Displaying items by tag: Calendar of Feasts and Memorials

September 17 | Feast

In 1205, Albert was appointed Patriarch of Jerusalem and a little later nominated Papal Legate for the ecclesiastical province of Jerusalem. He arrived in Palestine early in 1206 and lived in Acre because, at that time, Jerusalem was occupied by the Saracens. 

At some point between 1206 and 1214, Albert was approached by the hermits gathered on Mount Carmel, "near the font of Elijah," and asked to set down their way of life in the form of a Rule. Albert's formula vitae (way of life), a relatively short document, encouraged the daily practices of the hermits in order to "follow Christ."

During his time in Palestine, Albert was also involved in various peace initiatives, not only among Christians but also between the Christians and non-Christians and he carried out his duties with great energy and dedication. On 14th September 1214, during a relgious procession, he was stabbed to death.

A list of books available from Edizioni Carmelitane on St. Albert and the Carmelite Rule are listed at the bottom of this announcement.
 

Read more about the life of St. Albert

Read about the Carmelite Rule  |  Text of the Rule

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Books Published by Edizioni Carmelitane on St. Albert of Jerusalem
Edizioni Carmelitane Webstore

Libros publicados por Edizioni Carmelitane sobre San Alberto
Tienda virtual de Edizioni Carmelitane

Libri pubblicati da Edizioni Carmelitane su Sant'Alberto
Sito Web di Edizioni Carmelitane

The Carmelites and St. Albert of Jerusalem. Origins and Identity
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

Celebrating St. Albert and His Rule. Rules, Devotion, Orthodoxy and Dissent
Edited by Michelle Sauer and Kevin Alban, O. Carm.

The Bollandist Dossier on St. Albert of Jerusalem
Daniel Papenbroeck, SJ | Edited and translated by Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

St. Albert of Jerusalem and the Roots of Carmelite Spirituality
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

The Life of St. Albert of Jerusalem. A Documentary Biography. Part 1
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

The Life of St. Albert of Jerusalem. A Documentary Biography. Part 2
Patrick Mullins, O. Carm.

Alberto Patriarca di Gerusalemme. Tempo - Vita - Opera
Vincenzo Mosca, O. Carm.
 

Books Published by Edizioni Carmelitane on the Rule of St. Albert
Edizioni Carmelitane Webstore

Libros publicados por Edizioni Carmelitane sobre la Regla de San Alberto
Tienda virtual de Edizioni Carmelitane

Libri pubblicati da Edizioni Carmelitane sulla Regola di S. Alberto
Sito Web di Edizioni Carmelitane

Albert and His Rule
Michael Mulhall, O. Carm.

A Pattern for Life. The Rule of St. Albert and the Carmelite Laity
Patrick Thomas McMahon, O. Carm.

The Carmelite Rule. Proceedings of the Lisieux Conference. 4-7 July 2005
Various Authors

La Regola del Carmelo: Origine, natura, significato
Carlo Cicconetti, O. Carm.

Expositio paraenetica in regulam carmelitarum: Un commento alla regola del Carmelo
Giovanni Soreth | Tradotto da Giovanna D'Aniello, O. Carm.

Abdicatio Proprietatis. Sens et Défi de la Pauvreté Religieuse selon la Règle du Carmel et son inculturation dans le contexte de l'Afrique
Jean-Maria Dundji Bagave Makanova, O. Carm.

La Regola del Carmelo. Per una nuova interpretazione
Bruno Secondin, O. Carm.

In Ossequio di Gesù Cristo. Programma di studi sulla Regola del Carmelo
Emanuele Boaga, O. Carm. & A. de Castro Cotta, CDP 

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On August 28, Authorities opened the silver reliquary containing the body of St. Teresa of Avila who died in 1582. The process was undertaken so that a study of the Saint’s relics can be carried out by the Italian doctors and scientists with the Vatican’s approval. The casket was previously opened in 1914, apparently so that the propositor general of the Discalced Carmelites at that time, Clemente de los Santos, could view the Saint’s body.

Photos were taken of the body at the time of the 1914 study. According to the Discalced Carmelites’ postulator general, Marco Chiesa, who was present at this recent opening, the body “is in the same condition as when it was last opened in 1914.” According to a press release, “the uncovered parts, which are the face and foot, are the same as they were in 1914." The press release also states, "There is no color, there is no skin color, because the skin is mummified, but it is seen, especially in the middle of the face. … Expert doctors see Teresa's face almost clearly."

Both viewings have confirmed that the body of Teresa has remained incorrupt.

The Diocese of Avila, where Teresa lived much of her life, wants canonical recognition by Rome of the relics.

For the opening of the casket to occur, a marble slab had to be removed. Then the case containing the body was moved to a room which has been set aside for the study of the relics. The urn was opened in the presence of the scientific medical team and Church authorities. The local community of Discalced Carmelites, as well as the general postulator of the Order, members of the ecclesiastical tribunal, and a small group of religious participated by singing the Te Deum.

The actual process of opening the urn required the assistance of two goldsmiths and 10 keys. Three keys are kept in Alba de Tormes, three are kept by the Duke of Alba, three are kept by the Discalced Carmelites in Rome, and one key is kept by the king of Spain. Three keys are required to open the gate protecting the tomb, three are needed to open the marble tomb, and the remaining four are required to open the silver reliquary itself.

According to news reports, scholars “were struck by its magnificent state of preservation and robustness. In Teresa’s final years, she did have trouble walking.  She describes this ailment in her writings. According to Father Chiesa, the pain she experienced is quite understandable. “Analyzing her foot in Rome, we saw the presence of calcareous thorns that made walking almost impossible.”

Two goldsmiths assisted in the process of opening the tomb and reliquary. Ten keys that protect the tomb were required: three that are kept in Alba de Tormes, three kept by the Duke of Alba, another three that the father general keeps in Rome, in addition to the key kept by the king of Spain. Three of these keys are to open the outer gate, three are to open the marble tomb, and the other four are to open the silver coffin.

The Saint’s tomb was donated by King Ferdinand VI and his wife, Barbara of Braganza. It is noted for its fine workmanship.

St. Teresa’s writings are recognized as masterpieces of 16th century Spanish literature and spirituality. Her reflections on the process for one to progress toward God through prayer and contemplation are considered benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. She initiated a reform within the Carmelite Order which following her death became the separate Discalced Carmelite Order. She was canonized on March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV along with Ignatius of Loyola, Isidore of Madrid, Francis Xavier, and Philip Neri. Pope Paul VI declared her to be a doctor of the Church in 1970.

1 September Optional Memorial

Saint Teresa Margaret Redi was born in Arezzo on 1st September 1747 into the noble family of Redi. In 1764, she entered the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in Florence, changing her baptismal name of Anna Maria to that of Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

She grounded her spiritual and religious life in devotion to the Eucharist and to Our Lady, and in her dedication to the Sacred Heart which she described as a "giving of love for love". She led a humble and hidden life in the love of God and the total offering of herself and she gave caring and continuous service to her sisters. She died of peritonitis on 7th March 1770. She was beatified in 1929 and canonised by Pope Pius XI on 13th March 1934.

26 August Optional Memorial

Bl. Jacques Retouret was born at Limoges in France on 15th September 1746 to a merchant family. He was a serious young man, a lover of books and greatly gifted. At fifteen years of age, he entered the Carmelite house in his native city. After ordination, his zeal and learning were widely admired and large crowds of people were attracted by his way of preaching. Unfortunately, he was often unable to fulfil all his engagements, due to his persistent bad health which plagued him throughout his life.

The French Revolution did not spare him. Like the majority of his fellow clergy, Jacques refused to accept the civil law, unilaterally introduced by the state, which decreed, among other things, the election of bishops and parish priests by the people, only afterwards to be approved by the hierarchy and the pope. In addition to this refusal, Jacques was accused of siding with a group of political emigres who had invaded the country against the revolutionaries. He was arrested and condemned, together with many other priests and religious, and sentenced to exile in French Guinea in South America. Taken to Rochefort, he was held there in a prison ship. The British navy, at this time, was blockading the French coast and so preventing the departure of the prison ships. The conditions for the prisoners were beyond description: they were crowded together, hungry, plagued by sickness, and suffered from either the heat or the cold in overpowering smells, and persecuted by their gaolers.

Jacques died at Madame Isle, some miles distant from Rochefort, on 26th August 1794 at the age of 48 years. He was beatified, together with 63 other priests and religious, as martyrs for the faith, on 1st October 1995 by Pope John Paul II.

25 August Optional Memorial

Mariam Baouardy was born at Abellin in Galilee on 5th January 1846 to very poor parents who were good living and devoted Greek-rite Catholics. She was left an orphan after the death of her parents at only three years of age when, together with her brother Paul, she was entrusted to the care of an uncle,who had moved to Alexandria in Egypt a few years earlier. She never received any formal education and remained unable to read. At thirteen years of age, wanting to give herself only to God, she firmly refused the marriage which her uncle, according to the Eastern custom, had arranged for her. 

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17 August Optional Memorial

The year of birth of Bl. Angelus Mazzinghi in Florence, Italy, or nearby, is unknown but it was certainly before 1386.

He was received into the Order in 1413 and was the first member of the reform at Santa Maria delle Selve.

He was prior there from 1419-30 and again in 1437, and in Florence from 1435-37. A lector in theology, he was particularly noted for his preaching of the word of God.

He died in Florence in 1438.

12 August Optional Memorial

Bl. Isidore Bakanja, a member of the Boangi tribe, was born in Bokendela (Congo) between 1880 and 1890.

In order to survive, even as a boy, he had to work as bricklayer or in farms. He was converted to Christianity in 1906. He was working in a plantation run by a colonialist in Ikili and was forbidden by the owner to spread Christianity among his fellow-workers.

On 22 April 1909, the superintendent of the business tore off the Carmelite Scapular, which Isidore was wearing as an expression of his Christian faith, and had him severely beaten even to drawing blood.

He died on 15 August of the same year as a result of the wounds inflicted in "punishment" for his faith and which he bore patiently while forgiving his aggressor.

He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 24 April 1994.

9 August Memorial (Feast in the provinces of Europe: Patron of Europe)

Edith Stein was born at Breslau on 12th October 1891 to German Jewish parents, and after her secondary education, she enroled in the department of philosophy in the city university. 

She read the autobiography of Teresa of Avila and became aware of being called to become a Catholic; she was baptized on 1st January 1922. She made her First Communion the same day and was confirmed on the following 2nd February. After her conversion, she felt herself attracted to the religious life but circumstances forced her to delay this decision until 1933. When in 1933 she lost her teaching post as a result of the anti-Jewish laws, she entered into the Carmel at Cologne on 14th October 1933, taking the name of Teresa Benedict of the Cross.

On 31st December 1938 she was moved to the Carmel at Echt in Holland so as to escape the Nazi persecution of the Jews.

Sister Teresa, accompanied by her sister Rosa who had also become a Catholic, was taken to Amersfort on 2nd August 1942. On 3rd August, she was transferred to Westerbork. On 7th August, she and her sister together with other deportees were locked in railway wagons and taken by train to the extermination camp at Auschwitz, a voyage which took two days.

Sister Teresa Benedict of the Cross died in the gas chamber the same day that she arrived at the camp at Auschwitz, Sunday 9th August 1942, and her body was burned in one of the crematoria there. She was beatified on 1 May 1987 and canonized on 11 October 1998 by Pope John Paul II. On 2 October 1999 the same Pope proclaimed her co-patron of Europe.

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7 August Feast

Born in Trapani (Scilia) in the 13th century. He distinguished himself for his dediction to mendicant preaching and the notoriety of his miracles. In the years 1280 and 1289 he was in Trapani and shortly afterwards in Messina. In the year 1296 he was prior provincial of the Carmelite Province of Sicily. He was celebrated for his passionate love for purity and prayer. He died in Messina most likely in 1307.

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July is a busy month for the Carmelite Order with celebrations of many of its saints and blesseds. The month also includes celebrations of both Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Prophet Elijah. Each has a particular resonance with members of the Order and are celebrated in a variety of ways around the world. Here are a few of the celebrations we learned about over the past several days. We appreciate members sending a short summary as well as pictures of their celebrations.

Carmel in Albacete, Spain

From July 7 to 15, a novena to Our Lady of Mount Carmen was solemnly celebrated in the Cathedral of Albacete. Presiding and preaching the novena was Matias Tejerina, O. Carm.

There was a large crowd of the faithful and people devoted to the Virgin of Mount Carmel. There is a group of Carmelite Tertiaries and Confreres in Albacete who keep the Carmelite charism alive. They prepare the novena every year and have an oratory in the middle of the city which is open every day for prayer. Eucharist is celebrated there three times a month presided by Fr. Alfonso Herrera, O. Carm., the spiritual director of the Tertiaries. Also in Albacete is a community of Carmelite sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus who minister in the parish of San Pablo. They also lead a very active and pastorally committed group of Carmelite Laity.

Huesca, Spain

The Carmelite nuns of the Monastery of the Encarnation San Miguel in Huesca, Spain, provided a film of their celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in 2024. The monastery dates to 1622. (Sor Mª Blanca de la Eucaristía Barril, O. Carm.)

To watch the video

St. Thomas Province, India

The celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in St. Thomas Province (India), especially within its communities, is a deeply cherished event. Community members gather together-- in unity and reverence-- to commemorate this special occasion. Neighboring religious communities are invited, fostering bonds of friendship and solidarity. As a symbol of faith and protection, scapulars are ceremoniously distributed to everyone who attends, signifying devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The celebrations highlight the spiritual significance of the occasion through songs and homilies and prayers. Traditional rituals and processions enhance the solemnity and cultural richness of the event. Special meals are prepared and then shared among the gathered community, reinforcing bonds of camaraderie and fellowship. The celebrations serve not only as a religious observance but also as a joyful expression of our cultural heritage and communal identity. Ultimately, these celebrations deepen devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and reaffirm the participants' faith and commitment. Overall, the festivities reflect a deep-seated reverence and devotion that resonate throughout the Indian province and their local communities. (Deepak Aracka, O. Carm.)

Province of Malta

The Carmelite feast in Valletta on the July 16 is a major event. Many streets are decorated. Bands march in the streets over a four day period. There is a musical concert and a fireworks display. The religious celebration includes a 2 hour Solemn Mass in the morning and an evening Mass lead by the Archbishop Scicluna. This Mass is followed by a procession with the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

The Carmelite community also hosted a lunch with guests including the prior provincial of the Discalced Carmelites of Malta, the Canon and his wife from the Anglican Cathedral of St. Paul in Valletta, the parish priests of Valletta, the Suore Carmelitane Missionarie di S. Teresa del Bambino Gesù, two Domincans, and all the Carmelites of the Maltese Province who could attend.

General Delegation of Kenya

On July 16, 2024 the Kenyan Delegation gathered at the newly formed  Carmelite community in central Kenya (the priory at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Retreat Centre). The celebration was attended by many of the faithful as well as friars, religious sisters, Third Order Carmelites, and diocesan clergy.

Before the celebration of Mass, we held with a procession carrying a five foot (152.4 cm) statue of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, to a newly constructed grotto on the property.

We continue to seek Her intercession as a Kenyan delegation especially as we continue the construction of the retreat centre to serve the people. (Daniel Kyalo, O. Carm.)

Malaga (Spain) Area

The city of Malaga in southern Spain and many of the towns and villages along the Costa del Sol celebrated Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron of seafarers, special festivities and processions on July 16. Even some inland towns and villages join in on the celebrations.

To read more about this read the article in "Sur".