weekly prayer meeting which is open to all parishioners.
• Reflection and Formation: The study of various themes, participation in bible and formation meetings for Youth Pastoral Agents run by the vicariate, etc.
• Action: Animators of youth Eucharistic celebrations; organising campaigns for peace, hunger, the world, unemployment… Other activities of the community at the service of others are: kitchens for the poor, co-ordinating centres against drug abuse, activities for the aged, animation of the Eucharist in two hospitals, Christmas campaigns, the "Hands United" projects, twinning with various Latin American, African, etc. countries.

Prayer has always been the most important support and the spring which nourishes the group. The most important development of the community took place when the members, through their contacts with other Carmelite youth groups, revised their personal and group style of life. This was the moment when they distinguished themselves from the traditional form of youth groups in order to start a community project, a mature way and a commitment to the group and to society. Until then, the members were not interested in the Carmelite charism, even though implicitly the Carmelite religious who looked after them made it possible for the group "to discover the Carmelite spirit".

The community now

At present, the group is reflecting deeply on its Community Project, deepening its identity as a community of lay people. The themes they deal with are: sharing the faith (in celebrations, in prayer, etc.); sharing life (in all the meetings a time is set aside for sharing "the facts of life" and "the state of life"); sharing goods (by contributing 2% of their income for common expenses, half of the community property is invested in financing solidarity projects, to make available "their homes and things" to those in need); daily prayer in common (through the "invisible monastery" where the members live, each in his or her home).

They try to live the Carmelite dimension by deepening fraternity among themselves and with the structures of the secular world in order to make present in concrete forms fraternal correction, to understand better the meaning of community in the Church, to form a community as a vocation and as persons called by the Lord, and to reflect on the personal commitments of each member of the community (apostolates, social voluntary service, witness in the workplace and in the family, etc.).

The structure of the community

The community life of the members is structured around independent family units belonging to the parish of Our Lady of Begoña and integrated into the Carmelite Family. The main community meeting is held once a week in parish halls or in private houses.

The members of the group carry out various tasks within the community itself. Among the more important: a co-ordinator in charge of the structure of the life in community and who represents the group (he/she is elected by the members for his/her qualities of service and his/her office is close to that of a prior); a bursar, who looks after the administration and the financing of co-operative projects: a member for external relations who helps the group to keep in touch with various ecclesiastic entities, other Carmelite and diocesan groups. These three members have the task of serving as well as the power to make decisions in matters of urgency or in case of lack of consensus.

Celibates, married persons, engaged persons, religious men and women (even though at present there are none) can be part of the community. The members give special care to family life (in what concerns a balance between autonomy / intimacy and communication), also to the partner who may not be a member of the community (in matter concerning making choices and decisions as well as the fixed meetings, etc.) and to the children whose number keeps growing (at present there are nine), thus nourishing a constant exchange between the responsibility of the community toward their formation and the relation of the children with the members of the community. This care has led to the formation of a crèche for them.

The commitment of faith regarding his/her vocation is left to the personal expression of each member of the community. For instance, here are some activities carried out by some members: responsibility for reflection meetings, formation, celebrations (Eucharist, penance, liturgies of the Word), for "the facts of life" (methodology of seeing, judging and acting) and for free time; organisation of parish prayers (Friday evenings); the task of overseeing the Jucar groups and the formation of the overseers of Jucar; participation in courses of formation (biblical, social voluntary service, overseers of groups) and participation in the ONGD Carmelitana and Karit-Solidarios por la paz.

This is the past and the present; the future will be a journey full of hope. On their journey in allegiance to Jesus Christ, the members of the community have sometimes been described as pioneers or as dreamers, other times as fighters. However, the members of the community do not consider themselves as such nor as a model for other groups, but simply as a group of Christians called by the Spirit to live their Christian vocation according to the Carmelite charism.
 

ABBREVIATIONS USED BY CITOC  

General Commissariats

Brun Commissariatus Generalis "La Bruna"
Lus Commissariatus Generalis Lusitaniae

General Delegations

BM Delegatio Generalis Bohemiae et Moraviae
Col Delegatio Generalis Colombiae
Gal Delegatio Generalis Galliae

Male Eremitical Communities

HChris Hermits of the M.Bl.V. Mary of Mt. Carmel (Christoval)
HLE Hermits of the M.Bl.V. Mary of Mt. Carmel (Lake Elmo)

Congregations, Institutes and Communities affiliated to the Order

CSAI Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm
CSOL Carmelite Sisters of Our Lady
COLMC Congregation of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
CCC Corpus Christi Carmelites
FMDD Famille Missionnaire "Donum Dei"
HOLMC Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
HCMC Hermanas Carmelitas de Madre Candelaria
HCSCJ Hermanas Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
HVMMC Hermanas de la Virgen María del Monte Carmelo
HChes Hermits of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Chester)
ICDP Irmãs Carmelitas da Divina Providência
IMCJ Irmãs Missionárias Carmelitas de Jesus
INSC Istituto di Nostra Signora del Carmelo
SCG Suore Carmelitane delle Grazie
SCMTBG Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù
Leav The Leaven

Monasteries of Cloistered Nuns