Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta chose the name of “Teresa” because she was inspired by St. Therese of Lisieux’s capability to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. Both of these women are beautiful examples about how we are used as instruments of God’s love.

Mother Teresa was born in Albania in 1910. She felt her calling to religious life at the age of 18. She joined the Loreto Sisters of Dublin and spent her novitiate years teaching in India. It is there that she felt a deeper call to form her own religious order.  She spent more than a year lobbying for permission to start her order.

She formed the Missionaries of Charity, they went into the slums of India and helped the poorest of poor. These sisters established hospices, orphanages, and homes for those with disabilities. Mother Teresa wanted to serve the unwanted, unnoticed, and unloved.

Mother Teresa and her fellow Sisters of Charity made major strides to help those in need. The order now has a presence in more than 100 countries.  Mother Teresa even received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. In 1997, at age 87, Mother Teresa entered into Heaven.

This woman of faith is to be canonized as a saint sometime in 2016.

Mother Teresa believed that we must love and care for everyone, especially those who are hardest to love. She tried to see the Lord’s face in everyone she served. She believed doing any action with love was fulfilling God’s will.

St. Therese of Lisieux lived a secluded life as a cloistered sister in France. She entered the Carmelite religious order at the age of 15 after begging the pope for permission.

St. Therese believed that her actions were let God’s love work through her, no matter how big or small. This philosophy is known as the Little Way and aided St. Therese in becoming a Doctor of the Church.

Therese’s greatest desire was to serve God as a missionary in what is now Vietnam.  Only her poor health prevented her from fulfilling this dream.  She may have lived an unremarkable life but she lived with missionary zeal by performing all actions, great or small, steeped in God’s love.   St. Therese and her Little Way is what led her to be the co-patroness of the Missions.

These two women let God use them as an instruments of his love. They both have shared how He used them:

“I am a little pencil in the hand of God who is sending a love letter to the world.”
-Mother Teresa

“I’m a little brush that Jesus has chosen in order to paint His own image in the souls entrusted to my care.” –St. Therese of Lisieux

Therese and Teresa also stated that if they did an action without love it did not mean a thing:

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”
–Mother Teresa

“Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant count as nothing.”
–St. Therese of Lisieux

Mother Teresa and St. Therese both were given the vocation to love with our God’s love:

 “Our vocation is the love of Jesus.”
– Mother Teresa

“My vocation is love.”
–St. Therese of Lisieux

Both of these women are excellent examples of how we can be used to serve our Lord. Through them we can see how to practice St. Therese’s Little Way and be used to love even more than can be imagined.

 from http://blog.littleflower.org

On the cover of this issue of CITOC-magazine you will see a beautiful photo of the pilgrimage to the Holy Door made recently by the two General Councils, O.Carm. and O.C.D. on the 11th of June. Among the many joint initiatives of this year, this was certainly one of great significance, and a unique experience of communion, This finds expression in the message addressed to the Carmelite Family by the two Generals, that focuses on the witness of some of our own saints. Among them is Titus Brandsma about whom there is here an article related to the Jubilee of Mercy. This Dutch Carmelite, a “Strong and Merciful Father” is so presented in a book published by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelisation entitled, “The Saints of Mercy”. This is a reminder to us of his witness: a man who was able to be firm in his opposition to nazism and compassionate and merciful towards everyone at the same time, including the nurse who gave him the lethal injection that ended his life.

As we are celebrating the 450th anniversary of the birth of St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, at the centre of this new issue of CITOC-magazine there is a section dedicated to this occurrence. A short biography tells us who she was, while another article gives us information about the celebrations and activities that mark the anniversary. We then find something very original in the form of a letter written by nuns to St. Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi.

We also wish to mark two other anniversaries, much more recent. This year Karit, Solidarios por la Paz (Karit, Working in Solidarity for Peace) the Carmelite NGO, is celebrating its 20th birthday. An article by its President lets us see the great witness of the Carmelite Family in the Iberian Region. Lastly, one year after the publication of the encyclical, Laudato si, we present an interesting reflection on the ecological originality of Pope Francis. A number of other items offer a wide range of information on what is happening in the Order. Among these we would like to mention two new missions begun recently, one in the Ukraine and the other in Hong Kong.

Along with these articles and other items of information we offer a selection of the main news items, some of which have already appeared in CITOC-online.

We hope that you will enjoy reading this lastest issue of CITOC-magazine. Please click here to download the magazine.

by Linda Reeves 

Along with the Article "A Miracle Story for a Priest with Great Faith"  Linda Reeves also wrote this article to introduce who Bl. Titus Brandsma is in the Miracle of Fr. Driscoll.

PALM BEACH | Anno Sjoerd Brandsma, later known as Father Titus Brandsma, was born Feb. 23, 1881, in Oegeklooster, near Hartwerd, in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands. He was one of Holland’s leading churchmen and a great Carmelite priest arrested by the Nazis and imprisoned in Germany. He died a martyr July 26, 1942, was beatified in 1985, and became “blessed.” In order for him to become a saint, one bona fide miracle is needed.

Anno Brandsma was born to farmers Titus Brandsma and Tjitsje Postma. In 1892 at age 11, he entered the Franciscan Minor Seminary for boys in Megen. After six years of studies and living the Franciscan life, young Anno felt called elsewhere. On Sept. 17, 1898, he entered the Carmelite monastery in Boxmeer, Holland, and professed first vows the following year. 

In a letter, he told his parents, “I am happy now. I believe God called me here.” Anno took his father’s name, Titus, when he entered the novitiate. He completed studies and formation and was ordained June 17, 1905. 

He wrote a few words from Luke 12:48 on his ordination cards. “When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him.” These words clearly represent the true spirit of this man, who eventually gave everything, even his life, for the good of God and Church.  

Father Brandsma entered the Gregorian University in Rome, where he studied philosophy. He received a doctorate in philosophy Oct. 25, 1909, and returned to the Netherlands to begin ministry. He began teaching at various schools in Holland, becoming known as “The Professor.” In 1923, he joined Catholic University of Nijmegen, which he helped establish. The man, who was a prominent philosopher, poet and writer in mystical theology, was appointed rector of the Catholic institute in 1932. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone.

Writing and the Catholic press were his passion. When he entered the Carmelite monastery, Father Brandsma began writing and working on poetry. In 1916, he led a project focused on translating the writings of St. Teresa of Avila into Dutch. He also wrote a series of meditations on the Stations of the Cross and a magazine for the Carmelite community in the Netherlands. In 1935, he was appointed ecclesiastical adviser to Catholic journalists and Catholic newspapers. 

An article appeared in the April 10, 1942, issue of the Florida Catholic, which read, “The Rev. Dr. Titus Brandsma, one of Holland’s leading churchmen and one of the outstanding Carmelites in the world today, has been arrested by the Nazis and imprisoned somewhere in Germany, according to dispatches from London received at the Carmelite headquarters of the Scapular Bureau here.” 

Gestapo agents arrested Father Brandsma and he was taken to a prison at Scheveningen, where he remained for six weeks and was constantly interrogated. He was transferred to a prison in Amersfoort and then in Cleves, and finally to Dachau concentration camp in Germany. 

He wrote about prison life while at Dachau: “Blessed solitude. I am quite at home in this small cell. I never get bored here, just the contrary. I am certainly alone, but never was Our Lord so near to me. I could shout for joy because now, when I cannot go to the people nor the people come to me, he reveals himself to me so often. Now, he is my only refuge, and I feel so secure and happy. If he ordered it, I would stay here forever.”  

Pope John Paul II beatified Father Brandsma Nov. 3, 1985. His feast day is July 27, and is observed by the Carmelite community worldwide.

by Linda Reeves 

BOCA RATON | Retired Carmelite Father Michael Driscoll of St. Jude Parish became emotional when he shared his near-death story, but smiled from ear to ear when he talked about his extraordinary healing, which he credits to prayer and the help of a man, who today, needs a miracle of his own.

It was 12 years ago when Father Driscoll, former pastor of St. Jude Parish in Boca Raton and diocesan director of liturgy, visited his doctor for his annual skin exam. Father Driscoll remembers the appointment like it was yesterday. First there was the checkup, and then there were tests. After the scans, x-rays, and MRI came the doctor’s grim diagnosis.

 “It was fourth-stage and fifth-stage cancer in some parts,” said Father Driscoll, then 62, about the aggressive malignant melanoma attacking his neck area behind the ear and spreading to other parts of the body. “I didn’t know how serious it was.” 

Melanoma is a cancer that usually starts in a certain type of skin cell. With early detection and proper treatment, the cure rate for the cancer is good. However, melanoma can quickly spread to almost any organ and can target the lungs, bones, liver and brain. Stage 5 cancer is the most advanced form of cancer and often the most difficult to treat. 

Medical data states that when cancer has spread to organs of the body and lymph nodes, there is a higher risk that the cancer might come back after surgery. Rarely do patients survive a long period of time following surgery.

In the July 22, 2004, issue of the Florida Catholic, a prayer plea appeared titled “St. Jude pastor needs prayers of healing.” The article read, “Father Michael Driscoll, OCarm, pastor of St. Jude Parish and director of liturgy for the diocese, is awaiting surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. St. Jude parishioners and staff members of the Diocese of Palm Beach ask all to keep Father Driscoll in prayers of healing through the intercession of Father Titus Brandsma, a Dutch Carmelite, who was beatified in 1985.”

 “We were all praying for him,” said Barbara Batchelder, a parishioner of St. Jude, where Father Driscoll continues to serve and live with a community of Carmelite priests there. “It was touch and go for him. We all came together in prayer as a community.” 

The cancer had spread to 10 lymph nodes. The salivary gland was also attacked. Father Driscoll came through surgery with flying colors, but next came 35 aggressive radiation treatments at a cancer clinic in Peabody, Mass. 

Members of the Carmelite order, who have a great devotion to Blessed Titus Brandsma, continued to pray for his intercession for Father Driscoll. Parishioners of St. Jude, friends and people from around the diocese continued to pray and ask for Father Brandsma’s help.

Margaret Owers, a former diocesan staff member who worked in the diocesan Liturgy Office with Father Driscoll and is now retired, clearly recalled the news of Father’s Driscoll’s diagnoses and surgery. 

“It was very bad,” she said. “I had the impression that it was the worst. He gave me a stack of holy cards and he asked me to distribute them. There were about 30 to 40 prayer cards. I gave them out to people. I kept a card, and I continued to pray as I thought of him.”  

The prayer on the card was short, but many believe very powerful and just the healing medicine needed: “God Our Father, your servant, Blessed Titus Brandsma, labored zealously in your vineyard and gave his life freely because of his faith in you. Through his intercession, I ask for your mercy and help. Father Titus never refused when he was asked for help by your people. In his name, I come to you for Father Michael Driscoll’s cure of his cancer. Lord, help me always to imitate the great faith, generous love and burning zeal of Blessed Titus Brandsma. Glorify your servant as he strove to glorify you. Amen.”

Father Driscoll made it through surgery. Then, following the procedure, he successfully came through the harsh treatments that first year. He continued milder treatments the next year and the year that followed. Father Driscoll said most melanomas “come back after two to five years.”

“I buried six people in our parish who had it after I was diagnosed,” he said. “The doctors said I was clear. After 10 years, they dismissed me.”

When asked about any fears of losing the battle with cancer, Father Driscoll firmly stated, “I prayed and I was determined to fight. The people around me were all praying.”

Father Driscoll was born in the Bronx, N.Y. He told us that he first learned about the life of Father Titus Brandsma when he studied at St. Albert Junior Seminary in Middletown, N.Y. “A teacher told us about him and the devotion,” he said. “I went over for his beatification.”

Father Titus Brandsma was a prominent educator, philosopher, poet and writer in mystical theology. He was a true Carmelite, committed to Mary, prayer and the mission of the Church. He served as president and as a faculty member of the Catholic University of Nijmegen. He also served as an adviser for Catholic editors and newspapers in Holland. The Nazi occupation in Holland came in 1940. Father Brandsma, committed to the Church and standing up for freedom of religion and the Catholic press, was arrested Jan. 19, 1942. He was later sent to Dachau concentration camp in Germany where he joined 2,700 other imprisoned clergy. Six months after arriving at the camp, he was killed by lethal injection July 26, 1942. 

Father Brandsma was declared a martyr of the Catholic Church and beatified in Rome by John Paul II in November 1985. Events took place around the world in honor of the beatification of the man who gave great witness of his faith and love of Church and God up until he died — praying, reaching out with the love of Christ even to his torturers and trying to spread the good news. 

J. Albert Johnson, a Boca Raton attorney and St. Jude parishioner, is a good friend of Father Driscoll. Johnson was there for him when he was going through surgery and treatments. He also prayed for Father Driscoll. 

 “His recovery to me was a divine intervention,” Johnson said. “He taught me how to pray to Blessed Titus Brandsma, to whom he had a great devotion. Father Driscoll would tell me, ‘I am OK because Titus is going to take care of me.’ His recovery, I am sure, was through the power of prayer.” 

Father Driscoll said he prayed and was “determined to fight.” 

 “The people around me were all praying. Prayer is powerful because Jesus said, ‘Ask and you shall receive,’” he said. “We are not arm-twisting God through prayer. We are just putting ourselves in God’s hands and he decides. We trust in God and trust in God’s will for us.” 

In October, Father Driscoll turns 75, and celebrates 50 years in the priesthoodin 2017. He believes that he still has “work to do” for Jesus now that he has a new lease on life. He continues to serve St. Jude Parish and helps out at St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton. Many are inspired by Father Driscoll’s miraculous recovery that beats all odds, and his strong faith in the power of prayer through the intercession of Blessed Titus Brandsma, a man of faith, who now needs a miracle attributed to him to proceed to canonization and sainthood.   

Father Driscoll encourages all those fighting the battle against cancer or carrying other heavy crosses to pray and have faith. “I would say have hope that this illness or misfortune is not going to discourage you. God does love you. Just say no. I am going to fight. I am going to make every day count.”

from http://www.thefloridacatholic.org

On Saturday, the 17th of August, in Marymount Teachers College in Mutare, (Zimbabwe) the episcopal ordination of Fr. Paul Horan, O.Carm., named as bishop of the diocese of Mutare, took place. It happens that in the same place in 1957, Donal Lamont, O.Carm., was ordained as the first bishop of that diocese.

The celebration was led by the Archbishop of Harare, Robert Christopher Ndlovu, the principal ordaining prelate. The concelebrants included the Apostolic Nuntio, Marek Zalewski, all the active bishops of Zimbabwe, the Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., the Councillor General for Africa, Fr. Conrad Mutizamhepo, O.Carm., the Provincial of the Irish province, Fr. Richard Byrne, O.Carm., the Provincial Commissary of Zimbabue, Fr. Vitalis Benza, O.Carm., the Delegate General for Kenya, Fr. Boniface Kimondolo, O.Carm., and several Carmelites from Zimbabwe and from elsewhere in Africa, along with a large number of priests from the different diocese.

The very joyful celebration included typical African dancing and singing, with an enormous attendance of which different groups of lay Carmelites, the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, (a congregation of sisters founded by Bishop Donal Lamont) and the cloistered nuns from the new monastery of the Holy Family were part.

The following day, the 28th of August. Bishop Paul took possession of his diocese, as part of the celebration of the Eucharist in the Mutare cathedral. The motto chosen by the new bishop is, “Ad unum, cum Maria”.

The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Montegnacco di Cassacco, Italy, was held 22 August 2016. The following were elected:

• Prioress:  Sr. M. Cecilia Pante, O.Carm.
• 1st Councilor:   Sr. M. Margareta Cochior, O.Carm.
• 2nd Councilor:  Sr. M. Cristina Cochior, O.Carm.
• 3rd Councilor:   Sr. M. Elisabetta Ciliberti, O.Carm.
• Treasurers:  Sr. M. Margareta Cochior, O.Carm.
• Sacristan:  Sr. M. Cristina Cochior, O.Carm.

On the 24th of August, at 10.00 a.m. the Postulator General will be present at the canonical recognition of the mortal remains of Blessed Baptist Spagnoli, in the Cathedral of Mantua (Italy). On the following 1st of September, the body will be transferred in solemn procession from the Mantua Cathedral to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, in San Felice del Benaco, where it will remain exposed for the veneration of the faithful until the 15^th of October.

The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Porlamar, Venezuela, was held 18 August 2016. The following were elected:

• Prioress:  Sr. Ana Violeta Pereira Montilva, O.Carm.
• 1st Councilor:   Sr. Norma del Carmen Sánchez Mora, O.Carm.
• 2nd Councilor:  Sr. Mariela del Carmen León León, O.Carm.
• Director of Novices:  Sr. Norma del Carmen Sánchez Mora, O.Carm.
• Treasurer:  Sr. Mariela del Carmen León León, O.Carm.
• Sacristan:  Sr. Anyanette Coromoto Navas Ochoa, O.Carm.

Fr. Antonio,

Virtually everyone is familiar with the parable of the merciful father who welcomes back the prodigal son, as it has been told and imitated a thousand times in Christian history. Here, however, we would like to describe an actual historical exemplification of this parable. In the following story, fatherhood is encapsulated in the act of the merciful “regeneration” of a lost soul who converts even as she is responsible for killing the person who prompted her regeneration.

What follows is the powerful story of Father Titus Brandsma (1881-1942), a Dutch Carmelite priest who was deported and killed by the Nazis in the infamous Dachau concentration camp. (Source: Romeral, F. Millan. II coraggio della verita. Il Beato Tito Brandsma. Ancora, 2012.) At 59 years old, Father Brandsma was a professor of philosophy and the history of mysticism at the Catholic University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, where he also had the title of Rector Magnijicus.

As early as 1936 — in an era when news was not well disseminated or very reliable — he collaborated on a book entitled Dutch Voices on the Treatment of Jews in Germany. He wrote: “What is happening now against the Jews is an act of cowardice. The enemies and adversaries of that people are truly wretched if they believe they must act in such an inhumane way and if they think such action manifests or increases the strength of the German people. This is an illusion of weakness.”

German officials responded by classifying him an “evil professor.” Yet he was aware of his responsibility as a teacher, and he did not back down. In the academic year of 1938-39, he was already teaching on the “disastrous trends” of National Socialism (Nazism). His course dealt with the following fundamental arguments: the value and dignity of each and every human being whether healthy or sick; the equality and inherent goodness of all races; the indestructible and primary value of natural law over ideology; the presence and guidance of God throughout human history against political messianism; and idolatry of power. And all the while, he was aware that there were (Nazi) party spies present in his audience.

In 1941, the question exploded as to whether or not Catholic newspapers in the Netherlands should publish press releases and advertisements of the Dutch National Socialist Movement as required by a new law. Father Titus — who was then spiritual director to Catholic journalists — wasted no time in circulating the following memorandum: “Publishers and editors should know that they will have to formally reject such communications if they wish to preserve the Catholic identity of their newspapers. And they should do so even if such refusal leads to the newspaper being threatened, fined, or suspended temporarily or even permanently. There is nothing else possible to do. With this, we have reached our limit. Otherwise, they shall no longer be considered Catholic ... and they shall not, nor will they be able to rely on Catholic readers and subscribers any longer, and they shall end in disgrace.”

A few months later, Professor Brandsma was arrested and deported to the notorious Dachau concentration camp where he was subjected to every manner of humiliation and torture. And when it finally became necessary to admit him to the field hospital, his fate was sealed. We know what happened due to an exceptional eyewitness: the following account comes from the woman herself who killed him and who later converted because she could not rid herself of the memory of Father Titus.

She was a nurse by profession, but she obeyed the inhumane orders of the medical officers out of fear. She said that when Father Titus “was admitted into the infirmary, he was already on the ‘dead list.”’ She also described how sick experiments were performed on the patients (which she opposed) — including on Father Titus — and how its memory was burned within her. She said that the priest endured the abuse, repeating over and over, “Father, not my will, but may yours be done.” She related how all the patients hated her and routinely insulted her with the most disparaging names. (Such hatred was cordially reciprocated.) However, she was struck by the way the elderly priest treated her, instead, with the gentleness and respect of a father. She said, “He once took my hand and said to me, ‘What a poor girl you are, I will pray for you.’”

The prisoner gave her his own poor rosary made of copper and wood. However, this only irritated her, and she said she had no need of such an object because she did not know how to pray. Father Titus, however, responded: “You need not say the entire Hail Mary. Say only, ‘Pray for us sinners.’”

On that fateful day of July 25, 1942, the ward doctor handed her the syringe filled with carbolic acid to inject into Father Titus’ veins. It was a routine procedure which the nurse had already done hundreds of times. Yet the poor woman later recalled “feeling sick for the rest of the day.” The injection was administered at 1:50 p.m. and Father Titus died at 2:00 p.m. “I was there when he died,” the nurse later testified. “The doctor was sitting next to his bed with a stethoscope for the sake of appearances. When Father Tito’s heart stopped beating, he commented, ‘This pig is dead.’”

Father Titus always spoke well about his captors and torturers: “They, too, are children of the good God, and perhaps something still remains within them.” And God would grant him this final miracle. The camp doctor sarcastically referred to the poisonous syringe as an “injection of grace.” And while the nurse injected it into his veins, it was the intercession of Father Titus that truly instilled the grace of God within her. And during the process of canonization, the poor woman explained that the image of that old priest remained forever impressed in her memory. She saw something in his face that she had never before experienced. She said simply: “He had compassion on me.” Like Christ.

A few days ago, on the 14th of August, the episcopal ordination of Frei Francisco de Sales Alencar Batista, O.Carm. bishop of Cajazeiras (Paraiba, Brazil) was celebrated in Araripinha (Pernambuco, Brazil). The celebration was led by Dom Frei Antônio Muniz Fernándes, O.Carm., Archbishop of Maceió as the principal ordaining prelate, along with Dom Antonio Fernando Saborido (Archbishop of Recife) and Dom José Gonzalez Alonso (retired bishop of Cajazeiras). Eight other bishops took part, including the Carmelites, Dom João Costa (Coadjutor bishop of Aracajú  and Dom Wilmar Santin, (bishop of the prelature of Itaituba). The Prior General, Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm. was there also along with the Councillor General for the Americas, Raul Maravi, O.Carm. as well as the Prior Provincial of the province of Pernabuco, Frei Altamiro Tenório da Paz, O.Carm., the province to which Frei Francisco de Sales belongs, the Prior Provincial of the province of Rio de Janeiro, Frei Evaldo Xavier Gomes, O.Carm., and Frei Francisco Manoel de Oliveira who represented the General Commissariat of Paraná, and many other priests and religious from Cajezeiras. There were also many representatives of Carmelite womens’ congregations and several members of the Carmelite Third Order from different parts of the North-east of Brazil.

There was an air of festivity about the well-attended ceremony. The new bishop, at the end of the celebration, spoke about his gratitude to God, to his family, and to the Carmelite Order and he underlined his intention to serve with great hope and generosity the diocese that has been entrusted to him. The Prior General spoke of the three recent appointments of Carmelites bishops as a recognition of the generous service that the Order has given to the local and universal church and he thanked Frei Francisco de Sales for the service he gave to the Order as its Secretary General.

On the 4th of September, Bishop Francisco de Sales will take possession of the diocese of Cajazeiras.