The Elective Chapter of the Carmelite Monastery of Ravenna, Italy, was held 24-25 November 2018. The following were elected:

• Prioress: Sr. M. Elisabetta Mambelli, O.Carm.


• 1st Councilor: Sr. M. Anastasia Cucca, O.Carm.


• 2nd Councilor: Sr. M. Barbara Stella, O.Carm.


• 3rd Councilor: Sr. M. Paola Teresa Laudicina, O.Carm.


• 4th Couniclor: Sr. M. Elena Pasca, O.Carm.


• Director of Novices: Sr. M. Elisabetta Mambelli, O.Carm.


• Treasurer: Sr. M. Anastasia Cucca, O.Carm.


• Sacristan: Sr. M. Barbara Stella, O.Carm.

On November 24, the members of the Supervisory Board of the so-called "Carmel Foundation" (Stichting Carmelcollege), an association that coordinates 14 schools and more than 35,000 students in Holland, visited our General Curia in Rome. The origins of the association go back to 1922, when Fr. Titus Brandsma and other Dutch Carmelites began to work in education and the first Carmelite schools were created in this country. The members of the committee, who were accompanied by Anne-Marie Boss, explained to the members of the General Council (Christian Körner, O.Carm., Michael Farrugia, O.Carm and John Keating, O.Carm.) the characteristics and objectives of this association, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.

The Prior General, Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., expressed in turn the commitment of the Order in the field of education, informed them of the various initiatives that are being carried out in this area in various parts of the world and shared with them the need for a reflection on the "Carmelite identity" of our schools, especially in those areas where vocations are scarce and the provinces encounter personnel problems. He also thanked them on behalf of the Order for the work they are doing.

The Institutum Carmelitanum has organized, in collaboration with the Carmelite Library and the General Archive, a Course on the management of the Cultural Heritage of the Order to be held at the Centro Internazionale Sant'Alberto in Rome from February 26 (arrival) to 3 March (departures) 2019. The course is intended for the librarians of Carmelite libraries, the bibliographers of Carmelite subjects, the archivists of the current and historical archives of the Order and the directors of Carmelite museums. Soon the programme will be published on the Order's website. For information, contact Fr. Giovanni Grosso at the address: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.. Inscriptions must be sent to the same email address by the 10th of January 2019.

The 5th Assembly of ALACAR (Latin American Association of Carmelites) was held in the "Archdiocesan House María de Altagracia" in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) from November 6 to 11. This assembly is held regularly every three years in collaboration with the Discalced Carmelites. The theme of this assembly was "The martyrs of yesterday for today's Latin American Carmel: Edith Stein, Titus Brandsma and Oscar Romero." The lecturers were the two superiors general, Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., and Saverio Cannistrà, OCD., Sister Sandra Henríquez, Carmelita Misionera from Chile and Bishop Oswaldo Escobar, OCD., of Chalatenango in El Salvador.

The meeting was attended by 120 people from almost every Latin American country, including religious men and women and lay people. Likewise, there was a small representation of the contemplative Carmelite nuns. In addition to the conferences and the group reflection, there were several very significant celebrations. For example, on the 9th, the Prior General led a solemn celebration of the Eucharist in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo, the first cathedral on the American continent, in which he expressed the desire to continue as Carmelites to serve the people of God in Latin America. In this sense, the group sent a letter of support to Bishop Silvio Baez, OCD., Auxiliary Bishop of Managua, on account of the difficult circumstances that are being experienced in Nicaragua.

Taking advantage of the presence of both General Superiors in Santo Domingo, on that same 6th of November, in the morning, a meeting took place in the Monastery of Santa Teresa in the capital with a large representation of nuns from the various monasteries of the Caribbean. The meeting consisted of a reflection on the Instruction "Cor Orans" and on other aspects of the cloistered life in Carmel. More than forty nuns participated in an atmosphere of joy and fraternity.

From the office of CITOC, we thank both General Councillors (P. Raúl Maraví O.Carm y P. Francisco Javier Mena, OCD), as well as the Carmelites in the Dominican Republic for their excellent work that ensured the success of this 5th ALACAR