At the beginning of February the Church celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple and we look forward towards the end of March when we will celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord. Both of these are feasts celebrating some aspect of the mystery of God become human in Jesus Christ. They also say a great deal about Our Blessed Lady and her connection with her Son in the mystery of salvation.

At the feast of the Presentation, the liturgy recommends a procession with lighted candles at the beginning to commemorate the entrance of Christ into the Temple at Jerusalem. Christ is the light of the world and we follow Him so that we might be children of the light. We hear in St. Luke’s Gospel that Mary and Joseph went to the Temple with the Baby Jesus, according to the Law of Moses. This trip proved to be very eventful. First they met Simeon who had been looking forward to God fulfilling the promise to send the Messiah to Israel. When he saw the Child, he knew that this was the Holy One of God, and he prophesied that He would be a sign of contradiction, set for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, and that because of Him, the thoughts of many would be revealed. He made the famous prophecy to Mary that a sword would pierce her soul. Mary and Joseph marvelled at what Simeon said about Jesus. Then they met the prophetess, Anna, an old woman who had virtually lived in the Temple for many years. She too recognised Jesus as the Christ, God’s Anointed.

The prophecy of Simeon must have sent a shiver through Mary’s whole being. Her beautiful Baby would be the cause of untold suffering for her. She is intimately connected with the mission of her Son, who would open up the way to eternal life to humanity but only through the cross. His whole life, from the very beginning, was directed towards the moment when He abandoned Himself wholly into the hands of His Father. Mary suffered with her Son as He faced incomprehension and finally death. Her life too was totally directed towards the Father’s will. A true devotion to Our Lady necessarily involves us in seeking to put God’s will into practice in our own lives.

In the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, we read from Luke’s Gospel once again. The angel of the Lord tells Mary that she is full of grace and that the Lord is with her. He then makes the wonderful announcement that she will bear a Child who will be called “Son of the Most High”. Our Lady cannot understand how this will come about but she believes the angel’s word that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her and so the Child will be called holy, the Son of God. Mary cannot foresee what this will mean in all its details but she nevertheless joyfully accepts the will of God, “Oh let what you have said be done to me”. At the end of the scene we are told that the angel left her. She had to continue walking by the light of faith alone.

Luke tells us that Mary pondered in her heart all the events of her life and all the things that had been said to her. When Jesus began His ministry, He met with a great deal of opposition. Mary must have remembered the words of Simeon and especially those about a sword piercing her soul. At the foot of the cross, she united herself with the sacrifice of her Son for the redemption of the world.

Mary is inseparably united with Christ. She points us always towards Him who alone can lead us out of the shadow of death into new life. At the foot of the cross, she became the Mother of all humankind. She looks after us with a Mother’s loving care and she accompanies us on our journey of faith. She teaches us to ponder in our hearts the Word of God and on all the events of our lives so that we can begin to discern the voice of God. She is a constant presence in Carmel and in the life of everyone who drinks from Carmel’s spring. She is our Mother, our Sister, our model on the path of Christian discipleship.

Mary, Mother of Carmel, you accepted God’s will in times of joy and in times of sorrow. You teach us that God desires our salvation and you continually point us towards Jesus your Son in Whom we find life. Help us to be faithful to God and to eagerly embrace God’s will so that we might be transformed and so become what God knows we can be.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm.

The Prior General and I visited Kenya from 16 to 21 February. We first visited our cloistered nuns in Machakos. The community, in which there are five solemnly professed nuns and three aspirants, seems to be happy and enthusiastic. They lead a prayerful life and are able to support themselves with their work making hosts, vestments, clerical clothes, etc. There are more candidates waiting to join but the community is limited by the space available in the house they occupy temporarily. In fact, the most urgent need of the nuns is to build a proper monastery. Bishop Urbanus Kioko has given them a good piece of land of about 5 acres. However, the nuns are experiencing some difficulty in raising money for the building. Anyone who can help the nuns to build the monastery please contact me. Besides the building of a new monastery we discussed with the nuns other matters, such as formation, the establishment of a Third Order in Machakos, etc.

On 18 February we moved to Nairobi and stayed with the Discalced Carmelites who could not have been more hospitable and helpful. With the Missionary Family "Donum Dei" we visited one property in the Nairobi diocese in view of our future foundation. The Discalced Carmelites also took us to look at several pieces of land in the Ngong diocese and accompanied us to visit Bishop Davies of the Ngong diocese. The Bishop was most gracious and welcoming. We would be welcome to acquire land and build a formation house in the diocese of Ngong, which is within less than half an hour drive from Tangaza College and the Catholic University.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Anthony Scerri, O.Carm.

On Thursday, 22 February 2001, Carmelites who are psychologists, teachers, researchers, therapists, and spiritual guides, gathered at the Carmelite Curia Generalizia (Rome) for a five-day symposium seeking to address the question: What have Carmelite psychologists learned about the spiritual journey from their life and work as psychologists? Associated with this, there was a second question: What is the contribution psychology can make to the understanding and development of Carmelite spirituality? Each participant had already written a paper on a chosen topic, which was read by all the other participants ahead of the meeting.

The participants and their topics were:

• Fr. Hank Ormond, O.Carm., "Being Yourself and Belonging to God: Dealing with the Many Hungers of the Human Heart". The longings of the human heart are a place of encounter with God.
• Fr. Aureliano Pacciolla, O.Carm., "Elements and process of growth and transformation" - What favours growth, What hinders growth, How does growth take place? Human maturity and transformation. Growth is a sign of health, physical, psychological and spiritual.
• Fr. Kevin Culligan, OCD, "Empathy", a way to facilitate the exploration of the inner life, beyond the worlds of psychotherapy and spiritual guidance.
• Fr. Charles Serrao, OCD, "Growth in Community Living", The Ground Rules for life in community, Obstacles, Ways of fostering Growth.
• Fr. Dominic Savino, O.Carm., "Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy", Irrational beliefs cause intense feelings of anger, fear, anxiety and depression. Cognitive Therapy related to Carmelite Spirituality.
• Fr. Ildefonso Peñas, OCD, "What we want and what we can offer: Are people today interested in Intimacy and in the Experience of God? To answer some of these questions Ildefonso turned to a selection of psychologists, poets and mystics.
• Fr. Quinn Conners, O.Carm., "Addictions, Recovery and the Dark Night" the addictive process as ultimately a spiritual experience from the perspective of the Dark Night.
• Ms. Maria Luisa Rodríguez, OCDS, "Spirituality and Psychology, a System" in which she analysed how all life, thought and experience exist within a system, where the elements are all related one to the other.
• Fr. Luis Jorge González, OCD, "Jesus as a model of psycho-spiritual development" showing Jesus to be the one who possesses the fullness of life and who leads others to the same fullness.

The reaction to this first meeting was very positive. It was obvious that the topic of psychology and spirituality, opens many doors and offers real help to those who are conscious of the need to grow as individuals, in community, and in the direction of human maturity and union with Jesus Christ. The symposium was organized by Fr. Charles Serrao, OCD, and Fr. Míceál O’Neill, O.Carm., on behalf of their respective General Councils.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Míceál O’Neill, O.Carm.

On 8 May 2001, John Paul II, on his return from a visit to Syria, will stop in Malta to beatify, on the following day, Fr. George Preca. Who is this Maltese who after forty years of his death is recognised by the Church for his heroic virtues?

For further information:
Web page: George Preca
E-mail: Fr. Michael Farrugia, O.Carm.

This year, the Commissariat of Parana (Brazil), founded by Carmelites of the Upper German Province, celebrates its 50^th anniversary of existence. Celebrations are planned for the whole year, especially for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The first founder of the Commissariat, Fr. Ulrich Goevert, arrived in Parana in August 1951 and took the pastoral responsibility for the parish of St. Sebastian in Paranavai, which was then still considered a missionary area in the middle of the jungle. Later the Upper German Province sustained this mission by sending fourteen other religious. In 1955, Fr. Bonaventure Einberger began the building of the seminary in Graciosa. Meanwhile the pastoral commitment continued to grow by accepting various parishes: Cidade Gaúcha (1967-1993), Vila Fany (1967), Tapira (1968-1993), Dourados (1984), Rolim de Moura (1994) and Curitiba (2000).

Of the fifteen German Carmelites who went to Parana, five died, five went back to Germany and the rest are still in Brazil. At present the Provincial Commissariat of Parana has one bishop, nineteen priests, one deacon, one solemnly professed brother, five solemnly professed students, twelve simply professed students and four novices, for a total of forty-three religious.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Wilmar Santin, O.Carm.

On 17 February 2001, the solemn dedication of a new altar took place in the chapel of St. Albert’s International Centre (CISA), Rome. Bishop Lucio Renna, O.Carm., bishop of Avezzano, presided at the celebration. He was assisted by Fr. Mark Attard, Prior. The community and many friends of the community were present.

The meaningful ceremony began at 6.00 p.m. with a procession of priests to the chapel. The greeting of the bishop, the blessing of water and the sprinkling of the priests, people and the new altar with the holy water, introduced the liturgy of the Word. After the homily, which was delivered by the bishop, and the recitation of the Creed, the Litany of the Saints was sung and the coffer with the relics of saints was placed. The relics were placed at the foot of the column of the new altar and are those of Blessed Franco, Saint Angelo and Saint Valentine. These were previously placed in one of the side altars of the same chapel. A page recording the dedication of the altar, the names of the saints and the signature of the bishop and the prior, was also placed in the coffer. After the coffer was placed and sealed in the column of the altar, the central and most meaningful moments of the ceremony took place:

• the prayer of dedication, which, according to a long tradition, expresses the intention to dedicate the altar to God forever and asks for God’s blessing;
• the anointing of the altar with the oil of chrism, symbol of Christ, the anointed of the Father by the Holy Spirit;
• the placing on the altar of a small incense brazier followed by the incensing of the altar, the bishop, priests and people, symbol of the sacrifice of Christ that rises to God in the odour of sweetness and so that the prayers offered by the assembly may be accepted and be pleasing to God;
• the wiping of the altar, after the anointing, and the covering of the altar with a cloth prepared for the celebration of the Eucharist, symbol of the table of the Lord, where the sacrificial meal of Christ immolated is to be celebrated;
• finally the giving of a lighted candle by the bishop to the prior to light the candles on the altar, thus bathing the altar and the chapel in festive light in memory of Christ, light to enlighten the world.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Mark Attard, O.Carm.

On the occasion of the 4^th centenary of the death of Bishop Amador Arrais, O.Carm., the Secretariat for Co-ordination and Pastoral Action of the diocese of Beja (presided by Fr. Antonio Domingos), in collaboration with the Carmelites of the General Commissariat (represented by Fr. Manuel Freitas), organised a congress on 16-17 February 2001 on the life, work and times of this famous son of Portugal. The congress was opened in the presence of both bishops of Beja, the bishop of Portalegre e Castelo Branco and of several distinguished guests. Fr. Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm., gave a paper on "The Carmelite Order at the Time of Bishop Amador Arrais", and Fr. Balbino Velasco Bayon, O.Carm., gave a paper on "The Carmelite Order in Alentejo in XVIth Century". Besides the conferences, the programme included an iconographic presentation of the diocese of Beja, a concert of sacred music from XVIth century and a discussion on the Church in the same century. About a hundred persons took part in the congress.

Bishop Amador Arrais, O.Carm., was born in Beja. At the age of 15 he joined the Carmelite Order. He became auxiliary bishop of Évora and later the third bishop of the diocese of Portalegre. He is the author of the literary work entitled Diálogos, which is one of the classics of Portuguese literature, and which, together with Os Lusíadas, has contributed to the setting of the Portuguese language before the Castilian influence. He died on 1 August 1600 in Coimbra (Portugal).

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Manuel Freitas, O.Carm.

On Sunday, 7 January 2001, at 11.30, in the Carmelite Basilica in Florence (Italy), a solemn pontifical Eucharist was celebrated in memory of the 700^th anniversary of the birth of Saint Andrew Corsini, Florentine Carmelite and bishop of Fiesole. Cardinal Silvano Piovanelli, Archbishop of Florence, presided at the Eucharist. Among the concelebrants were the bishop of Fiesole, Luciano Giovannetti, the Provincial of the Italian Carmelites, Fr. Carlo Cicconetti, and the Provincial of the Discalced Carmelites, Fr. Graziano Sbrolli.

By special privilege, the feast of Saint Andrew Corsini is celebrated in Florence on 7 January, while the Carmelite Order celebrates the feast on 9 January and the universal Church on 4 February. In Rome, on 4 February, a solemn commemoration was held in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, in the chapel of the Corsini family, dedicated to the saint. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State, celebrated a solemn Eucharist at which were present the Prior General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, and a large number of Carmelite friars and sisters.

Saint Andrew Corsini was born in Florence in 1301. He entered religious life in the convent of his native city. At the General Chapter held in Metz (Germany), he was elected Provincial of Tuscany in 1348, and the following year he was nominated bishop of Fiesole. He ruled his diocese with admirable examples of charity and with great eloquence. He distinguished himself for his apostolic zeal, prudence and love of the poor. With his own hands he distributed bread to the needy. He was respected and liked by all. Many, both rich and not so rich, came to him to seek peace after years of struggle and hatred that destroyed many families and cities. He died on 6 January 1374. He was canonised on 29 April 1629. His incorrupt body lies in the Carmelite Basilica in Florence before the famous Brancacci Chapel. Several celebrations will be held during this year until 4 February 2002 to recall the figure of this Saint known as "Father of the poor" and "Worker for justice".

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Roberto Russo, O.Carm.

The American Carmelite Forum will offer a Summer Seminar for the fourteenth year at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, from 10 to 16 June 2001. The theme for this seminar will be "Reading and Praying the Carmelite Classics" and will honour two Carmelite nuns whose unique gifts and wisdom have greatly enriched the field of Carmelite Spirituality over the last four decades.Lectures at the seminar will include Keith J. Egan on "Reading and Praying the Carmelite Classics", Daniel Chowning, OCD, on "John of the Cross and Healing", Kevin Culligan, "Pondering the Lord’s Law and Watching Prayer", Dianne Traflet on "Edith Stein: Carmelite Years", Mary Frohlich on "Teresa, Foundress and Storyteller: Reading the Foundations", John Welch, O.Carm., on "The Carmelite Way: A process of Transformation". These speakers will also offer workshops on various Carmelite Classics including Edith Stein and Thérèse of Lisieux. A special feature of this summer’s seminar will be a Desert Day on 13 June, as a time for silence, solitude and prayer so that the seminar will offer some experience of the Carmelite charism. Anyone who is interested in growing in appreciation of Carmelite spirituality for personal spiritual growth and for the enrichment of one’s ministry is welcome to this week where Carmelite values and vision are shared by a community of those who find Carmel’s Way a friend for the journey to God.

For further information:
E-mail: Saint Mary’s College
 

The American Carmelite Institute is sponsoring a seminar on the spirituality of the Rule of St. Albert and its relevance today from 25 to 28 July 2001. General presentations will be given by Fr. Kees Waaijman, O.Carm., Fr. Camilo Maccise, OCD Superior General, and Fr. Patrick McMahon, O.Carm. Workshops and conferences will be directed by Fr. Joseph Chalmers, Prior General of the Carmelites, Fr. Brocard Connors, O.Carm., Elda Maria, OCDS, Catherine Martin, OC, Sam Anthony Morello, OCD, and Nancy Thompson, OCDS. The conference promises to deepen in the participants the appreciation of the Carmelite heritage and add to their experience of the Carmelite Family. The conference will be held at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, TX.

For further information:
Web site: Carmelite Institute

On the occasion of the 750^th anniversary of the Scapular, on 16 January 2001, the Maltese Province opened the Marian celebrations with a solemn Mass in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta in the presence of hundreds of lay and religious Carmelites. The programme, prepared by the commission made up of Fr. Martin Schembri and Fr. Alexander Scerri, embraces celebratory, cultural and formation aspects. The plan for formation includes four mariological courses: Fr. Christopher O’Donnell, O.Carm., will give the first course to university students, another to religious men and women, a third to Carmelite devotees and Third Order members, and Fr. Valentin Borg Gusman, O.Carm., will give the fourth course which will be open to the public. The celebratory aspect will include various pilgrimages, one of which will be to Aylesford in England, and a national Marian manifestation. The cultural aspect will include an exhibition of Carmelite art, a choir festival and a Marian ecumenical meeting.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Alexander Scerri, O.Carm.

Books:

Antologia dello Scapolare,
(a cura di Giampiero Molinari, O.Carm.), Centro Stampa Carmelitana, Roma, 2001, pp. 320. (E-mail: carmel@mclink.it). This anthology aims at presenting basic information concerning that which has been published from the time of Vatican Council II to the present, and hence to take a first step towards "rethinking" and "reformulating" devotion to the Scapular in a way that is more meaningful for our times. The book is divided into five sections: (a) several studies, articles, research papers published in Italian, (b) devotion to the Scapular in the life and writings of various pontiffs, (c) documents of the Order, (d) a witness of the Scapular – blessed Isidore Bakanja, (e) a bibliography for further study.

BOAGA, Emanuele, O.Carm.,
La Signora del Luogo - Maria nella storia e nella vita del Carmelo, Edizioni Carmelitane, Roma, 2001, pp. 228. (E-mail: edizioni@ocarm.org). In the presentation of this volume, the author uses the same style and didactic methodology as he did in his previous publication "Come pietre vive…nel Carmelo" and helps the reader to acquire a systematic understanding of the whole Marian dimension of Carmel. Fr. Boaga, a well-known scholar in the fields of Carmelite history and spirituality, leads the reader to examine facts in order to discover in them a more realistic and deeper meaning and to understand the interior dynamics that has moved generations of Carmelites in their love for the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, and then to invoke her as Patroness, Mother and Sister.

COLOMBO, Mariassunta; LABIO, Mario,
Il Vangelo del giorno - Spunti di meditazione e formazione - Tempo di Quaresima, Edizioni Carmelitane, Roma, 2001, pp. 190. (E-mail: carm.miss.stbg@mclink.it / edizioni@ocarm.org). This is a biblical liturgical help for the days of Lent. It follows the same methodology as the previous volume for Advent. For every day there is a suitable passage from the Gospel, followed by a message highlighting the theme, then an exegetical reading of the text, some spiritual thoughts taken from the Fathers of the Church and from St. Therese of Lisieux as well as from the Spiritual Diary of the Servant of God, Mother Maria Crocifissa Curcio, Foundress of the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

SAGGI, Ludovico, O.Carm.,
Santa Maria del Monte Carmelo, (ristampa), Centro Stampa Carmelitana, Roma, 2001, pp. 60. (E-mail: carmel@mclink.it)

Posters:

Speculum Carmelitanum,
Centro Stampa Carmelitano, Roma, 2001, size 50x70 cm. (E-mail: carmel@mclink.it). This is an enlargement of the frontispiece of the book Speculum Carmelitanum (1680 edition). The poster is printed on ivory paper with the prayer Flos Carmeli at the centre. The picture represents the prophets Elijah and Elisha watering and looking after "Carmel’s vine" which bears the fruit of the Virgin Mary with her divine Son and the saints of the Carmelite Family.

For further information:
E-mail: Fr. Anthony Cilia, O.Carm.

In a letter of 25 March 2001, addressed to Fr. Joseph Chalmers, Prior General of the Carmelites (O.Carm.), as well as to Fr. Camilo Maccise, Praepositor General of the Discalced Carmelites (OCD), John Paul II expressed the importance of the devotion to the Virgin Mary, through the use of the Scapular, revealing that he himself wore this same sign of veneration and particular faithfulness to the Virgin Mary.

The message praises the decision of the Order "in its two ancient and reformed branches", to dedicate the year 2001 to Mary, to coincide with the 750th anniversary of the giving of the Scapular, defined as the "venerable tradition of the Order itself". The Marian patrimony of Carmel has become, over time, "through the spread of the devotion of the holy Scapular, a treasure for the whole Church. For its simplicity, for its anthropological value and for the relationship with Mary as regards the Church and humanity, this devotion has been profoundly and widely grasped by the people of God, so much so as to find expression in the commemoration of July 16th, which is present in the Liturgical Calendar of the Universal Church". Especially concerning the Scapular, John Paul II, emphasized that it is worn by many simple faithful as a devotion to Mary, who in this way find themselves associated with the great Carmelite Family.

For further information:
Web page: Letter of John Paul II to the Carmelite Family