O.Carm
Blessed John Soreth, priest
July 24 | Memorial
John Soreth was unflagging in his efforts at renewal, during what was an especially critical period for both the Church and the Order. He dedicated himself entirely to the reform of the Order, travelling across Europe, making canonical visitations and promoting a more faithful observance of religious life both in the older Provinces and convents and in the Mantuan Reformed Congregation.
He was instrumental in the development of the Lay Carmelite Third Order.
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Books on John Soreth (in Italian) from Edizioni Carmelitane, the Carmelites' online bookstore:
Expositio paraenetica in regulam carmelitarum: Un commento alla regola del Carmelo
Giovanna D’Aniello, O. Carm.
Il B. Jean Soreth (1394-1471). Priore generale, riformatore e maestro spirituale dell’Ordine Carmelitano
Giovanni Grosso, O. Carm.
Celebrating At Home - 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Close encounters with the Kingdom of God
(Matthew 13:44-52)
In the Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to treasure hidden in a field, to a merchant on the lookout for fine pearls and to a fisherman’s dragnet which brings in a very mixed catch.
The point of the parables is the behaviour of the people in them.
In the first parable someone stumbles across the treasure by chance. Sometimes that can happen to us, too. We are happily living our lives when, by chance, something happens or we meet someone and our lives change for ever. On reflection we discern the presence of God in that encounter.
In the second parable the Kingdom is found after a long search. It is a reassurance that those who seek always find, and those who knock on the door will always have it opened.
The third parable introduces a note of reality: the Kingdom is a mixture of all kinds of things and some sorting out is needed.
In the first two parables the joy and delight of those who find (experience) the Kingdom is obvious. It is so strong that nothing is spared in order to posses the Kingdom.
The purpose of parables is not to provide answers to questions but to get us to think.
As we know, the Kingdom of God is not a ‘thing’ or a ‘place’. It is an experience or an encounter with the life of God.
In the life and ministry of Jesus many people experienced the Kingdom through their encounter with him which brought dignity, love, forgiveness, release from illness, disability, guilt, shame and even death. Jesus made present the reign of God’s grace for people in all kinds of need.
While we are sometimes overwhelmed by the experience of the presence of God within our hearts, more often we experience the reign of God’s grace through others. These people, like Jesus, somehow make present, make real the presence and action of God especially (but not only) in our moments of need. Having experienced that, we too, want to possess, to find and hold onto, the Source which touched us so deeply and brought us hope, comfort and freedom.
The kingdom, as we are reminded in the third parable, is a mixed bag of good and rotten fish, saints and sinners. It is not the task of members of the kingdom to judge; the final sorting out belongs to God alone. In the meantime, patience and tolerance must guide the practice of those in the kingdom.
The people of the kingdom seek the things that are of real value in life. They are prepared to make great sacrifices in order to make them their own. They live their lives with virtue and wisdom and their lives are a blessing for others as they draw from their rich store of values and virtues, of wisdom and grace. They never stop seeking the things of real value, the riches of the kingdom and they never stop making God present for those around them.
Video History of the Carmelites in Zimbabwe – Part 2
Video History of the Zimbabwean Commissariat – Part 2
The second video of this excellent series produced by the Carmelites in Zimbabwe as part of their 80th anniversary celebration has been released. It is available on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWixb2EvTFw
This second part of the Commissariat’s history is entitled A Church Finds Its Voice. It covers the years 1966-1986. The story of Bishop Donal Lamont’s opposition to the racist government of Ian Smith is recalled. This included the bishop working to get the Zimbabwean Church hierarchy to speak out and stand firmly alongside the people. The Carmelites adoption of a ministry of presence with the people is recalled in some detail. The founding and ministry of the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mt Carmel and the Mount Carmel Guild for women were also presented.
Avvenire Highlights Prior General’s July 16 Reflection
Avvenire Uses Prior General’s Letter to Promote Reflection on the Meaning of July 16th
The Catholic news service Avvenire ran an article on July 15 echoing the deeper meaning of the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel suggested by Desiderio Garcia Martínez, the prior general, in his letter to the Carmelite Family on the occasion of the Solemnity. The prior general’s letter was distributed well before the feast to provide time for reflection by the members of the Carmelite Family as well as others desiring to benefit spiritually from the feast.
The prior general reflected on the opportunity each person has to “to invoke Mary, Mother of Life, who looks upon us with mercy.” He further suggested that we remember that the scapular Carmelites wear recalls the responsibility we each have as a result of our baptism.
The article also highlights our Carmelite enclosed monastery in Biella, Italy, describing it as “an oasis of rest to renew the spirit during life’s difficult and trying moments.” Avvenire is headquartered in Milan, Italy.
The article was written by Laura Badaracchi.
The full article can be read here.
The Carmelite Family Gathers in Colombia
General Delegation of Colombia Gathers to Discern Its Mission
The Carmelite Family in Colombia, friars and laity together, gathered in Manizales on July 11 for a day of prayer, reflection, and dialogue on the vocation and mission of Carmel in the country, taking up the General Chapter's call to discern that mission together. About twenty people took part, some from the Manizales community itself, others arriving from across the country.
Fr. Pedro Arenas, one of the founders of the Delegation, opened with a look back at its history: a presence that began in 1971 and grew, over five decades, into small mixed communities of friars and laity marked by simplicity, hospitality, and shared responsibility.
The gathering came at the end of a full week for the Delegation. The community in Bogotá, made up of two friars and joined by members of the Carmelite Family, hosted pastoral outreach in the western foothills of the Cordillera Oriental, around La Vega, staying at the house of Jorge Millan and Ángela Herrera de Millan, longtime members of the Carmelite Family whose home has become a point of reference for many people in the surrounding countryside. From there, friars and lay Carmelites reached mountain communities where the faithful have little regular access to the sacraments: celebrating the Eucharist in family living rooms, anointing the sick, and simply sitting with people in their homes. The journey then continued to Manizales, seven hours through the Andes, where friars and lay members share a household and welcomed the group for the final days. Fr. Nepi Willemsen, General Councilor for the Americas, joined the week as part of a fraternal visitation.
The week closed with the community's regular Sunday Eucharist in Manizales, live streamed every week for the wider community of faithful in Colombia and beyond. It was a fitting close to a week that showed, once again, how far a small Delegation's reach can go.
Elijah and His Portrayal in Modern Art
20 July Solemnity
Many representations are now on display in churches and museums around the world of the Prophet Elijah. Their quality varies greatly but each has the potential to draw the viewer into prayer and reflection on the various actions the Prophet of God performed. Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is a more recent artist who attempted to bring the Old Testament stories to life as part of his 105-etching series of the Old Testament.
The prints, created between 1930 and 1956 contain a number specific to Elijah and are referred to as the “Elijah Series.” They include Elijah's vision, his interactions with the widow of Zarephath, and his fiery ascent to heaven in a chariot of fire.
Born Moishe Shagal in 1887, in the Pale of Settlement under Imperial Russia (today: Belarus), Chagall was a devoutly cultural and spiritual Hasidic Jew. He was not strictly observant. Yet his art mixed his ideas of Eastern European culture and Jewish folklore. Flying figures, elements of Jewish tradition, peasant life, and animals are frequent motifs in his art.
Jackie Wullschlager, who wrote a biography of Chagall, says his work on the biblical scenes portrayed a "human story, ... not with the creation of the cosmos but with the creation of man, and his figures of angels are rhymed or combined with human ones." Drawing on an example of an earlier work “Abraham and the Three Angels," she points out that the angels sit and chat over a glass of wine "as if they have just dropped by for dinner."
The Elijah etchings—such as Elijah on Mount Carmel and Elijah Touched by an Angel—are celebrated for their dreamlike, expressionistic style. Rather than focusing on historical realism, Chagall infused these Old Testament scenes with spiritual intensity and mysticism, utilizing light and shadow to distinguish the mortal from the divine. They provide us with the opportunity to enter deeply into the biblical event.
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Causa Nostrae Laetitiae
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INITIUM NOVITIATUS |
Celebrating At Home - 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Patient Gardener
(Matthew 13:24-30)
The section of St Matthew’s Gospel from which we are now reading concerns the Kingdom of God. Jesus uses this expression frequently in his teaching. The Kingdom is not heaven, it is the life and heart of God. We live in the Kingdom when we live according to the mind and heart of God. The Kingdom, or reign of God, breaks into human reality when human beings live, breathe and act out of the life of God; when the heart of God becomes ours; when we allow God to speak and act in and through us.
Jesus frequently uses parables in his teaching - stories drawn from real life, designed to get his listeners to think, ask questions and make decisions.
Today’s parable is a story about wheat and darnel growing together in a field. Apparently darnel, a weed, looks so similar to wheat that it is almost impossible to tell the two apart until the ears appear at harvest time. Only then can you really tell the difference between the two plants. Before that, there may be some signs to do with the direction in which the spikelets grow. Perhaps that is what the servants see and report it to the owner.
They ask if the owner wants them to remove the darnel. The owner says to leave both plants to grow together until harvest when the difference in the plants will be obvious. That will be the time to do the weeding.
So, what does it all mean?
No doubt, there were people in Matthew’s community who thought that the Reign of God would come swiftly and with vehemence and immediately crush what was contrary to it. Others had grown anxious about the fact that the coming of the Kingdom seemed much delayed and wanted to get on with the job of weeding out the ‘evil ones’ according to their own judgement.
The parable, however, urges patience and to leave final judgement to God. What appears to be darnel may yet turn out to be wheat. Only time will tell.
The parable is also a reflection on the mixture of good and evil in the world. But it calls us to reflect, too, on the mix of good and evil we find in our own hearts. What will we turn out to be?
The parable also raises the question: can darnel turn into wheat given God’s patience and mercy?
Historic Marian Statue Damaged in Valletta, Malta
Historic Marian Statue Damaged During Preparations for July 16 Celebrations
According to local accounts, a 100-year-old statue, standing in St George's Square in Valletta, Malta, in preparation for the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on July 16th was heavily damaged. Pictures show the statue face down on the ground. It had been sitting on its historic pedestal. The pedestal was also damaged.
Fr Alex Scerri is the prior of the Carmelite church. He said, "we do not allow anyone or anything to rob us of the joy and love we have for the much-loved Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in our capital city."
The damage was caused by equipment being used by a film crew. The sponsors of the celebration, the Għaqda Festa Madonna tal-Karmnu Valletta, said it “was considering no longer putting up the traditional street decorations after what it described as the latest in a series of obstacles faced by volunteers.”
According to the reports, the association alleged that equipment, machinery, and trucks connected to a film being shot in Valletta caused damage to the century-old statue and its pedestal. A police report has been filed.
The Culture Minister of the Maltese government says that an agreement had been reached for the Malta Film Commission to cover all costs arising from the damage. He also said that any restoration works required would be carried out by a restorer chosen by the Għaqda Festa Madonna tal-Karmnu. Others have questioned why the Malta Film Commission, a publicly funded body, was covering the cost of repairing the damaged statue and pedestal. Taxpayers should not be made to bear the financial burden of mistakes caused by private commercial interests.
A spokesperson for the association said it was still too early to determine whether the statue could be fully repaired because of its age.
The incident raised the opportunity for people to be reminded of the movement throughout Europe against the number of tourists clogging European cities. Barcelona is just one of the cities rethinking policies because of “overtourism.” Approximately 30 million people visit annually, and half are day-trippers all wanting to congregate in just a small area of a few city blocks. To save the City of Barcellona and its housing market, officials are revoking all short-term tourist rental licenses by 2028.
Although not directly related to tourism, the organizing association says that organizing the annual feast had become increasingly difficult. They claim traditional celebrations were repeatedly being put in second place. They cited that outdoor catering areas were often given priority over feast decorations and religious celebrations, while film productions were now creating further difficulties. Disruptions caused by preparations for the movie production included trucks and cranes obstructing the route of the feast procession. The route of the procession would have to be altered because of the crane erected along its usual route. Two years ago, the procession for Our Lady of Mount Carmel was stopped in Merchants Street until an electrical cable crossing the road could be removed.
The Valletta Local Council said the city's heritage "deserves to be respected and protected with the utmost responsibility," adding that it “would continue monitoring the situation to ensure responsibility was assumed where appropriate and that the damage was professionally restored.”
Zimbabwe Commissariat Turns 80 in 2026
The Provincial Commissariat of Zimbabwe Celebrates 80 Years During 2026
The Carmelites in Zimbabwe are celebrating 80 years of Carmelite presence in that country during 2026. Adopting the theme “Rooted in Faith: Growing in Hope: 80 Years of Carmelite Presence in Zimbabwe,” the celebrations will be various and many throughout the year. In 1946, three Carmelites, Donal Lamont, Anselm Corbett, and Luke Flynn, left Ireland to bring Carmel to an area which was initially evangelized by the Trappists, the Jesuits, and the Marianhill Missionaries.
In an editorial in the Commissariat of Zimbabwe’s publication, Carmeletter, the appropriateness of the oak tree as the symbol for this jubilee year was presented. The oak brings to mind strength, durability, and reliability. The wood from the tree is used to make furniture and barrels that endure the passage of time. Neither wind nor storms can dislodge the tree because of its deep roots anchoring it securely. And as an oak tree has branches reaching up, the Carmelites in Zimbabwe continues to grow, looking forward to a strong future.
In fact, the Commissary Provincial, Shelton Zimondi, challenges that the jubilee not be a mere reflection on the past but “a look to the future with hope and confidence. Our hope is informed by our history, our past, and our faith.”
At a Eucharist in Whitefriars Street in Dublin for the celebration, the Ambassador of Zimbabwe to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Retired Colonel Christian M. Katsande spoke of the Carmelites “bringing not only their religious vocation but also a deep commitment to serve the people of Zimbabwe.”
He also spoke of Donal Lamont who later became the bishop of the Diocese of Umtali (now called Mutare) as “not only a man of deep faith, but also a man of great courage.” Lamont’s pastoral letter “Purchased People” and his “Speech from the Dock” when he was standing trial under the Ian Smith government, “gave voice to the moral responsibility of the Church to stand with the oppressed.” While his words led to his expulsion from the country, they also “inspired many and contributed to the growing spirit of justice and liberation that saw the country of Rhodesia transform into the independent nation of Zimbabwe.”
Many other Carmelites—from Australia, the USA, and elsewhere—have also served the people well but quietly. More important than the buildings, the Commissary today is flourishing with Zimbabwean vocations. The future is indeed bright.
One of the projects for the anniversary year is a series of videos on the Commissary.
You can access the first of these here
Makorokoto! Congratulations!
