The Caribbean Carmelite Conference 2021 was held virtually from July 13th to July 15th 2021 with the theme, “Mary in the Carmelite Tradition.” The main speaker was Dr. Johan Bergström- Allen, T.O.C. of the United Kingdom, author of “Climbing the Mountain: The Carmelite journey.” The Conference was conducted on Zoom as a result of implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The conference, the third of its kind in the past 8 years, was a collaborative effort among all branches of the Carmelite family in the English-speaking Caribbean. Conference participants were mainly from Trinidad, as well as participation from Guyana, Grenada and St. Lucia; with a few participants from the United States and the Netherlands. Fr. Brent Alexis. O. Carm spearheaded the coordination and planning of the many parts of this year’s conference. There were approximately one hundred participants in attendance which included vocation prospects, friars, Corpus Christi Carmelite sisters, Carmelite Tertiaries (Lay Carmelites), Handmaids of our Lady of Mt. Carmel, members of Carmelite parishes and friends of Carmel.
Dr. Johan explored the conference topic of Our Lady in Carmel, over the three days, with sub-topics of “Mary in Carmelite History,” “Mary in Carmel’s Art & Devotions” and “Mary in Carmel’s Liturgy.” Dr. Johan’s well-prepared power point slides, historical facts, reference to Carmelite literature and his sharing his own experiences as a Lay Carmelite kept attendees very engaged and interested. There was ample time after each of his talks for questions, observations and conversation.
The goal of the Conference was to bring together members of the various branches of the Carmelite Order in the Caribbean region and to deepen our knowledge of the Carmelite spirituality and charism. Parishioners of Carmelite parishes and friends of Carmel have also attended these conferences and expressed greater interest to learn more about the Order and some have even expressed greater enthusiasm toward becoming members of the Third Order.
Following the main talk, participants were broken into smaller groups for workshop topics of their choosing. Workshop topics were: Carmelite Family Dynamics by Fr. Hasely King, O. Carm, Liturgical Prayer by Bro. Nigel Ali, O. Carm, Lectio Divina by Sr. Claire Marie Nero, O. Carm, Contemplative Prayer by Mr. Kirk Nancoo, the Prophet Elijah by Sr. Katrina Charles, O. Carm, Blessed Titus Brandsma by Fr. Michael Driscoll, O. Carm, St. Angelus by Fr. Gerard Tang Choon, O. Carm, Servant of God Mother Mary Ellerker by Mrs. Neila Todd, T.O.C. and St. Therese by Fr. Mikhail Woodruffe, O. Carm. One week before the Conference, there was a shorter online session led by Fr. Hasely King, O. Carm that introduced persons to the fundamentals of Carmelite spirituality and history in preparation for the Conference.
The three-day conference concluded each day with a Triduum of Masses celebrated each day by one of the friars in Trinidad and livestreamed. Similarly, conference attendees as well as other members of the Carmelite family across the Caribbean viewed the special livestreamed Mass for the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel on July 16th.
This was the third Caribbean Carmelite Conference, which are held every 2 to 3 years. The past two conferences were held in-person in Trinidad with main speakers: Fr. Leopold Glueckert, O. Carm of the United States of America and Fr. Kevin Alban, O. Carm of the United Kingdom (RIP).
Conference attendees provided feedback that they felt very enlightened about areas of their Carmelite heritage and feel excited to see the future of Carmel in the region.
