HCSCJ Congregation Concludes 100 Anniversary Celebrations

The closing of the centenary of the foundation of Hermanas Carmelitas del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (HCSCJ) took place from May 11-13, 2024, in Málaga, Spain. . The meeting, which began in the late afternoon on May 11 with words of welcome by the Superior General of the HCSCJ, Sr. Mª Teresa Delgado, was both intense and enriching. More than 200 people (religious, sisters, and lay people) took part. Among the programmed activities, there was a series of talks and group meetings to share the reflections; there were also moments of prayer and Eucharistic celebrations with a large number of faithful, attracted by the Carmelite spirituality of Mother Asunción Soler Gimeno (1882-1959), the foundress; finally, the rich and abundant lunches and dinners put a fraternal finishing touch to all the events.

Fr. Miceál O'Neill, the prior general of the Carmelite Order, gave the first talk on "The Richness of Carmelite Spirituality for Today's World." Other talks continued on Sunday, one on "Christocentrism in Mother Asunción," given by the diocesan priest, Fr. Sevo Agotinho; another on "The Charismatic Witness with Those Deprived of Liberty," given by the priest Pablo Morota; and the General Coordinator of the Mother Asunción Carmelite Family, Prof. Guillermo Chumilla, spoke on "How to Live the Christian Commitment from the Charism of Mother Asunción."

On Sunday, a solemn Eucharist of the Ascension was celebrated in the cathedral of Malaga, presided over by the Archbishop Emeritus of Pamplona, D. Francisco Pérez González. On Monday, May 13, after visiting the sisters' house in Monsalve, the prior general, Miceál O'Neill, blessed the bust of the Servant of God Mother Assumption which has been placed in the courtyard of the "Mother Assumption" School in Limonar (Málaga), Mother House of the HCSCJ, and then celebrated the closing Eucharist of this international meeting.

May the spiritual richness witnessed during these days and the joy experienced be a sign of the Christian hope that pervades the whole Mother Assumption Carmelite Family, so that, in the Holy Spirit, it may continue to give glory to God - always and everywhere - in the fulfilment of his will, as was the wish of Mother Assumption.

The Congregation was founded in Spain on May 20, 1924, by the Servant of God Asunción, with the goal to live according to the spirit of Carmel, in and with the people, especially the poor and needy. Diocesan approval was granted in 1938 and aggregation to the Carmelite Order took place on Jun3 7, 1947. The sisters, who commit themselves to the education of the youth, social action, and to the sick, as well as to other needs of the Church, have a presence in Spain, Portugal, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Kenya, and Mozambique. In 2022 there were 108 members in 18 houses.

Website of the Congregation is: hermanascarmelitasscj.com

16 May Optional Memorial (Obligatory Memorial the province of Great Britain)

As far as can be ascertained from the earliest references, Simon Stock was an English Prior General, known for his holy way of life, who died about 1265 in Bordeaux in France. After his death, miracles were recorded by those visiting his tomb and during the 14th century a local cult developed in Bordeaux.

Around 1400, a separate legend emerged in the Low Countries of a "holy Simon" who had a vision of Our Lady, in which she appeared to him bearing the scapular and promised: "This is a privilege for you and your brethren: whoever dies wearing it, will be saved." Within a few years, the two accounts had been merged and Simon Stock, the Prior General, was credited with having the vision of Our Lady. The combined account quickly became elaborated with imaginary biographical details of Simon's life, such as his birth in Kent, his living for some years as a hermit in the trunk of a tree and his authorship of the Flos Carmeli, a beautiful Carmelite hymn to Our Lady (which is, in fact, found in the 14th century and hence predates the legend).

The Carmelite Scapular and Its Confraternities

The scapular consists basically of two pieces of cloth, tied by thin cords, which rest one on the shoulders (between the "scapulae") and the other on the chest. The object, nowadays used for devotional purposes, originates from the "night" scapular used by religious so that they would never have to not be wearing their proper habit, not even at night.

By the middle of the 13th century, lay people began to be affiliated to the Order in order to share in the spiritual benefits. It was also offered by the Order as an expression of gratitude and recognition to benefactors. The scapular ended up constituting a customary means of handing over the habit to the laity and the consequent juridical-spiritual aggregation to the religious family. The white cloak, the sign of the Order in the Middle Ages, was given to lay people at the moment of their association.

Stories began to circulate of the miraculous gift of the habit from the Lord or Our Lady to the founders or saints of the various Orders. As a result, numerous scapulars exist. They are distinguished by different colors and images, precisely because of the wide use made of them by the various religious families and, over time, as a sign of consecration according to the different forms of spirituality.

From the end of the 15th century, the Carmelites began to hand over the scapular, which was considered the habit of the Order for lay people to be aggregated to the Order. Thus was born the Confraternity of the Scapular, which ended up practically supplanting or replacing the previous forms of lay aggregation to the Order. These confraternities were also found in churches not belonging to the Order.

A typical element of the devotion use of the religious habit among the laity was that either Our Lord or Our Lady would give it to the religious. Two visions are associated with the Carmelite scapular—both involving Our Lady and both doubtful as historical events. In the case of the appearance to St. Simon Stock, similar vision accounts are found continually in the traditions of the different religious families.

The very origins of the Order refer, one the one hand, to the protection of Mary, and on the other hand, to the “dedication” of the Carmelites to her, who is considered to be lady, sovereign because Mary is the Mother of the Lord. Even after their departure from the Holy Land, the Carmelites continued to consider themselves as subjects to the Lord Jesus and therefore to his Mother.

Members of most confraternities in the 17^th and 18^th centuries shows they were open to people of all classes: nobles, middle-class, laborers, peasants, artisans—both the rich and the poor. This kind of unity among members from different social backgrounds lasted a long time. It was a characteristic of Scapular confraternities as distinct from other types of confraternities, even religious ones.

The suppression of religious groups in the 19th century almost entirely destroyed the network of Scapular confraternities. The ones that survived very often continues to exist without much contact with the Order. The works of mercy almost entirely disappeared with what remained being more philanthropic than Christian charity. With the Canon Law Code of 1917, the confraternities were reorganized. The scapular devotion developed more and more as a sign of the protection of Mary, with the aspect of consecration to Mary and the demands of a covenant of made with Mary now written out.

Now to enjoy the privileges attached to the scapular, it suffices to receive it from an authorized person and to have your name written in the general confraternity register of the Order. This faculty has been extended to all priests and the need to have a register of inscriptions was done away with. The so-called “Rule of the Carmelite Third Order” set out norms for a Gospel way of life. The document reflects Carmelite values, proposing a commitment to prayer, the sacraments, the works of justice, and the building up of the human person in accordance with God’s plan.

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Triennial Meeting of the General Delegation of Bohemia and Moravia

The General Delegation of Bohemia-Moravia (Czech Republic) was erected by the General Council of the Order of Carmelites on 2^nd October 1984. It was the culmination of a ten-year period in which Fr. Metoděj Minařík secretly organized a group of people who took an interest in the Order, helped them spiritually, trained them and accepted their religious vows. After the erection of the Delegation, the confreres lived another five years in illegality, and after the year 1990 they were able to begin a regular religious life.

As this is a General Delegation within the Order, the Major Superior of the Carmelites in the Czech Republic is the Prior General. At the same time, general delegations are also headed by a superior called the Delegate General whom (along with two other councillors) the Prior General appoints every three years.

Once every three years, coinciding with the end of the mandate of the Delegate General, an assembly of the delegation takes place in order to meet, to strengthen the bonds of fraternity, to have ongoing formation and to discern solutions regarding the various issues that the Delegation faces at that time.

The most recent triennial assembly of the friars within the Delegation was held from 16^th to 17^th April 2024 in Kostelní Vydří. It was presided over by the Prior General, Míċeál O’Neill who was assisted by the General Councillor for Europe, Richard Byrne. After the Prior General’s address, the Delegate General, Norbert Žuška, OCarm, gave a report on the state of the Delegation.

During the course of the assembly, in small groups and together in assembly, the friars considered the state and health of the Delegation and identified various issues to be addressed and the concrete steps to be taken over the next three-year period. The friars also reflected on what the Czech Republic is asking of Carmelites today and gave an orientation to the new Delegate General and council. In addition, the friars shared with each other their experience and expectations for the various officials that need to be appointed within the Delegation.

A consultation was held regarding the candidates for Delegate General and for the two Councillors that will be appointed by the Prior General during the plenary meeting in May 2024 of the General Council.

On 17^th April 2024, the Eucharist was celebrated with the members of the local parish and several members of the Third Order. During his homily, the Prior General spoke about privileged place that Mary holds in the hearts and minds of Carmelites.

Sister Agnes Lokate celebrates 80 years as Carmelite Nun and 100 Years of Life

Sister Agnes Lokate will celebrate her "oak" jubilee of life in Carmel on May 16. Sister was born on July 11, 1924 in Heeten (Overijssel), the Netherlands. She entered the Carmelite monastery of St. Jozef in Zenderen in 1944. She made her first profession on February 22, 1946, and solemn profession three years later in 1949.

The first celebration will take place with a sung Eucharist celebration with choir and conductor in the Angeli Custodes nursing home in Raalte, where Sr. Agnes lives. On her centennial birthday, Sr. Agnes will be celebrated in her hometown of Heeten. At 2 p.m. there will be a sung Eucharist, followed by a reception until 5 p.m. for invited guests.

Sr. Agnes now resides with other Carmelite sisters in a care facility in Raalte.

Ad moltos annos!

Sent to be God’s Love in the World
(John 15:26-27, 16:12-15)

• pdf Celebrating At Home - Pentecost [PDF] (2.92 MB)
• default Celebrating At Home - Pentecost [ePub] (4.24 MB)
• pdf Celebrando en Familia - Pentecostés (480 KB)
• pdf Celebrando in Casa -  Pentecoste (474 KB)
• pdf Celebrando em família - Pentecostes (476 KB)

58^th Annual World Communications Day 2024 Celebrated Sunday, May 12

Pope Francis has dedicated his message for the 58^th annual celebration of World Communications Day to a discussion of the wisdom of the human heart “to look at things with God’s eyes, to see connections, situations, events and to uncover their real meaning.”

His statement for the occasion is entitled Artificial Intelligence and the Wisdom of the Heart: Towards a Fully Human Communication. The pope writes that AI is “radically affecting the world of information and communication, and through it, certain foundations of life in society. These changes affect everyone.”

The Holy Father expresses the hope that “the new” will not be rejected “to preserve a beautiful world condemned to disappear.” He highlights the value that artificial intelligence presents. But he also warns it is more appropriately called “machine learning” since it is not “intelligence.” He says, “Machines possess a limitless greater capacity than human beings for storing and correlating data, but human beings alone are capable of making sense of that data.” The message closely links to the Pope’s message for the World Day of Peace, which was devoted to the development of systems of artificial intelligence (AI).

Pope Francis highlights some of the questions that arise as a result of the developments in the world of communications. The answers we give, he says, “will determine if artificial intelligence will end up creating new castes based on access to information and thus giving rise to new forms of exploitation and inequality. Or, if it will lead to greater equality by promoting correct information and a greater awareness of the epochal change that we are experiencing by making it possible to acknowledge the many needs of individuals and of peoples within a well-structured and pluralistic network of information.”

World Communications Day was established by St. Pope Paul VI in 1967 as an annual celebration to encourage reflection on the opportunities and challenges that the modern mean of social communication (the press, motions pictures, radio, television, and the internet) afford the Church to communicate the Gospel message.

We present some resources in various languages that may be useful for a celebration of the Day in your part of the world.

World Communications Day Website  – Dicastery  for Communication

Artificial Intelligence and the Wisdom of the Heart: Towards a Fully Human Communication
Text of Papal Message

We Must Maintain Our Independent Thinking and Discernment – Machines Should Assist Not Replace
(English only) Interview with Bishop John Arnold of Salford, England

Presentation of the Book

La demolita chiesa di S. Nicola dei Cesarini a Roma

by Cristina Cumbo

Published by Edizioni Carmelitane

Speakers:

Ilaria Miarelli Mariani
Director of the Direzione Musei Civici della Sovrintendenza Capitolina

Giovanni Grosso, O. Carm.

President, Institutum Carmelitanum

Riccardo Santangeli Valenzani

Archeologist

Monica Ceci

Archeologist

Cristina Cumbo

Archeologist e Author

The program will take place Friday, May 17, 2024 at 17:00

Museo di Rome – Palazzo Braschi

Sala Tenerani

Piazza di San Pantaleo, 10

Rome

Entrance is free

Information:  06 0608

www.museodiroma.it

Days of Enhancement of Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage

At the Origins of Movable Type Printing
The Incunabula of the Carmelite Library

Dr. Rosa Parlavecchia will show some incunabula, accompanying the presentation with instrumentation in use in the ancient printing workshops.

It is preferable to communicate participation to the following address:

Historian Studying Carmelite Music in Poland and Italy Between the 17th and 18th Centuries

Dr. Marek Bebak is a music historian from Poland and teaches at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. In the fall of 2023, he was awarded the seventh research grant from the General Archives of the Carmelites, named in memory of Fr. Emanuele Boaga, and started a Musicology project, entitled Mapping the Carmelites Musical Culture in Europe in the Seventeenth-and Eighteenth-Century. Preliminary research was based on the collection of the General Archive of the Carmelite Order in Rome.

Marek has dealt with this issue before, investigating Polish Carmelite archival and bibliographical sources and producing several publications on the subject. Now his attention has shifted to Italy.

On the occasion of his stay in Rome, we were able to asked him some questions:

Can you briefly describe what your research work consists of?

As a musicologist, I try to learn about the ancient musical culture of the Carmelites, especially regarding the 17th and 18th centuries, when the Order was at its peak. Referring to various historical sources, namely musical manuscripts and prints, theoretical treatises, ancient books, and archival documentation (chronicles, charters, reports, protocols), I try to answer the following questions:

What kind of music was heard in Carmelite churches and monasteries? In what situations was it used? Who performed it and who financed it? What instruments were available in Carmelite churches?

I also try to analyze the musical works themselves and assess the compositional skills of the Carmelites in the context in which they created them. I also prepare critical editions of musical works so that musicians can include these compositions in their concert repertoire and record them on CD. Examining the documentation of many convents and provinces gives me a broader perspective: the opportunity to compare and evaluate the level of musical culture in different places in Europe.

What cultural institutions have you visited to pursue your research in Poland and which ones are you consulting and will you consult here in Italy?

In both Poland and Italy the source situation is complicated and requires research at various institutions. This is mainly due to the difficult history of Europe. Many archival and library materials were destroyed or dispersed as a result of fires, floods, wars, partitioning, and dissolution of church property during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The starting point of my work is the materials collected in Carmelite archives, but many sources are also currently held in state and diocesan archives and libraries. My research on the musical culture of the Carmelites in the Polish-Lithuanian Confederation is based on materials that are currently scattered among Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and partly also in Germany, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. For example, in the State Archives in Modra (near Bratislava), Slovakia, I found a manuscript containing a composition by the Krakow Carmelite Telesfor Wikliński. This composition was included in the repertoire of the Piaristi musical chapel in Podolinec. We have immortalized this and other compositions from the repertoire of Polish Carmelites in the 2023 album "Flos Carmeli" (available on streaming services, including Spotify).

My research on the musical culture of the Carmelites in Italy presents the same problems: I started with the General Archives in Rome, and in later stages I will go to historical materials preserved in state and ecclesiastical libraries and archives.

Can you tell us some interesting facts that particularly struck you about the Carmelite composers and musicians who are the subject of your study?

Unlike other religious realities, such as the Jesuits, the Carmelite Order was not known for its musical culture: so any information relevant to this topic is interesting to me.

I was surprised that the number of musical (vocal-instrumental) chapels in Italy was lower than in Poland: in fact, I expected the organization of Polish chapels to be modeled on that of Italy. For example: in mid-17th century in Krakow, in the Carmelite church, there was a large vocal-instrumental chapel, which could successfully perform both 1-4 compositions and large polychoral pieces (for 2 or 3 choirs); this chapel included many musicians, both Carmelite and lay. Unfortunately, no musical material has survived from it, but we have library catalogs listing all the works that the musicians had at their disposal. For comparison, in Rome, in the important Carmelite church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, only three cantors and an organist were employed at the time: it is possible that the musical environment of the daily liturgy was more modest than in Krakow. Instead, for larger feasts (e.g., Our Lady of Mount Carmel or St. Albert), always at Santa Maria in Traspontina, the most distinguished musicians from the papal chapels of St. Peter's Basilica or the Lateran Basilica were invited. Inviting chapels from other churches was typical of this period, but during my research I would like to check whether the Carmelites had their own musical chapels in other cities in Italy.

From sources collected at the General Archives of the Carmelites we know that there were many musicians in other centers, but so far, I have not been able to recognize their organization. This does not mean, however, that in general the musical culture of the Carmelites in Italy was modest. We have many descriptions of events during which wonderful music was performed, composed by the Carmelites themselves, e.g., Filippo Cristianelli, Giovanni Battista Tonnolini, Giuseppe Scarani, Girolamo Casati, Pietro Colombina, Lorenzo Penna, Elia Vannini. In every province of Italy there was at least one composer whose interesting musical works have been preserved. I hope we will learn more about them in the future.

May 9, 2024 | Optional Memorial (Obligatory Memorial in the province of Malta)

A diocesan priest, George Preca dedicated his life to preaching and catechesis. In 1907 he founded the Society of Christian Doctrine or MUSEUM (Magister utinam sequatur Evangelium universus mundus).

His prolific apostolate was the fruit of a life of prayer and constant meditation on the Word of God. His spirituality was based on humility and meekness. He became a Lay Carmelite in 1918, and in recognition of his work in spreading devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, was affiliated to the Order in 1952 by the prior general at the time, Killian Lynch.

The canonical processes for his beatification were initiated in March 1975. St. John Paul II declared him “blessed” on May 9, 2001 and he was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on June 3, 2007.

The second reading for the Liturgy of the Hours is taken from the saint’s writings. He proclaims the virtues of God in contemplating the beauty of creation and His actions, full of mercy and love, towards those who seek and recognize Him in order to confess without restraint.

(from Emanuele Boaga, O. Carm., Celebrating the Saints of Carmel. (Rome: Edizioni Carmelitane, 2010).

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