O.Carm
June Schedule of the Prior General
Fr. Míċeál O'Neill, the prior general, has the following schedule planned for the month of June 2024:
June 01 - 05: Completion of the canonical visitation of the province of Rio de Janeiro
June 09 - 14: Provincial Chapter of the Irish Province, in Dublin
June 16 - 22: Provincial Chapter of the Italian Province in Sassone, Roma
June 23 - 30: Fraternal visits in Italy.
Memorial of Saint Elisha, Prophet
June 14 | Memorial
St. Elisha, prophet
The biblical cycle of Elisha (2 Kgs) is strongly linked with that of Elijah. Elisha's calling is placed after the theophany of the Horeb (1 Kgs 19: 16-21). According to the divine order, he is the one who is to succeed the Tishbite; Elisha therefore becomes Elijah’s servant and disciple (2 Kgs 3:11).
Like Elijah, Elisha is presented by the Church Fathers as a Christ figure, as a thaumaturge. He is also presented as a model for monastic life. Numerous Church Fathers attest to Elisha's virginity following that of Elijah. The medieval Carmelites reproduced these lines insisting that Elijah and Elisha were the first to consecrate themselves to God in virginity. Prayer also plays a primordial role in Elisha's life: it is the source of the miracles the Lord performs through him. Elisha is also portrayed as someone withdrawn from society. His initial renunciation, sacrificing his oxen and plow before following Elijah, is an example to exhort him to detach himself from worldly concerns (Jer., Ep. 71:3). For Cassian, Elisha is one of the founders of monasticism and, in a more special way, a teacher of poverty (Inst. 7:14,2).
Elisha is constantly present as Elijah's disciple, his spiritual son, his heir, the disciple par excellence. Elisha is not Elijah's only disciple but within this group of disciples, Elisha occupies the first place.
Call of Elisha
Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak on him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! What have I done to you?”
Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to the people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah to serve him. (1 Kgs 19:19-21)
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Recent Publication from Edizioni Carmelitane:
Les prophètes Élie et Élisée au Moyen Âge Latin
Tome 1. Vllle-IXe siècles. L'époque carolingienne
Tome 2. Xe-début XIIe siècle. Des commentaires carolingiens à la
Glossa ordinaria
Tome 3. La renaissance et le tournant du XIIe siècle
Tome 4. XIIIe siècle. L'essor des universités
Coffret: Tome 1, 2, 3 et 4
Celebrating At Home - 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
What is the Kingdom of God Like?
(Mk 4:26-34)
Parables are meant to leave the hearers wondering. They are not straight-forward answers to questions. They are food for thought.
In the Gospels Jesus is rarely concerned about facts and figures, dates and times. By using parables Jesus is trying to engage his listeners at a deeper level. He wants his teaching to seize their hearts. He wants them to discover the truth of what he is saying for themselves. It is part of the business of conversion - coming to see with new eyes.
It is wonderful to see Jesus, again and again, looking at life and at what’s happening around him, for things and images that might help the people to detect and to experience the presence of the Kingdom.
In Mark’s Gospel the Kingdom is not something yet to come, it is a present reality. It is the presence and action (reign) of God among his people. That may not always been readily seen, but it is there none the less. It may seem to have humble beginnings (like the small seed in the second parable), but the experience of it grows into something all-consuming.
The story of the seed that grows all on its own
The farmer who plants the seed knows the process: first the seed, then the green shoot, the leaf, the ear and the grain. The farmer knows how to wait and will not cut the stalk before it is time, but he does not know from where the power comes for the soil, the rain, the sun and the seed to make a seed turn into fruit. That’s what the Kingdom of God is like. It’s a process. There are stages and points of growth. It takes time and happens in time. The fruit comes at the right time but no one can explain its mysterious power.
The story of the tiny mustard seed that turns into something very big
The mustard seed is small, but it grows, to the point where the birds can make their nests in its branches. That’s what the Kingdom is like. It begins as something very small, it grows and spreads its branches providing shelter and shade where new life grows. (From Lectio Divina, June 2021 - www.ocarm.org)
Thinking about the Kingdom today sets a context for our continued listening to Mark’s Gospel and a reminder that God is at work in the world.
Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom is central and fundamental – the work of uncovering the often-hidden reign of God and returning humanity to God’s original plan for his family.
- pdf Celebrating At Home - 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time [PDF] (3.47 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time [ePub] (5.07 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Undécimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (522 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - XI Domenica del Tempo Ordinario (503 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - Décimo Primeiro Domingo do Tempo Comum (530 KB)
Memorial of Bl. Hilary Januszewski, priest and martyr
June 12 | Optional Memorial
Hilary Januszewski was born on 11 June 1907 in Krajenki (Poland) and was given the name of Pawel. He received a Christian education from his parents, Martin and Marianne. In 1927 entered the Order of Carmel. He completed his noviciate in Leopoli and on 30 December 1928 made his simple profession. At the end of his philosophical studies in Cracow he was sent to Collegio Internazionale Sant'Alberto, Rome. He was ordained priest on 15 July 1934. He obtained his lectorate in theology and the prize for the best students of the Roman Academy of St. Thomas and in 1935 returned to Poland to the monastery in Cracow.
On 18 September 1940 the gestapo deported four friars from the Carmel in Cracow. In December, when other friars were arrested, Fr. Hilary decided to present himself in exchange for an older and sick friar. From that day his Calvary began. He was sent to the prison of Montelupi (Cracow), then to the concentration camp of Sachsenchausen and in April 1941 to the concentration camp of Dachau. There he was a model of prayer life, encouraging others and giving hope for a better tomorrow. Together with the other Carmelites, among whom was Saint Titus Brandsma, they often joined in prayer.
Meanwhile in barrack 25 of the concentration camp, typhus was spreading. To help the sick, 32 priests presented themselves to the authorities. A couple of days later, Fr. Hilary Januszewski spontaneously joined the group. His apostolate lasted 21 days because, infected by typhus, he died on 25 March 1945, a few days before the liberation of the concentration camp.
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A multi-lingual book on Bl. Hilary Januszewski is available from Edizioni Carmelitane. The book, giving the reader insight into this Carmelite's life and ultimate gift of his own life for other prisoners, is written in Polish, English, Italian and Spanish and can be purchased at a special price for his feast day for only 12,00 EUR (shipping expenses not included).
The Festival and Night of the Archives
Archivissima 2024 – The Festival and Night of the Archives
From June 6 to 9, cultural initiatives of the Archivissima 2024 event - The Festival and Night of the Archives, dedicated to the theme #Passions, will take place throughout Italy. For this occasion, the Carmelite Archives and General Library have organized a panel discussion entitled: Aut pati aut mori. The Symbolism of the Heart in Carmelite Female Iconography.
Together with Ruggiero Doronzo, art historian and author of several books, and Carmelite Charló Camilleri, spiritual theologian, we will dialogue on the symbolism of the heart in female Carmelite mysticism of the modern age (16th-18th centuries), starting from its representation in the chalcographic engravings kept in the General Archives of the Carmelite Order, with special reference to the figures of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Maria Magdalena De' Pazzi and the venerable Rosa Maria Serio.
Doronzo authored the book Iconografia Carmelitana al Femminile which was published by Edizioni Carmelitane. More information at the webstore of Edizioni Carmelitane.
The event will take place on June 7, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Albert International Center, Via Sforza Pallavicini 10, Rome.
(This article first appeared in ABiGOC 5/2024 — The General Archives and Library of the Carmelite Order)Celebrating At Home - 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time
The New Family of Jesus
Mark 3:20-35
Today’s Gospel opens with the chaotic scene of a huge crowd gathered around the house where Jesus is. It’s such a busy scene that Jesus and the disciples have no time even to have a meal.
This spectacle provokes both the relatives of Jesus and some scribes from Jerusalem into action. The relatives think Jesus is mad; the scribes think he is possessed.
Intentionally or not, both the relatives and the scribes seem intent on closing down the mission of Jesus.
The relatives, convinced that Jesus is out of his mind, and quite possibly embarrassed at the spectacle he is making of himself, set out to take charge of (capture) him, probably intending to take him back to Nazareth and sort him out.
The scribes from Jerusalem try to close down Jesus’ mission by accusing him of being in league with the devil, using Satan’s power in his healing miracles.
Jesus points out how absurd this claim is since the miracles he works with the power of the Holy Spirit bring healing, freedom and liberation, not deeper enslavement to the power of evil. A house divided against itself, he says, cannot stand.
Jesus also tells a parable about a strong man and a burglar. Most people would think that the strong man is Jesus and the burglar is Satan. In fact, it is the other way around! Using the power of God, it is Jesus who has tied up Satan and breaks into his house to free those imprisoned by evil. Jesus warns of the seriousness of accusing him of being an agent of Satan – identifying the Holy Spirit of God with the unclean spirits of the demonic world.
Then the family of Jesus now appear, outside the house. Unable to get to him because of the crowd, they send a message to him, asking to see him. Jesus doesn’t respond directly to the request but asks and answers the question, “who are my mother and brothers?” Pointing to the people gathered around him inside the house, Jesus says, “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.” The old family is left outside, and the new family of Jesus is gathered with him inside.
Being part of the family of Jesus doesn’t depend on blood relationship with him but on recognising that he comes from God and doing God’s will.
Belonging to the new family of Jesus is joining him in the business of incarnating, making real in flesh and blood, God’s deep love and mercy for all his people.
- pdf Celebrating At Home - 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time [PDF] (2.87 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time [ePub] (3.93 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Décimo Domingo del Tiempo Ordinario (307 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - X Domenica del Tempo Ordinario (465 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - Décimo Domingo do Tempo Comum (466 KB)
New Leadership Appointed in the Czech Delegation
During the first full assembly of the General Delegation of Bohemia and Moravia, held on April 16-18, 2024, (CITOC 68/2024), the participants discussed leadership for the Delegation.
Following consultation of the members, the General Council appointed Fr. Serafim Smejkal to be the new General Delegate. Fr. Marian Masařík and Fr. Vojtěch Kodet were appointed as his councilors.
Carmelite Basilica Joins Cultural Festivities in Rome
The Basilica SS. Silvestro and Martino ai Monti joins the 9th Edition of the Long Night of the Churches ("Lunga Notte delle Chiese") that will take place on Friday, June 7.
The Long Night of Churches is the first "white night" of places of worship in which music, art, and culture are merged in the key of reflection and spirituality.
The theme that will be a common thread in the 2024 edition is a word that sounds like an invitation: “FIND ME ! “. This invitation is meant to be an answer to the question that was asked in the previous edition, namely, “WHERE ARE YOU?”
The program for the event at the Basilica SS. Silvestro and Martino ai Monti is:
8:30 PM: STORYTELLING ABOUT THE BASILICA
Storyteller: Fr. Lucio Maria Zappatore
9:30 P.M.: MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Director: M° Daniele Perri
10 P.M.: “ALL'OMBRA DER CUPPOLONE”
poems in Roman dialect about the last three Popes (L.M.Z.)
10:30 P.M.: MUSICAL INTERLUDE
Director: M° Daniele Perri
11 PM: VISIT WITH FLASHLIGHTS TO THE “TTTULUS AEQUITII”
12 MIDNIGHT: CLOSING OF THE BASILICA
The Long Night of the Churches is an event organized by the BellunoLaNotte.com association with the collaboration of the participating dioceses. The idea originated in 2016 from the already implemented and successful “Lange Nacht der Kirchen” project that has been taking place in Austria and South Tyrol for several years already, involving hundreds of churches at the same time.
More information can be found at: www.parrocchiasanmartinoaimonti.it
See the full program at https://www.lunganottedellechiese.com/
The Carmelite Nuns of Santa Ana Holds Its Elective Chapter
The Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of Santa Ana Celebrated Their Triennial Elective Chapter on May 15, 2024
The monastery was founded in Paterna del Campo (Huelva) in 1537, with nuns of the community of the monastery of Bethlehem (Seville) which itself was founded in 1513. After 59 years in Paterna the nuns moved to Seville “because the poverty of that place could not give the nuns what they needed.”
The Carmelites arrived in Seville on July 26, 1594, the feast of St. Anne. They stayed in a house in Rosario Street for 12 years when they moved to the present monastery's location in “the neighborhood of San Lorenzo on the street now named after the monastery. That move was made on September 9, 1606, while Master Fray Alonso de Bohórquez was Provincial of Andalusia. His authority facilitated the move and it was accomplished with little difficulty.”
The monastery has distinguished itself by the many foundations that it has made through the centuries spreading Carmel.
The results of the elective chapter were as follows:
Prioress | Priora | Priora:
Sor María Teresa Molina Sánchez, O. Carm.
1st Councilor | 1ª Consejera | 1ª Consigliera:
Sor María Isabel Moreno de la Torre, O. Carm.
2nd Councilor | 2ª Consejera | 2ª Consigliera:
Sor María de Cristo Rey Mora Pérez, O. Carm.
3rd Councilor | 3ª Consejera | 3ª Consigliera:
Sor Hermelinda de María Guadalupe Bal Pichiyá, O. Carm.
4th Councilor | 4ª Consejera | 4ª Consigliera:
Sor Blanca de Jesús Toro Sierra, O. Carm.
Treasurer | Ecónoma | Economa
Sor Hermelinda de María Guadalupe Bal Pichiyá, O. Carm.
Formator | Formadora | Formatrice
Sor María Isabel Moreno de la Torre, O. Carm.
Sacristan | Sacristana | Sacrestana
Sor Eliana Patricia López Agudelo, O. Carm.
Celebrating At Home - Body and Blood of Christ
The Real Presence of Jesus in Us
Mk 14, 12-16. 22-26
We are very used to talking about the Real Presence of Jesus being in the Blessed Sacrament. But the real presence of Christ is also in the community when it gathers in his name to feast on the Word of Scripture, to recall what Jesus said and did at the Last Supper (not only the words over bread and wine, but also the washing of the feet), when it shares the food of the Eucharist together, when it goes out and continues to break and pour out that food in acts of loving kindness, in soothing and nourishing words which brings others to life.
The Eucharist is not only an object to be looked at, but an action to be done so that the living presence of Jesus continues to touch and heal.
Maybe we need to think more deeply about the real presence of Jesus being in real, living human beings.
Bread and Wine have no eyes to gaze with love, no face with which to smile, no mouth to speak soothing words, no arms to hold the grieving and the sick, or to lend a hand, no ears to hear the pain. But we do.
So we are called to become the Eucharist that feeds those around us with the nourishment of breadth of heart and vision, respect, love, compassion, hope and forgiveness.
May we become what we receive. (St Augustine)
- pdf Celebrating At Home - Body and Blood of Christ [PDF] (2.90 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - Body and Blood of Christ [ePub] (2.41 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Santísimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo (436 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - Santissimo Corpo e Sangue di Cristo (435 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - Santíssimo Corpo e Sangue de Cristo (649 KB)
