The Authors of our Lectio Divina
 Fr. CARLOS MESTERS, O.Carm.
Fr. Carlos was born in the
Netherlands on 20 October 1931. In 1949, while he was still a student
in the Carmelite minor seminary, he and seven other companions went
to Brazil in order to become missionaries. He entered the Carmelite
Order in 1952, studied philosophy in São Paolo, Brazil, and pursued
his theological studies from 1954 to 1963 in Rome at St. Albert’s International
College and at the University of St. Thomas (Angelicum). He also undertook
studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute and at the École
Biblique in Jerusalem. On his return to Brazil in 1963, he was appointed
professor of Scripture at the seminary until 1973. From 1973 to 2001
he worked among the Basic Ecclesial Communities, helping the people
of God to read and understand the Word of God. Fr. Carlos is one of
the founders of the Centro Ecumenico de Estudios Biblicos and
was its director from 1977 to 1989. Since 1987 he has been a member
of the team that started the project Tu Palavra é Vida
of the Conference of Religious in Brazil. This project assists in the
biblical formation of religious. Since 1987 he has also taken part in
INTERCAB, inter-Carmelite meetings in Brazil, and in 2001 he was elected
General Councillor of the Carmelite Order.
 Sr.
MARIA ANASTASIA
DI GERUSALEMME, O.Carm.
Sister Maria Anastasia Cucca was born in Ravenna in
1967. In 1983 she went to California (USA) to study for one year. There
she encountered the Love of God the Father. She becomes passionate in
reading the Sacred Scriptures and finds there her vocation. On her return
to Italy she continues to live her faith in the scout movement. She
discovers the Carmelite spirituality in a meeting with the nuns of her
city. In 1986 she obtains her high school certificate in linguistics
and leaves for a year of study in Bonn, Germany. On 4 October 1987 she
enters the Carmel of Ravenna, where, in 1995, she makes her solemn profession.
She teaches herself the sacred languages and deepens her understanding
of the spirituality of the Order, of the Fathers of the Church, Judaism
and monastic spirituality. She lives a prayerful and silent life in
the cloister together with her sisters.
 Fr. COSIMO PAGLIARA,
O.Carm.
Fr. Cosimo was born in San Vito dei
Normanni (Italy) on 5 June 1952. He completed his bachelor’s degree
in philosophy (1976) and theology (1979) at the Pontifical Gregorian
University. He obtained his Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from
the Pontifical Biblical Institute (1984) and his doctorate in Biblical
Theology from the Gregorian (2002). His thesis is on the use of the
figure of Elijah in the Gospel narrative of Mark. He has published several
articles in various magazines and his doctoral thesis: The figure
of Elijah in Mark’s Gospel, semantic and functional aspects, Gregorian
Thesis, Serie Teologica 97, Roma 2003. At present he is teaching Biblical
Greek for the theological triennium and the Masters course in biblical
theology at the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy in
the district of S. Luigi (Naples). He also teaches Sacred Scripture
at the Inter-religious Theological Institute of S. Fara (Bari) and at
the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in Bari. Besides teaching
Sacred Scripture, Fr. Cosimo willingly gives himself to preaching and
giving spiritual exercises to priests, sisters and lay people. He contributes
to biblical weeks for the people and leads courses on "lectio
divina" in some dioceses of Southern Italy.
 Sr.
MARIA TERESA
DELLA CROCE, O.Carm.
Born in Anagni, Frosinone (Italy) on 15 February 1961,
Sr. Maria Teresa Boschi entered Carmel in 1981 after completing high
school. She made her temporary profession in 1982 and her solemn profession
in 1987, the first to do so in the Carmel of S. Anna a Carpineto Romano.
In 1992, together with four other nuns, she founded the Carmel of Janua
Coeli in Cerreto di Sorano in the province of Grossetto, in the inland
of Maremma, near a Marian Sanctuary. She completed the cycle of studies
in philosophy and theology and is at present taking a course in humanities
for formation consultants of monastic-contemplative life. In 2003 she
took her Master’s degree in consultation psychology. At
present she is Prioress of the community. Besides translating Greek
patristic texts, she corrects and translates drafts in modern languages.
Her monastic life allows her to live her desired infinite solitude that
invokes the presence of the living God, the shadow that restores all
things, and of the brothers and sisters who beat as with one only heart.
 Fr. CHARLÒ CAMILLERI,
O.Carm.
Fr. Charlò-Carmel, of the Maltese
Carmelite Province, was born on 24 March 1975. He entered the Order in 1992,
and did his noviciate in Pisa (Italy). On 25 July 1994 he made his simple
profession and on 30 September 1997 made his solemn profession. He was ordained
to the priesthood on 3 August 2001. Between 1994 and 2000 he attended the State
University of Malta from where he graduated in Philosophy, History of Art and
Theology. In 2002, he also obtained his Master’s degree in Pastoral theology
from the same university. His thesis is entitled: Carmel: A Spirituality of
Beauty. These last few years he has been master of novices and director of
postulants and students in the Maltese Carmelite Province. In 2004
he obtained a Diploma in Formation Studies (CIFS) at the
Pontifical Gregorian University and in 2007 obtained a Doctorate in Spiritual Theology
from the same university. His Doctoral Thesis is entitled: Union with God as Transformation in Beauty. A
Literary-Spiritual Analysis of the Colloquies of Santa Maria Maddalena de'
Pazzi (1566 - 1607). At present he lives at the
Carmelite Priory in Balluta, Malta. He is author of various articles and books
on theology and spirituality.
 Fr. TIBERIO SCORRANO,
O.Carm.
Fr. Tibero was born in 1950 in the province of Abruzzo
(Italy) where the Carmelites have been present since the seventeenth century.
He did his noviciate in 1971 and his university studies in Rome. He studied
Philosophy at the Lateran University and Theology at the Gregorian University,
specialising in Spirituality. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1977.
Fr. Tiberio had gained much experience in a Centre of spirituality. He
specialised in Formation during the triennium of 1980-83 at the Institute
of Psychology at the Gregorian University. He then organised and led three-year
courses in On-going Formation for the Federated Italian Provinces, sessions
in the Congo and vocational discernment. He was also the person responsible
for Caritas Carmelitana, promoted the youth movement and the new religious-lay-families
collaboration of the Carmelite Family. He achieved the gradual unification
of the Federated Italian Provinces, planned and led the way for the new
unified Italian Province from 1991 to 1997. During those years he promoted
the development of Carmel in Africa and Colombia, and opened the way for
Romania in 1992. In the years 1998-2000 he studied in the Faculty of Missiology
at the Gregorian University, specialising in inter-religious studies.
Since 2001 he lives in Romania in the region of Moldavia, in the Monastery-Centre
of Spirituality in Luncani (Bacau), a new Carmelite foundation with the
scope of studying oriental spirituality and to dialogue with the Orthodox
church.
 Sr. MARIANERINA
DE SIMONE, SCMTBG
Sr. Marianerina (Nerina) was born in Castellammare di Stabia
(province of Naples) on 6 January 1962. She completed her scientific
High School studies at the school of “F. Severi” in Naples, and at that
time became very involved in the Students’ Movement of Catholic Action.
She studied jurisprudence at the Frederico II University in Naples and
simultaneously studied religious science at the S. Michele Institute
and later at the diocesan institute of Religious Science. During that
time, she was a member of the National Conference of the Students’ Movement
of Catholic Action and was in charge of the Campania region. In 1982
she started theological studies at the Theological Faculty of Southern
Italy.
She joined the Congregation of the Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di
S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù, in Santa Marinella (Rome), in June 1983
and continued her studies in theology and philosophy at the Gregorian
University, Rome. She took her Bachelor’s degree in theology in 1989
and a Master’s degree in spirituality in 1991. She was, then, called
to join the editing team of “Horeb”, the publication of the Carmelites
in Italy, and to collaborate in the vocational apostolate and the formation
of members of the Carmelite Third Order. She is the co-ordinator for
on-going formation in her Province. Since 2000, she is enrolled at the
“Claretianum” Institute of Theology of the Consecrated Life in Rome
for her doctorate in theology.
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