Carmelite Cloistered Nuns Today

The Carmelite cloistered nuns are women who have discovered the absolute value of the Kingdom of God, and wish to realise this in their monasteries, as a praying sisterhood at the service of the Church. They commit themselves to live in intimate union with Jesus, God and man, in order to make present today the plan of God for humankind. They wish to be a visible sign of the union of God with the world.

They practice this value in the spirit of Carmel, fertilising the world with the presence of God, constantly praising him, proclaiming his eternal beauty, his limitless wealth of grace and the fruits of good works to all who serve him generously. The Carmelite nuns show the joy of serving the Lord and of living in his loving presence all their days. In brief, they make real the certainty that God loves us and they commit their lives and their complete love to Him. They wish to live like the Virgin Mary, open to the will of God, proclaiming his love from their cloisters. Is it not wonderful to proclaim every day the wonders of God and to rejoice spiritually in the Lord, our Saviour?

The Carmelite nuns, together with the Church and other religious Orders, suffered from the changes in history, but they remained faithful to the charism of Carmel. They renewed their Constitutions in accordance with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, and today they number almost a thousand in 79 monasteries in the following countries: Brazil, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, The Netherlands, United States and Venezuela.

Following the recommendations of the Church in recent times various monasteries have joined into a Federation of monasteries, with their own statutes. The Federation is an important step towards better communication, establishing initial and on-going formation programmes and is a great help in all the needs that may arise in the fulfillment of their mission and in achieving a better sisterly life. At present there are four Federations: one in the Philippines, which includes all the monasteries in that country, and three in the Iberian Peninsula which include almost all the monasteries of the region.

To follow in the footsteps of Christ, poor, obedient and chaste, is a worthwhile endeavour. The Carmelite cloistered nuns witness to this truth with their lives and thus they are happy in the cloisters of their monasteries.