O.Carm
St. Simon Stock, Religious
16 May Optional Memorial (Obligatory Memorial the province of Great Britain)
From “Ignea Sagitta” by Nicholas the Frenchman, Prior General
I Will Lead Her into the Desert and Speak to Her Heart
Has not our Lord and Savior, by His grace, led us into solitude, where He speaks to our hearts with particular familiarity? He gives His friends consolation and reveals arcane mysteries not in public, in the marketplace, amid noise and tumult, but in the cell.
Indeed, in the solitude of a mountain, Abraham, moved by obedience, ascended at the Lord's command to sacrifice his son Isaac; he did not hesitate in his faith and gazed from afar at the fulfillment of the promise that was realized in the passion of Christ, who is the true Isaac. Lot, Abraham's nephew, was also ordered to hurry out of Sodom to save himself in the solitude of the mountains. In the solitude of Mount Sinai, Moses was given the law. Up there, he was clothed in such splendor that when he came down, the others could not look at his radiant face.
While Mary and Gabriel converse in the solitude of a cell, the Word of the Most High Father becomes incarnate. God, made man, in the Transfiguration clearly shows his glory to the representatives of the two testaments in the solitude of Mount Tabor. Our Savior chooses the solitude of a mountain to pray alone. In the solitude of the desert, he fasted uninterruptedly for forty days and forty nights, and there he wanted to be tempted by the devil to show what is the most suitable place to pray, mortify oneself, and overcome the tempter. The Savior therefore goes to the solitude of a mountain and into a desert to pray; he descends from the mountain when he wants to preach and show his works.
He who called our Fathers to the solitude of a mountain showed himself to them and to their successors as a sign, so that they might relive in their lives his actions, which are never without profound meaning.
Some of our predecessors followed this undoubtedly holy rule of the Savior. Recognizing their own imperfection, they lived for a long time in the solitude of the hermitage; and because they wanted to help their neighbors without the slightest personal distraction, they left the hermitage from time to time, but rather rarely, and sowed widely what they had gently reaped in the silence of contemplation, scattering the seeds through preaching.
Vitam Coelo Reddiderunt
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Pope Leo XIV Meets With Journalists
Pope Leo XIV Meets With Journalists Emphasizing the Role of Communications in Promoting Peace
In one of the first audiences of his young pontificate, Pope Leo XIV met with the international media in Aula Paulo VI. He thanked journalists for their service to the truth and stressed the role of communications in promoting peace.
“We are living in times that are both difficult to navigate and to recount. They present a challenge for all of us, but it is one that we should not run away from,” the pope said to approximately ____ journalists on May 12. “On the contrary, they demand that each one of us, in our different roles and services, never give in to mediocrity.”
“Thank you, dear friends, for your service to the truth,” he said, also underlining the importance of preserving free speech and the free press.
Using St. Augustine, the pope highlighted the place of communications: “The Church must face the challenges posed by the times. In the same way, communication and journalism do not exist outside of time and history. St. Augustine reminds of this when he said, ‘Let us live well, and the times will be good. We are the times’ (Discourse 311).”
Using the Sermon on the Mount, the pope stressed the important role communications plays in promoting peace: “Jesus proclaimed, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Mt 5:9). This is a beatitude that challenges all of us, but it is particularly relevant to you, calling each one of you to strive for a different kind of communication, one that does not seek consensus at all costs, does not use aggressive words, does not follow the culture of competition, and never separates the search for truth from the love with which we must humbly seek it.”
“Peace,” he continued, “begins with each one of us: in the way we look at others, listen to others, and speak about others. In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance: We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images, we must reject the paradigm of war.”
The pope raised up the responsibility and discernment needed in the use of artificial intelligence. He earlier explained his choice of the regnant name Leo being influenced by the challenges AI presents.
On the topic of truth, Leo XIV reiterated the Church’s solidarity with journalists who have been imprisoned “for seeking and reporting the truth” and said their suffering "challenges the conscience of nations and the international community." He appealed for their release. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 361 journalists were in jail in 2024.
The Order’s leadership in communications gathered in Rome for a three-part meeting of on-going formation, Jubilee celebration, and discussion among themselves of how to serve the Order and the faithful in the future. A two-part follow-up online meeting is scheduled for May 21st.
The pope began the audience speaking in English. He thanked the journalists for the warm reception and then said, “They say when they clap at the beginning it doesn’t matter much… If you are still awake at the end, and still want to applaud, … Thank you very much!”
Celebrating At Home - Fifth Sunday of Easter
Farewell, Glory & Discipleship of Love (John 13:31-35)
Given during Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, these words begin what is called The Farewell Discourse in John’s Gospel (13:31-17:26). They are Jesus’ last words to his disciples before his death. In the course of offering assurance and comfort, Jesus develops various themes that have been introduced earlier in his ministry, including in particular glory, mutual indwelling and love. His main point is the experience of life in God the disciples have and will continue to have. The relationship between the Father and the Son, which has been revealed in the first twelve chapters of the Gospel, Jesus now declares to be realised in the disciples.
The relationship between the Father, the Son and the Spirit are described in more detail here than anywhere else in the Bible. In these chapters, therefore, is the most profound teaching on God and discipleship in the Bible.
The first part of today’s Gospel reading is a bit confusing unless we understand that ‘glory’ in the biblical tradition has to do with the revelation of the unseen God. So, in these lines there is a sense of mutual glorification - the Father is revealed in the Son and the Son reveals the Father in his death on the cross. The Son will reveal the love of the Father most patently when he gives up his life.
Using the intimate form of address, ‘My little children,’ Jesus gently begins to prepare the disciples for the difficult reality of his leaving them.
Just as Jesus has been God’s love in action in the world, so now, the disciples must be. The indispensable nature of abiding in love is underlined by the use of ‘commandment’. It is through their mutual love that all will recognise them as disciples of the One who loved even to laying down his life.
- pdf Celebrating At Home - Fifth Sunday of Easter [PDF](3.08 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - Fifth Sunday of Easter [ePub](4.33 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Quinto Domingo de Pascua(433 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - V Domenica di Pasqua(588 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - Quinto Domingo da Páscoa(586 KB)
St. George Preca, Priest
9 May Optional Memorial (Obligatory Memorial in the province of Malta)
Born in Malta on 12 February 1880. He lived in Valletta, the capital of Malta, near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. As a child, and according to the customs of the times, George joined the Carmelite Family by being enrolled in the Scapular. As a young man he felt called to the priesthood. He was ordained priest on 22 December 1906.
Presentation of the Book on the San Giuliano Church
Presentation of the Book "La chiesa e il convento di San Giuliano l'Ospitaliero ai Trofei di Mario" at CISA on May 16
Elective Chapter in Australia and Timor-Leste Held
Elective Chapter of the Province of Australia and Timor-Leste Held April 28-May 2, 2025
The Carmelites of the Province of Australia and Timor-Leste held their Provincial Chapter from April 28-May 2, 20225. Míċéal O'Neill, the prior general, accompanied by Robert Puthussery, General Councilor for Asia, Australia, and Oceania, participated.
In 1881 five members of the Irish province went to Australia; they were entrusted with the parish of Gawler in South Australia. In 1882 Sandridge (Victoria) was founded, which was later, in 1890, divided into the present-day Port Melbourne and Middle Park. In 1886 the Australian Commissariat was established but lasted only two years. In 1902 the Gawler house was closed and Port Adelaide, now called Pennington, was opened (the Carmelites left this parish in 1999). On March 22, 1930, the area was erected as a General Commissariat. After the founding of communities in Coorparoo, Queensland, and Donvale, Vic, the province was then erected.
In 1949, the Australian Carmelites went to New Zealand and founded a house in Meadowbank but that closed in 1970. In May 2001, the Province accepted an invitation to engage in East Timor. On September 24, 2004, the Prior General and his Council changed the name of the province to Province of Australia and East Timor. The province is dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians.
The website of the province is www.carmelites.org.au
The following members were elected to leadership at the Chapter:
Provincial | Provincial | Provinciale
Bruce Clark, O. Carm.
1st Councilor | 1er Consejero | 1o Consigliere
Paul Cahill, O.Carm.
2nd Councilor | 2do Consejero | 2o Consigliere
Martinho Da Costa, O. Carm.
3rd Councilor | 3er Consejero | 3o Consigliere
David Hofman, O. Carm.
4th Councilor | 4to Consejero | 4o Consigliere
Januario Pinto, O.Carm.
Celebrating At Home - Fourth Sunday of Easter
Shepherd and Sheep,
Bonds of Life and Love (John 10:27-30)
This fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday because the Gospel for this Sunday always portrays Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
Being a shepherd in the time of Jesus was not anything like the large-scale, commercial farming enterprises of today. Then, a shepherd usually had responsibility for about fifteen or twenty sheep whom he accompanied day and night. Both shepherd and sheep got to know each other. The shepherd was responsible for keeping the flock together and safe, for leading it to good pasture, for binding up wounds. The sheep depended on the shepherd for life.
No wonder the image of the Good Shepherd became so popular as a description of the relationship between Jesus and his followers.
Today’s Gospel is full of warmth and intimacy in the way it speaks about Jesus’ relationship with us.
The sheep who listen to Jesus belong to (are in relationship with) him. There is a sense of intimacy in the idea that Jesus knows each of the sheep who follow him. He knows them and they follow him because they are bound together by the bond of love.
The sheep have life through their relationship with Jesus, a relationship which brings eternal life, not just after death; the sheep already live the eternal life of God here and now.
This relationship with Jesus and the eternal life it brings can never be lost or snatched away.
We are the gift that the Father gives to Jesus. And because the Father and Jesus live in deep communion with each other, we, too, are caught up in this enduring communion of love.
This love God has for us makes us part of God’s family: God’s beloved daughters and sons.
Any reflection about Jesus as the Good Shepherd also keeps us mindful that shepherding each other according to the heart of Jesus is part of our vocation as disciples.
- pdf Celebrating At Home - Fourth Sunday of Easter [PDF](5.07 MB)
- default Celebrating At Home - Fourth Sunday of Easter [ePub](4.21 MB)
- pdf Celebrando en Familia - Cuarto Domingo de Pascua(529 KB)
- pdf Celebrando in Casa - Quarta Domenica di Pasqua(552 KB)
- pdf Celebrando em família - Quarto Domingo da Páscoa(532 KB)
Livestream of Liturgical Congress - Update!
Monday, May 5 to Saturday, May 10, 2025
Livestream of Liturgical Congress: Encountering the Risen Lord: Liturgy and Prayer in Carmel Today
Live Streaming
We are delighted to announce that live streaming has been arranged for the Carmelite Liturgy & Prayer Congress which is taking place in Rome next week. Most of the Presentations will be live-streamed (except for the presentation which takes place in Traspontina on Friday, 9th May 2025). Please see the attached programme for times which are all Central European Time (Rome).
Thanks to some very generous sponsorship, the total cost for watching the congress online is €50 per connection (for the week).
About the Congress
As you know, the primary focus of the congress is more pastoral than academic. It is open to all members of the Carmelite Family, that is, friars, enclosed sisters, members of the affiliated congregations and lay Carmelites and all those interested in knowing more about Carmelite Liturgy.
The Order’s Liturgy and Prayer Commission welcomes Pope Francis’ call for a serious, dynamic and authentic liturgical formation (Desiderio desideravi, 31, 62) noting in particular the essential relationship between “formation for the Liturgy and formation by the Liturgy” (Desiderio desideravi, 34). And so, the congress is for all those who have an interest in exploring and understanding the beauty of Carmel’s prayer and liturgy so that it can be authentically carried forward in this generation as a means of transformation.
How to register to watch the Congress online
Firstly, ensure that the payments of €50 is made to Curia Generalizia Dei Carmelitani: IBAN IT58 R056 9603 2000 0000 3147 X53, BIC-SWIFT: POSOIT22. (Please ensure that your name is placed in the subject line so your payment can be identified.)
Secondly, please email (Questo indirizzo email è protetto dagli spambots. È necessario abilitare JavaScript per vederlo.) with details of your payment having been made in order to receive the link to the Congress.
The deadline for registration is set for 5pm on May 5, 2025.
Elective Chapter in Sumatra Celebrated
Elective Chapter of the Provincial Commissariat of Sumatra Celebrated
The members of the Provincial Commissariat of Sumatra held their elective chapter. The Commissariat is part of the Indonesian Province.
The following were elected on Wednesday, April 8 to the responsibilities listed:
Commissary Provincial | Comisario Provincial | Commissario Provinciale
Yohanes Rudy Kartolo Malau, O. Carm.
1st Councilor | 1er Consejero | 1o Consigliere
Valentinus Aditya Permana Perangin-angin, O. Carm.
2nd Councilor | 2do Consejero | 2o Consigliere
Martinus Manaek Sinaga, O. Carm.
