General Commissariat of Philippines

In 1957 the Prior Provincial of the Province of the Netherlands, Fr. Brocard Meyer travelled to the Philippines looking for opportunities to establish the Carmelite Order in these islands. Eventually, the Province accepted an invitation from the Bishop of Dumaguete to take responsibility for the northern part of the diocese on Negros Island. Frs. Richard Vissers, Wirenfried Viesters and Theodulph Vraaking founded the Carmelite presence in the Philippines on March 16, 1958. The Carmelite Order made rapid progress in these islands and by 1965 a seminary had been established in Escalante and in the late 1960s friars were working also in the dioceses of Surigao, Manila and Iligan.

Although the 1970s marked a difficult period in the history of the islands, the Carmelites continued to be active not only in parish ministry, but in schools, colleges and universities, as well as in social action groups and workers’ programmes. The 1980s witnessed a great increase in the number of lay people associated with the Order and provision was made for them in Manila with the opening of the Titus Brandsma Centre. By the 1990s the main goal of the Commissariat was to work towards independence from the home Province and a series of strategies was put in place to consolidate and systematize existing structures.

In 2003 the Province of The Netherlands formally applied to the General Council for the erection of a General Commissariat of the Philippines which was officially instituted on July 16, 2004, with Fr. Antonio de la Cruz, O.Carm., named the first General Commissary. The Commissariat is entrusted to the protection and patronage of Blessed Titus Brandsma.

At present the Commissariat has five canonically houses and about 50 religious.

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