Sunday Day Off Becomes a Celebration of Culture. Monday Is Back to Work Completing the Reports to the General Chapter
Sunday was officially a day off, but the members of the Indonesian Province offered a tour of sites around the city and a show by the Carmelite students and representatives of the school. Included in the tour was the Cathedral of Malang. The diocese has had only Carmelite bishops since its establishment as a Apostolic Prefecture in 1927. There was also a visit to Masjid Jamik, the oldest mosque in Malang. It is located in the heart of Malang which is almost 90% Muslim. Not far away is Sacred Heart Catholic church, originally built by the Jesuits but turned over to the Carmelites in 1923. The complex is the site of the original Carmelite provincial office which is being restored to once again house the offices. The group then traveled to Karmel Paranti Jati Prayer Garden and Kolumbarium. This site also contains two residences with one Carmelite community as well as the Padmawlyata Museum, a prayer garden, and the chapel with the tomb of Bishop F.X. Hadisumarta, former bishop of Malang and Sorong and the ashes of many of the Carmelites who served in the province.
The Padmawlyata Museum has displays of items from the early days of the Indonesian missions and a story board explaining the history of the Carmelite in Indonesia.
In the afternoon, students from St. Albert’s Carmelite High School welcomed the Chapter members with a Balinese dance. Later the Carmelite students presented a Balinese meditative dance inspired by the ancient Indian epic of Ramayana. (A separate CITOC article will cover this beautiful welcome.) The day finished with a festive meal at the Batavia Reso, a vintage restaurant which serves traditional Javanese food.
A few Chapter members left the Chapter site early to celebrate Mass at the House of Mercy for abandoned elderly. Afterwards, they visited the hospice for the poor in Gempol operated by the Indonesian NGO before meeting up with the other Chapter members for lunch.
On Monday morning, the Chapter members reunited for Morning Prayer and Mass in the Chapel, followed by four more reports, including that of the International Formation Commission, the General Commission for the Coordination of New Foundations, the Delegate for the Affiliated Congregations, and the General Delegate for the Nuns. The reports were completed by prior of CISA, the student house in the city of Rome.
International Formation Commission
First up to report was the Vice Prior General, Benny Phang Khong Wing, who has responsibility for formation. The International Formation Commission highlighted formation as a lifelong process, “a continual process of conversion of heart and spiritual transformation, love being the driving force.” It should be done within the Carmelite tradition and grounded in the socio-anthropological-cultural context were the persons live.
The report has three parts: an evaluation of the six-year plan, the programs held, and the future and concerns to be addressed. With regards to the six-year plan, the only part not achieved was to introduce the idea of a General Delegate for Formation. Two people were appointed but neither worked out.
As of June 2025, there were 150 pre-novices, 100 novices, 322 simply professed, and 234 solemnly professed with the last five years. While the total number of young Carmelites is 796, Asia-Oceania counts 387 of them. The Order as a whole has 2038 members.
Among the activities of the Formation Commission were: an international program on how to engage Generation Z; a course for new provincials; a course on St. Titus Brandsma in the Netherlands and Germany; a formators gathering dedicated to the revision of the RIVC; and the revision and updating of the RIVC 2013. Benny was also invited to give a talk at FOCAM in 2021 and 2023. He was also invited to speak in Vietnam at the Asia-Oceania student and formator gathering.
The Commission is encouraged by the presence of young Carmelites and good vocations. It is also hopeful that there are dedicated your formators. The Constitutions of 2019 call for community-based formation—so that the formation is based on real life rather than on theory. Those in formation experience and follow the Carmelite lifestyle witnessed by the older, solemnly professed brothers living in community. There is also concern that the life as lived in the formation houses starkly contrasts with how life in lived in the non-formation communities. There is also concern about the family no longer providing strong faith formation, much less the idea of a religious vocation. So there is a tremendous need to evangelize the family as a way of promoting religious vocations to the youth. There is also a call to form the students as being brothers—fratres—brothers who can assume the different roles necessary for a good community life. There is also a need for formation to stress one belongs to the Order and not to a province or country or house. Now it is essential that one learn one of the three official languages of the Order.
International Community of CISA
Saint Albert International Center in Rome “is an expression of the unity of the whole Order.” All Carmelites living there are appointed by the General Council and are under the jurisdiction of the Prior General. In 2021, several changes were made, especially regarding the length of time and conditions for admission to the CISA community.
CISA government is a prior, vice prior, bursar, and regens studiorum. Tadeusz Popiela, of the Polish province, is the current prior and delivered the report to the Chapter. Also residing at CISA are the president and secretary of the Institutum Carmelitanum, the General Archivist, the Archivist of the General Curia, and the Librarian. These members are considered the “stable” community. The community also includes students from different provinces and geographical areas of the Order. Since 2019, the number of students in the community has been between 6 and 16.
Studies completed include theology (4), biblical studies (2), philosophy (1), psychology (1), formation (1). In progress are theology (3), biblical studies (2) and liturgy (1).
Various activities took place between 2019-2025 including the Carmelite School, a formation course in September for new members to the community but open to other members of the Carmelite Family in Rome; members doing formation courses for novices in Salamance; various retreats to religious communities in Rome; pastoral work in the area; and language courses in locations around Europe.
CISA hosts many meetings and provides accommodations for scholars using the Carmelite library or archives. It is estimated that the community has welcomed around 2,000 people during the sexennium.
A number of renovations have taken place or are currently taking place including restoration of bedrooms and bathrooms; new furniture in the kitchen, laudry room, and bursar’s office; renovation of the air conditioning and heating systems as well as an upgrade to the electrical system, separating it and the water and gas from the hotel portion of the building.
General Commission for the Coordination of New Foundations
This International Commission was created by the 2019 General Chapter for the purpose of maintaining a close relationship between the General Council and the superiors responsible for the new foundations. The main objective was to study the new presences (less than twenty-five years old), evaluating the resources and real needs of each.
During the six-year period, four meetings were held, all in early 2021. Luis Maza, the chair of the commission, summarized the Commissions work into four areas. A study project was elaborated to show where areas of collaboration between the Order and the new foundations could take place. However, a survey sent to the new foundations received only three responses. Finally, criteria were drawn up for possible financial aid to the missions.
As addressed in the Bursar General’s report earlier, a fund has been established to assist in the Order’s development and formation.
General Delegate for the Affiliated Congregations
Luis Maza also worked with the Congregations and Institutes affiliated to the Order. Currently there are 15 women’s and 1 men’s congregations present in 46 countries. Their presence contributes significantly to the richness of our family. They work in a variety of ministries including missions, schools, spirituality houses, nursing homes, and vicarages.
Many of these religious men and women belong to Congregations that are in the existential and geographical peripheries, where they are dedicated to evangelization and social justice.
The Delegate General was involved in various activities: the centenary of the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the centenary of the Carmelite Sisters of Mother Candelaria, the bicentenary of the birth of Blessed Maria Teresa Scrilli, as well as some events with the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. During visits to America and India, he also visited some of the sisters. In May 2023, the sexennial meeting of the Superiors General was held in Rome. Twenty religious men and women participated.
The members of the Curia have maintained a friendly relationship with the members of the affiliated congregations. The Order has provided some assistance in the area of Canon Law as well as participation in some General Chapters.
Having completed the reports from the various geographica areas and international commissions of the Order as well as from the directors offices under the General Curia, the General Chapter now moves to another phase. On Monday afternoon, two sessions with members in language groups for one, discussed the Instrumentum laboris.
On Tuesday and Wednesdays, the days were dedicated to outside presenters. On Tuesday was Sr. Patricia Murry, IBVM, speaking on Today’s Social and Eccledial Context. On Wednesday, Carmelite bishop and former member of the General Council, Wilmar Santin, spoke on Carmelite Missions “Ad Gentes.”
