Displaying items by tag: prior general

Fr. Desiderio García Martínez, O. Carm., the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the end of November and December 2025:

November 25-28: Meeting of the Union of Superiors General (USG)
November 29: Closing of the Congress on Titus Brandsma
November 30: Online Day of Retreat for Advent for the Youth who participated in the Jubilee Year earlier.
December 3-19: First Plennary Meeting of the General Council | Programming for the Six Year Term
December (TBA): Meeting of the OCD-OCARM General Councils

Joshy Pottackal, O. Carm., of the Province of St. Thomas, Has Been Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Mainz

I am delighted to inform you that this morning, Wednesday, November 26, 2025, the Holy See has informed us that our brother, Fr. Joshy Pottackal, O. Carm., of the Province of St. Thomas in India, has been appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Mainz. This is the first time that a non-European bishop has been appointed in Germany. Fr. Joshy, 48, is a German national. 

The Bishop of Mainz, His Excellency Peter Kohlgraf, has stated that the new Auxiliary Bishop is a simple man with a big heart, hard-working, competent, and with good judgment. The fact that our brother Joshy is the first non-European bishop in Germany not only fills us with pride as Carmelites, but is also an important sign of the unity of the Church in diversity. Bishop Kohlgraft said: “We are called to live unity in diversity, with different paths of faith and cultural backgrounds. In this Church there are no foreigners.” 

"I am not a theorist with a doctorate. My sermons rarely last more than five minutes," Fr. Joshy said at his first press conference.

The official episcopal consecration is scheduled for March 15 in Mainz Cathedral. Bishop Pottackal succeeds the previous auxiliary bishop, SER Udo Markus Bentz, who was appointed Archbishop of Paderborn in 2023.
 
Dear brother Joshy, thank you for your dedication and generosity. We will pray for you in your new mission in the Church and in the world. May Our Lady of Mount Carmel, our Mother and Sister, always accompany you.

Desiderio García Martínez, O. Carm.
Prior General

Interview with Desiderio García Martínez, O. Carm., Elected Prior General in September 

During a recent stay in Rome, the recently elected prior general, Fr. Desiderio García Martinéz, was kind enough to sit with members of the Carmelite Communications office and answer a few questions.

The interview is in Spanish with English subtitles.

We hope you enjoy!

View the Interview ...

Fr. Desiderio García, new Prior General of the Carmelites: “Our origins are Asian”

In an interview with omnesmag.org, the recently elected prior general of the Carmelite Order, Fr. Desiderio García Martínez, gave insight into his vocation as a Carmelite and where he believes the Order is moving. An online magazine, OMNES is self-described as a Catholic media dealing with current issues from an analytical and reflective point of view, with a Catholic perspective. The interview was published in multiple languages.

Noting that the recent Carmelite General Chapter was held in Indonesia, the prior general remarked on the Carmelite Order’s origins being in the Holy Land. “We came from there, and now the Holy Spirit is taking us back there,” Fr. Desiderio said.

He described the strong growth of the Order in Asia as “only a round trip” since the Order started there. Statistics distributed at the Chapter show that the Asia-Australia-Oceania geographical area contains 722 of the Order’s approximately 2,000 members. Some 263 of these men are in formation. The area is still relatively new to the Order. The oldest Carmelite reality in the area is Australia, founded in 1881, followed by Indonesia in 1923. The Philippines followed in 1958. The Indian Province, the Vietnam Commissariat, the Indian General Commissariat, and the Eastern Indonesian Province are all more recent realities. 

The Dutch Province founded the Order in Indonesia in 1923, 102 years ago. Today, in the largest Muslim country in the world, where the Catholic population is only 3%, the Carmelites province recently split, establishing an Eastern Indonesian Province while retaining the Indonesia Province covering the rest of the country. But the prior general cautioned, “The important thing, of course, is not the numbers, nor the strategies, nor the calculations. Rather, it is to see how the gift of the Carmelite charism, its values, its spirituality, under the action of the Holy Spirit, continues to bear fruit.”

Later in the interview, Fr. Desiderio spoke of “contemplation as not only the heart of the Carmelite charism, but also in itself the best gift we can offer to the world and to the Church.” Carmelites are involved in a broad spectrum of ministries and apostolates—“whatever we do, we pay special attention to people’s spiritual journeys.” The mission among the people is always carried out with “the richness of our contemplative life.”

“I believe that one of the great prophetic challenges of Carmel is to help today’s world cultivate the inner life. An inner life that does not distance us from the ordinary life of people, but on the contrary, immerses us more deeply in the sufferings of humanity. A person with a contemplative gaze is a person with compassionate hands.”

He then used the image, quoting the prophet Isaiah, of “the contemplative spreads his tent” to “make room for God and all who come with Him: humanity. Authentic contemplation leads us to tenderness and compassion, to touch the wounds of the Body of Christ and to heal wounds. I insist the quality of our compassion comes from the roots of contemplation.”

As for his priorities during the coming six years, the prior general spoke about his responsibility to watch over the common good of the entire Order, to ensuring that the Order grows in fidelity to its identity, as well as discerning creatively, looking at our world, the new paths along which God is leading us. This involves accompanying the entire Carmelite Family in cultivating our contemplative attitude in the life of prayer, fraternity, and service in proclaiming the Gospel. He reminds us that this is not done by remote control but “looking the brothers and sisters in the eye, getting to know the reality, and dialoguing with each culture. And above all, it involves deploying the “apostolate of listening.” Two areas of focus emerge from returning to our origins: “the renewal of community life as a place of accompaniment and unconditional welcome” and “the care of our mission, opening windows of hope to vulnerable, poor, and forgotten humanity.”

Although Fr. Desiderio is Spanish, he was born in Orange, France, an ancient Roman city and a World Heritage Site in Provence. “I am the son of immigrants,” he said explaining that his father worked at the vineyards of Châteauneuf du Pape, an important wine-producing center in France since the 14th century. When his grandparents grew old and needed assistance, the family returned to Spain. They settled in Onda, site of a major Carmelite foundation. That was where the future prior general was introduced to the Carmelites.

This article is based on an interview by Francisco Otamendi for omnesmag.org.

The full interview is available here in English.

At the conclusion of the Chapter, the members of the General Chapter gathered in the Hall to hear from the Prior General, Desiderio García Martínez, as he addressed the group on his reflections of the Chapter and the road ahead for the Order.

In his message, Fr. Desiderio reflects on his role as a "service of love to God, to the Church, and to the Carmelite Order", rooted in the Carmelite tradition of contemplation and fraternity. Inspired by his spiritual mentors and the wisdom of Carmelite mystics, he emphasizes that love must guide all aspects of life—prayer, service, and community—and calls for renewed focus on formation and devotion to Mary as foundations of the interior life.

He shares four key insights from the General Chapter: the need to let God lead through contemplation; the balance of prayer and action, as symbolized by Martha and Mary; the importance of authentic community life; and the mission to bring hope to the world through compassionate evangelisation. He concludes by highlighting the Eucharist as central to Carmelite identity and invites the Order to deepen its life of communion, service, and spiritual renewal.

pdf To read the Final Words to Chapter members (199 KB) ...

Meeting between the Prior General, Desiderio García Martínez, O. Carm., and the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Indonesia

The Prior General, Desiderio García Martínez, met on September 27 in Jakarta, at the end of our General Chapter (Malang, September 9-26, 2025), with His Excellency Monsignor Piero Pioppo, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See in Indonesia and to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He was accompanied on the visit by Ignatius Budiono, O. Carm., and Stanislaus Lirmanjayasastra, O. Carm.

Archbishop Pioppo informed us that the Holy Father, after eight years in Indonesia, has appointed him Apostolic Nuncio to Spain and the Principality of Andorra. He confessed his admiration for the Spanish people and culture, as well as for Carmelite spirituality, which has helped and continues to support the Church so much. The Nuncio was interested in the career of the new Prior General and in how the General Chapter had gone. He congratulated us on the courage of the Order in daring to hold it in the East.

The Prior General explained the theme of the Chapter, the current challenges facing religious life, the significance of the Carmelite charism for the Church and the world, the expansion of our Order in Asia, the challenge of the Christian family and the associated pastoral care of vocations, how our charism is a word of hope for the suffering of the innocent, etc. He then informed him of the members of the new General Council and invited him to share a meal and visit the communities of our friars in Madrid. The Prior General, on behalf of the General Chapter, presented him with a seated image of the Virgin Mary.

Monsignor Pioppo, interested in the new evangelization, insisted that hope is still alive and that some Spanish bishop friends during World Youth Day in Lisbon informed him that there is a resurgence of youth in the Spanish Church. He showed his knowledge of the history of the Spanish transition period and recalled some illustrious figures linked to the Church at that time (among them Cardinal Tarancón). He congratulated us and asked about our brother, Monsignor Filippo Ianonne, recently named Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

From the General Chapter | September 9-26, 2025

Prior General, Vice Prior General, Procurator General, and General Bursar Elected by General Chapter

Following the day of retreat and reflection by Bishop Henricus Pidyardo, the members of the Chapter spent some time reflecting on the possible candidates for the Order’s government. This morning, following Morning Prayer and Eucharist, the members of the Grneral Chapter assembled in the Chapter Hall to begin the voting process. 

The 2025 General Chapter has elected four members of the Order's central government on Day 1 of the elections. The positions filled were prior general, vice prior general, procurator general, and general bursar.

Prior General:

As announced earlier, Desiderio García Martínez of the Arago, Castellae et Valentiae Province was elected Prior General for the next sexennium.

Fr. Desiderio holds a Bachelor's Degree in Ecclesiastical Studies (1989-1994), a Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Theology (1994-96), and a Bachelor's Degree in Hebrew Philology (1996-2000). He has served as prior provincial of the Province of ACV (2017-2023), Novice Master (1997-2009, 2011-2017), Formation Counselor (2002-2017), and Counsellor for Religious Life (2023-25) and parish priest (2009-11, 2023-25).

Vice Prior General:

Later in the morning Rm. Franciscus Xavarius Hariawan Adji, the current prior provincial of Indonesia, was selected to serve as Vice Prior General. Fr. Hariawan holds a Bachelor degree in English Linguistics (1992), a Bachelor in Industrial Management (1993), a Bachelor in Christian Philosophy and Theology (2006), a Masters degree in Biostatistics (2000), a Masters degree in Christian Philosophy and Theology (2009), and a doctorate in Inter-religious studies (2017).

He is a lecturer at the Airlangga University Surabaya (1992 - present) and director of Studies at Access English Centre Surabaya (1993-2000). He served as Provincial Secretary (2009-2012), Head of Indonesian Carmelite NGO (2010 - present), Asian Representative of the Carmelite NGO (2006 - 2024), Member of the General Commission of JPIC: 2013 - 2025, Vice Prior Provincial of the Indonesia Province (2015-2018 and 2018–2022), and as Prior Provincial of the  Indonesian Province (2023-present).

Procurator General:

Fr. Michael Farrugia was postulated for the position of Procurator General which he has held for 12 years (2 terms).      

Michael did studies in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, in Rome.  In 1986, he was ordained to priesthood by Saint Pope John Paul II.  Fr. Michael continued his studies in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University where he earned his doctorate.

In the Province, Fr. Michael served as Provincial Bursar, Provincial Councillor, Prior, Parish Priest and member of the formation team. In the year 2009 he was elected Prior Provincial and re-elected in 2012. He was president of the Italy-Malta Region.

In the Archdiocese of Malta, Fr. Michael was Defender of the Bond and Justice Promoter in the Ecclesiastical Tribunal and Judge of the Regional Tribunal of Second Instance. In 2006, he was elected member of the Presbyterial Council and was member on various diocesan commissions.  He was councillor and President of the Conference of Religious Major Superiors.

Bursar General:

Christian was born in Würzburg (Bavaria), Germany. He entered the Carmelite Order in 1981, following his studies at the school of the Carmelite Theresianum in Bamberg. He completed his studies in Philosophy and Theology in Bamberg and Rome. After he was ordained a priest in 1988, Christian worked in a parish as vice parish priest. He was master of novices from 1992 to 1997 and for the next three years from 1997 to 2000 master of the students. Before his first election as prior provincial of the German Province in 2000 (to 2007) he was prior of the community of Bamberg and provincial counsellor. From 1994 to 2007 he was member of the International Commission for Formation of the Order.

At the General Chapter 2007 Fr. Christian was elected Vice Prior General of the Order to serve for six year term 2007-2013 and at the General Chapter 2013 he was re-elected to serve for the second term 2013-2019. Then at the General Chapter in 2019, he was elected Bursar General of the Order to serve for six year term 2019-2025.

The General Chapter has elected Desiderio García Martínez as Prior General for the next six years. Congratulations to Fr. Desiderio!

More information on the other elections for members of the Council will follow when all the elections have been completed.

Fr. Míċeál O'Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of September 2025:

September 01 - 03: Indonesia, Maurere, the island of Flores, for the celebration of the erection of the new province of Eastern Indonesia (Indonesia Timor)
September 4 – 7: Bali, Final plenary session of the General council
September 8 – 28: General chapter, Malang, Indonesia
September 29 – 30: Rome.

Fr. Míċeál O'Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of August 2025:

August 1–4:  Brazil, Aparecida, Lay Carmelite Congress
August 7-21:  Holidays in Ireland 
August 21-25: Rome
August 25-28: Hong Kong
August 29-31: Maumere, Indonesia: Inauguration of the new province of East Indonesia.