BEATIFICATION OF
MOTHER CANDELARIA OF ST. JOSEPH

As was already mentioned, last Sunday, April 27, 2008, the beatification of Mother Candelaria of St. Joseph, foundress of the Carmelite sisters in Venezuela, took place in the Central University Stadium in Caracas. There was a huge crowd of more than 40,000 people in the stadium, and another 20,000 in another one nearby, who followed the ceremony on giant TV screens in thoroughly festive spirit.

Cardinal Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and Papal Legate, presided at the Eucharist and in an emotional atmosphere read the decree of beatification, as a large portrait of Mother Candelaria was uncovered. The Cardinal was joined by numerous bishops from Venezuela, among whom the Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa and the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Giacinto Berlocco. Also present were the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., the General Councillor for the Americas, Fr. Raul Maraví, O.Carm., the provincials of Betica and Catalonia, the two provincial commissaries in Venezuela, Fr. Felip Amenos Bonet, until recently Postulator General of the Order, as well as numerous priests and religious, including the Venezuelan Carmelite Sisters with their Mother General, Sr. Evelin González, and a number of Discalced Carmelites.

The ceremony was transmitted live on all Venezuelan TV channels and news of it was on the front page of all the newspapers. At the end of the Mass, the bishops and representatives of the Carmelite Order were invited to a meal in honour of Cardinal Saraiva Martins which was held in the Venezuelan Bishops’ Conference premises.

We congratulate the Venezuelan Carmelite Sisters and the whole Carmelite Family for this truly memorable celebration.

“SEARCHING, TESTING, DOING” – FORTY YEARS OF
THE TITUS BRANDSMA INSTITUTE

On 12 April 2008 a symposium took place in Nijmegen (The Netherlands) to mark forty years of the Titus Brandsma Institute in that city. The conferences were held in the local concert hall under the title “Spirituality: searching testing and doing”.

Among others, the participants included the Bishop of Rotterdam, Mons. Adrianus van Luyn, who is also the President of COMCE (the Episcopal Commission of the European Union), prof. Bas Kortmann, Rector of the “Radboud Universiteit” of Nijmegen, of which the Titus Brandsma Institute is a part, as well as Fr. Kees Waijman, O.Carm., the current President of the Institute who gave the keynote conference on the famous speech of Bl. Titus when he was invested as Rector of the Catholic University of Nijmegen, entitled “Godsbegrip” (“The Concept of God”), which enjoyed great success at the time.

The academic proceedings also included an interesting musical performance based on texts from St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross, as well as a theatrical representation based on the “Dialogue between the Soul and Scripture” of the 16th century Belgian Carmelite, Franciscus Amelry.

The Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., in his speech singled out the wonderful work of the Institute in developing a spirituality of dialogue, following the inspiration of Bl. Titus, a man of encounter and an apostle of reconciliation. He also emphasised that true spirituality is always humanising, and he congratulated the Institute and the Dutch Carmelites, wishing them many years of fruitful service in this task.

MEETING OF LAY CARMELITES
OF THE IBERIAN REGION

From 5 to 7 April 2008 there was a meeting of Lay Carmelites of the Iberian region in our guesthouse Beato Nuno, in Fatima, Portugal. This festive occasion saw around 230 people from various Spanish and Portuguese Carmelite groups come together: tertiaries, members of Carmelite Youth (JUCAR), friars, members of prayer groups, ex students, etc.

The Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral chaired the meeting, together with Fr. John Keating, General Councillor for Europe. Also present was Carmelite bishop Mons. Vitalino Dantas of Beja who presided at the Eucharist on 6 April.

The participants joined other pilgrims at the shrine for the torchlight procession on Saturday night and for the solemn Mass on Sunday morning at which the Patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo presided.

The lay people at the meeting reflected on their identity as Carmelites and on the theme of Mary, mother and sister, guided by Sr. Carmen Galera (HHVMMC) and by Fr. Desiderio García, O. Carm., of the Arago-Valentina province. The evaluation of the meeting was extremely positive and all the participants expressed a desire that the Carmelite Family should continue to grow and become stronger in the Iberian region.

CARMELITE DICTIONARY

Present at the launch of the Dizionario Carmelitano (pp 1031) were the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., and the Superior General, Fr. Luis Aróstegui Gamboa, OCD. The academic presentation took place on 11th February 2008 at the Teresianum in Rome. Other presentations were by Fr. Camillo Maccise, OCD, who during his time as General together with former General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, O.Carm., encouraged and promoted this enterprise, also present the Director of the Publishing House "Città Nuova", Dr. Falmi, and the directors of the project Frs. Emanuele Boaga, O.Carm., and Luigi Borriello, OCD.

This is a unique work of its kind, aimed at those wishing to have information on the themes and persons of the world of Carmelite spirituality and culture in both branches of the Carmelite Family (Carmelites and Discalced Carmelites).

The publication is the result of much collaboration with contributions from 121 scholars from the Orders. Many of the articles are, in fact, written from both perspectives. The Dictionary comprises 323 articles (each one with bibliographical reference and often notes relating to the text). A helpful way to read these articles (pp XVII-XXII) is to see them within four larger contexts: 1. Juridical and institutional, in which are gathered all the articles of a legal and institutional nature and the various ways they apply; 2. History and Biographies; 3, Theology, Spirituality, Pastoral and Liturgical; 4, Various topics mainly those relating to the arts and culture. Furthermore, reading and research is helped by an analytical index set out so that each subject takes one on to other articles were the same subject is dealt with.

The Dictionary is a fine example of collaboration between the two religious families who have come together to illustrate their common patrimony. As such, this is an extensive work that has the merit of a clear style and language common to all the contributors. In fact, it is a text of remarkable usefulness not only for study but also for catechesis and pastoral work.

Those wishing to obtain a copy, at present only in its Italian version, should contact: seggen@ocarm.org

CELEBRATION ST. ANDREW CORSINI

Once again this year on the 4th February last, the Feast of St. Andrew Corsini was celebrated in the chapel dedicated to him in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Rome). The Eucharist was presided over by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and the music provided by the choir of the basilica. Besides the Chapter of the basilica and other priests, many of the faithful participated including Prince Corsini and various members of the family.
 
As in previous years, the Corsini family and the Corsini chaplain Mons. Franco Camaldo invited the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán, who was unable to attend, but delegated Fr. Giovanni Grosso, Postulator General, to represent the Order. Also present was Bro. Giovanni Frusteri of the Italian Province.
 
In his homily Cardinal Sandri considered the Carmelite saint, bishop of Fiesole, within an historical and religious context, using interesting references to the search for God typical of Carmelite spirituality.

BEATIFICATION OF
MOTHER CANDELARIA OF ST. JOSEPH

Venezuela will soon host its first beatification ceremony, welcoming to the list of the blessed the founder of the Venezuelan Carmelite Sisters, Mother Candelaria of St. Joseph. The Venezuelan bishops' conference announced the beatification will take place April 27, 2008. Benedict XVI recognized last July a miracle attributed to Mother Candelaria's intercession, thus opening the way for her beatification. The ceremony will take place in Caracas, and will be presided over by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, who will be the papal legate for the occasion.

She was born Susana Paz-Castillo Ramírez in 1863. She enthusiastically welcomed the call of God to holiness, and since her youth, stood out in practicing living and effective charity, with which she cared for, consoled and healed the sick and wounded that strife had left on the streets of her birth city. Encouraged by Father Sixto Sosa, later bishop of Cumana, she consecrated herself to the service of the sick of San Antonio Hospital, founded in 1903.

Later, she began the foundation of a new religious congregation, dedicated to serving the poor. The congregation was definitively established in 1910 with the name "Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor of Altagracia de Orituco." Afterward, the congregation was affiliated to the Carmelite Order, and was called the Third Order of Regular Carmelites. Today they are known as the Venezuelan Carmelite Sisters or Carmelites of Mother Candelaria.

With great tenacity and enthusiasm, in spite of the economic straits of the congregation, and the general scarcity of resources, Mother Candelaria performed a widespread, attentive labour to those wounded by wars and the poorest sick people, showing a great trust in Divine Providence, and an intense love for the most needy.

Because of her ardent love for God and her generous and selfless surrender to the poor, under the direction of the bishops and in the company of the religious of her congregation, this new Venezuelan blessed is today an example of virtues, standing out among them, her living and intense faith in Jesus Christ, our only saviour; her union with and love for the Church, particularly the Venezuelan bishops, and her lively charity for the poorest.