Formation

“If we want to build communities in which there is an abundance of life, then we must recognise who and what we are and what it means for us to be alive... Religious communities are like ecological systems. A rare frog will need its own ecosystem if it needs to flourish...

Looking at formation within the Order today the picture is indeed a positive one. This is not to say that there are not problems. In the older provinces in Europe, the United States and Australia, the numbers of those joining the Order are small, but across the continents of Asia, Africa and South America we see an expansion that is bringing with it new life and many vocations. Following the General Chapter of 2007, the General Council set up a new international formation commission.

When the first Carmelites came together on Mount Carmel some 800 years ago, they were embarking on a new quest. They were seeking the presence of God by contemplating deeply the Scriptures along with their own experiences. In this quest for God, they came to see the Blessed Virgin Mary as their preeminent guide. The earliest Carmelites were attentive to the scripture passage that described Mary as keeping “all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”

From the 27th to 29 May 2008, the first meeting of the International Commission for Formation took place at the General Curia in Rome. Present were: John Keating, General Councillor, Mario Alfarano, Secretary, Quinn Conners (PCM), Günter Benker (GerS), Desiderio García Martínez (Arag), Giampiero Molinari (Ita), Dionisius Kosasih (Indo), Vitalis Benza (Hib-Zimb) and Romualdo Borges de Macedo (GerS-Par). Present also was Kevin Alban (Bursar General) for helping with the translation.