November 14^th

Feast of all saints of carmel.

                   On November 14^th the Carmelites celebrate the feast of all 

“SAINTS OF CARMEL”. In this blog we wish to share short life histories and specially the spiritualities of the SAINTS OF CARMEL. Excerpts from the writing s of St. Teresa of Avila has already been posted – and will be continued – as well as quotations from the Letters of the recently canonized St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. The best known and loved among the SAINTS OF CARMEL is St. Therese of Lisieux also known as the Little Flower. St. Teresa Margaret Redi, St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, St. Mary of Jesus Crucified and St. Teresa of Los Andes … most of these Saints of Carmel are our own contemporaries. In their short span of lives, these Saints of Carmel lived simple lives which all of us can easily imitate. Yet they reached intimate union and transformation in God by doing just little things with great love and total gift of themselves to God.

St. John of the Cross and St. Raphael Kalinowski are the 2 canonized men saints of Carmel. Among the saints of Carmel can also be included the parents of St. Therese, Zelie and Loius Martin, the first couple to be canonized.

MAY ALL THE SAINTS OF CARMEL INTERCEDE FOR US AND HELP US TO REACH THE HEIGHTS OF PERFECTION WHICH THEY HAVE ALREADY ATTAINED.

“Let us live with God as with a friend, let us make our faith a living faith in order to be in communion with Him through everything, for that is what makes saints. We possess our Heaven within us, since He who satisfies the hunger of the glorified in the light of vision gives Himself to us in faith and mystery, it is the Same One. It seems to me that I have found my Heaven on Earth, since Heaven is God, and God is [in] my soul” (L. 122).

“I am never alone; my Christ is always there praying in me, and I pray with Him … Ah, if you got to know Him a little, prayer wouldn’t bore you any more; to me it seems to be rest, relaxation. We come quite simply to the One we love, stay close to Him like a little child in the arms of its mother, and we let our heart go…The life of a Carmelite is a communion with God from morning to evening, and from evening to morning. If He did not fill our cells and our cloisters, ah! how empty they would be! But through everything, [we] see Him, for we bear Him within us, and our life is an anticipated Heaven” (L. 123).

It seems to me that the souls on earth and those glorified in the light of vision are so close to each other, since they are all in communion with the same God, the same Father, who gives Himself to the former in faith and mystery and satisfies the other in His divine light.…But He is the Same One, and we carry Him within us. He bends over us with all His charity, day and night, wanting to communicate with us, to infuse us with His divine life, so as to make us deified beings who radiate Him everywhere. Oh, how powerful over souls is the apostle who remains always at the Spring of living water; then he can overflow without his soul ever becoming empty, since he lives in communion with the Infinite! I am praying fervently for you, that God may invade all the powers of your soul, that He may make you live in communion with His whole Mystery, that everything in you may be divine and marked with His seal…I want to be an apostle with you, from the depths of my dear solitude in Carmel…”Apostle, Carmelite,” it is all one!…” (L. 124).

 “We must not stop before the Cross and regard it in itself, but, recollecting ourselves in the light of faith, we must rise higher and recognize that it is the instrument that is obeying Divine Love. “One thing alone is necessary: Mary has chosen the better part, which shall not be taken from her”. This better part, which seems to be my privilege in my beloved solitude of Carmel, is offered by God to every baptized soul. He offers it to you, dear Madame, in the midst of your cares and maternal concerns. Believe that His whole desire is to lead you ever deeper into Himself. Surrender yourself and all your preoccupations to Him and since you find me a good advocate to the Court of the King…” (L. 129).

“I love Him passionately and in loving Him, I am transformed in Him. And then it’s so good, for He is always with me, He consumes me into One with Him, and we love each other so much!! Ah, if it weren’t for that I would still be with you” (To her mother, L. 130).

“Oh, won’t you please place me in the chalice so my soul may be wholly bathed in this Blood of my Christ for which I so thirst! so as to be wholly pure, wholly transparent, so that the Trinity can be reflected in me as in a crystal. The Trinity so loves to contemplate its beauty in a soul… I love Him with His own love, it is a double current between Him who is and she who is not! Ah, when I feel my God invade my whole soul, as I pray to Him for you, it seems to me that it is a prayer He cannot resist, and I want Him to make me all-powerful” (To Canon Angles, L. 131).

16.10.2016

POPE FRANCIS CANONIZES

BLESSED ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY O.C.D.

              

 ST ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY: A SIGN OF CONTRADICTION IN THE 27 CLUB

            The 27 club is a term used in music circles to associate a jinxed group of great singers and musicians who died at the young age of 27. Among these greats are included Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and more recently, Amy Winehouse. Apart from their music, the story they left behind is that of a life of emptiness, depression and loneliness. It is ironic to see how despite all the name, popularity and groupies always around them, a great void was experienced by these people at a deeper level which they tried to overcome with drugs, sex and alcohol that ultimately led to their death due to asphyxiation, overdose or suicide. A closer analysis of these greats would lead one to surmise that there was a longing in their soul for something greater than that which their fame brought them. However, the recourse they sought was somewhere else and not in God.

Another unknown, but nevertheless accomplished musician, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, can also be added to this club but stands out in stark contrast to the rest of them. Externally, she was like any ordinary girl. She loved to travel, to dance, was fond of good clothes, and was attractive and affable. She is also known to have had a bad temper.  But at the spiritual level, she was deeply absorbed in the contemplation of the Holy Trinity. At an early age the meaning of her name, which in Hebrew means “House of God” left a profound impression on her mind. She personalized the words of St Paul, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you?” (1Cor 3:16) and from then onwards, be it at a piano recitation or on the dance floor or while doing any regular chore, Elizabeth maintained a deep recollection of the indwelling presence of God in her soul. It is this indwelling presence of God that gives meaning to the body and renders it holy without which the body would be nothing more than a living corpse. At the age of 21, she entered the Cloistered Carmelite Monastery at Dijon, France and separated herself from the world to live for God alone and to pray for the salvation of souls.

In the solitude of Carmel, there was never loneliness because of the constant awareness of the ever abiding presence of God in her soul. The intoxication she experienced was not of drugs and alcohol which makes one lose consciousness of reality but the sober inebriation of the Holy Spirit which makes one realize their true identity and dignity as Children of God, of the love which completely satisfies. All her talents and abilities were surrendered not to the acquisition of fame and prominence, but to God, the Giver of all Gifts, to live in silence and unknown to the world.

Her love for God reached such heights that she desired that God be incarnate in her own flesh. But to share in the Incarnation also means to share the sufferings of Calvary. St. Elizabeth offered herself up as a victim for the salvation of souls, especially those who had lost faith in God. Her final years were spent in the solitude of her cell in interior darkness and agonizing illness which intensified her participation in the Passion of our Lord. She died on the 9^th of November 1906 of Addison’s disease, in the 27^th year of her life. Towards the end, she wasn’t able to sleep, eat or speak much but one of the last things she spoke was, “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life.”

Elizabeth of the Trinity was canonised, by Pope Francis, on the 16^th of October this year, which also happened to be Mission Sunday. In his homily, the Pope said, “The ‘battle’ of perseverance cannot be won without prayer. Not sporadic or hesitant prayer, but prayer offered as Jesus tells us in the Gospel: ‘Pray always, without ever losing heart.” The feast day of St Elizabeth is celebrated on the 8^th of November.

St. Elizabeth has not left us any songs to sing or musical compositions to re-play. She hasn’t left us volumes of books on her doctrine. All we know about her spirituality comes through her letters, especially to young people. Through her life of love and sacrifice, she herself became that song, that “Praise of His Glory” (Eph 1:12).St. Elizabeth of the Trinity stands out as an Icon for the youth of today who are passionate and energetic but restless and in search of a deeper meaning and purpose in life and for all those who truly have the courage and determination to swim against the currents that prevail in our times, to be truly rebellious, to go against every wave of popular trend and belief, to shake off all the exterior glamour and glitz and enter deeper into one’s soul and be rooted deeply in the Triune God. Her message is simple and doesn’t require the silence and solitude of a monastery. It can be practised by anyone, anywhere and at any time. All that is required is to keep a constant remembrance of the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity in our souls and to derive strength from those rivers of living waters welling up within us (Jn 7:38). Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Why not give it a try.

Sr. Benedicta of the Holy Face (Novice) Cloistered Carmel of God the Father, Pune.                         

              

“A postulant of three days but one who has desired Carmel since the age of seven, 

Sr. Elizabeth of the Trinity, who will turn out to be a saint, for she already has remarkable dispositions for that” (Sr. Thérèse of Jesus, a sister in the convent).

.

We are happy and thank God for  the canonization of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity. It is not possible for all to read all her Letters. Here are a few chosen  quotes.  May you be inspired to read the originals, which have their inimitable beauty.   

  While being Martha one can remain like Mary Magdalene always near the Master, contemplating Him with a wholly loving look. And that is our life in Carmel, for, although prayer is our principal and even our unique occupation, for the prayer of a Carmelite never ceases, we also have works, external acts” (L.108).

“Ah! if we could only raise the curtain, what a beautiful horizon we would see on that other side! It is the Infinite, that is why it expands everyday. …If you knew what a good little nest my Beloved is preparing for me here. Ah! This Carmel, this being alone with Him whom we love, if you knew how good it is! Yes, it is an anticipated Heaven …I love you both so much, and it seems to me that this love grows every day, for He is divinizing it! …Darling Mama, don’t you think it is better for her to give her daughter to God and to enjoy her happiness than to let her be taken by Him? (L. 109).

“For I am the one my Christ has put in chains, His little prisoner of love. …I left everything to be able to climb it but my Jesus came to meet me. He took me in His arms to carry me like a little child, and to take the place of all I had left for Him” (Letter 116).

“Oh my Sister, “to be Him,” that is my whole dream; then, do you believe that the Father, who contemplates His adored Word in us, can resist the powerful prayer that one glance, one desire can become? Oh yes, let us be Him, and “let us go to the father” in the movement of His divine soul” (To Sr. Agnes of Jesus-Mary, L. 121).

“A Carmelite … is a soul who has gazed on the Crucified, who has seen Him offering Himself to His Father as a Victim for souls and, recollecting herself in this great vision of the charity of Christ, has understood the passionate love of His soul, and has wanted to give herself as He did!… and on the mountain of Carmel, in silence, in solitude, in prayer that never ends, for it continues through everything, the Carmelite already lives as if in Heaven: “by God alone”…He never leaves her, He dwells within her soul; more than that, the two of them are but one. So she hungers for silence that she may always listen, penetrate ever deeper into His Infinite Being. She is identified with Him whom she loves, she finds Him everywhere; she sees Him shining through all things!” (L. 133). 

“That is the whole life of Carmel, to live in Him. Then all sacrifices, all immolations become divine, for through everything the soul sees Him whom it loves, and everything leads it to Him; it is a continual heart-to-heart! You see you can already be a Carmelite in soul. Love silence and prayer, for that is the essence of Carmelite life. Ask the Queen of Carmel, our Mother, to teach you to adore Jesus in profound recollection … Pray also to our seraphic Mother Saint Teresa, who loved so much that she dies of love! … Are you familiar with Saint John of the Cross? He is our Father who went so far into the depths of the Divinity. Before him, I should have spoken to you of Saint Elijah, our first Father; you can see that our order is very ancient since it goes back to the prophets……Let us love Carmel, it is incomparable. We are lost in the Holy Trinity!” (L. 136).

“I have found my Heaven on earth in my dear solitude in Carmel, where I am alone with God alone. I do everything with Him, so I go to everything with a divine joy; whether I am sweeping, working, or at prayer, I find everything good and delightful since it is my Master whom I see everywhere!” (L. 139).

“PRAYER IS THE BOND BETWEEN SOULS” …When you pray to Him, speak to Him of your Elizabeth and imagine that she is there quite near you. Ah, if you knew how Carmel is a corner of Heaven! In silence and solitude, we live here alone with God alone.  Everything speaks of Him here. We feel Him everywhere, so living, so present. Prayer is our principal, I should say our sole, occupation because for a Carmelite it must never cease… if you knew how good it is to live there in the Master’s sight in a sweet heart-to-heart with Him” (L. 142).

“Carmel is so close to Heaven, it’s Heaven in faith! The whole divine world is mine, for it is the center in which I must live and already here below, I must follow my Lamb everywhere. … Remember that you are not alone, that the divine friend is with you, and your Elizabeth with Him” (L. 143).

“I love to come to you beneath the gaze of Him we love and whom alone we seek…through everything, let us constantly  live in communion with this Incarnate Word, with Jesus who dwells in us and who wishes to tell us the whole Mystery” (L. 145).

“Jesus gives His Cross to His true friends so He can come even closer to them; in His Heart, I see a very great love for you” (L. 147).

“He is so offended in the world, for they want no more of Him; let us open ourselves to receive Him, and then let us not leave Him alone in that sanctuary of our soul; through everything let us remember that He is there and He is there and He needs to be loved” (L. 149).

[With the profession] “I could say to myself: “At last He is my All!” and now I have only one desire to love Him, to love Him all the time, to be zealous for His honor as a true bride, to give Him joy, to make Him happy by preparing a dwelling and a refuge for Him in my soul, so that there He may forget, by the strength of my love, all the abominations of the wicked!…We ought to be like Him… Would you like that to be the desert where, with our divine Bridegroom, we go to live in a profound solitude, since it is in this solitude that He speaks to the heart?” (L. 156).

“It seems to me that nothing better expresses the love in God’s Heart than the Eucharist: it is union, consummation, He is us, we in Him, and isn’t that Heaven on earth? Heaven in faith while awaiting the face-to-face vision we so desire. Then “we will be satisfied when His glory appears,” when we see Him in His light. Don’t you find that the thought of this meeting refreshes the soul, this talk with Him whom it loves solely? Then everything disappears and it seems that one is already entering into the mystery of God. ……Oh! pray, won’t you, that I may live fully my bridal dowry. That I may be wholly available, wholly vigilant in faith, so that master can bear me wherever He wishes. I wish to stay always close to Him who knows the whole mystery, to hear everything from Him. “The language of the Word is the infusion of the gift,” oh yes, it is really so, isn’t it, that He speaks to our soul in silence. I find this dear silence a blessing” (L. 165). There is a lot more, also of BVM in this letter to remember.

“It is so good, isn’t it, to meet a soul who knows how to lead one to God… I saw that when God took away from me all that seemed to be leading me to Him, it was only to give Himself even more. Dear Madame, we must thank Him all the time, whatever happens, for God is Love, and He can create nothing but Love! In Carmel, we have the calm, the peace of God: we are His, we are kept by Him.… You ask me what my work is in Carmel. I could answer that for the Carmelite there is only one occupation: “to love, to pray.” But since, while already living in Heaven, she still has a body on earth, she must, while surrendering herself to love, keep busy in order to do the will of Him who did all these things first to set us an example… We have two hours of recreation; then, after that, silence the whole time…For me the cell is sacred, it is His intimate sanctuary, just for Him and His little bride. We are so much “together,” I am silent, I listen to Him… it is so good to hear everything He has to say. Oh! live with Him,; make Him live through faith, think that He dwells in your soul and constantly keep Him company, won’t you? ” (L. 168).

“I am “Elizabeth of the Trinity,” that is, Elizabeth disappearing, losing herself, letting herself be invaded by the Three; you can see that we are very close in Them, we are completely one, aren’t we? …Let us live by love, let us be simple like she [Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus] was, surrendered all the time, immolating ourselves minute by minute by doing God’s will without seeking extraordinary things. And let us make ourselves very little, letting ourselves be carried, like a child in the arms of her mother, by Him who is our All. Yes, my little sister, we are very weak, I would even say we are utterly nothing, but He knows that very well, He so loves to forgive us, to pick us up, then to carry us away in Him, in His purity, in His infinite holiness; that is how He will purify us, through continual contact with us, through divine touches. He wants us to be so pure, but He Himself will be our purity: we must let ourselves be transformed into one and the same image with Him, and that, quite simply, by loving all the time with the love that establishes unity between those who love each other!

Excerpts from the writings of
ST. TERESA OF JESUS, Doctor of the Church.

BOOKMARK OF ST. TERESA

LET NOTHING DISTURB YOU,

NOTHING FRIGHTEN YOU.

ALL THINGS ARE PASSING,

GOD NEVER CHANGES.

PATIENCE OBTAINS ALL THINGS.

NOTHING IS WANTING,

TO ONE WHO POSSESSES GOD

GOD ALONE SUFFICES.

This last line is the catchphrase of every Discalced Carmelite Nun: daughter of St. Teresa whose life testifies to this all the time!

THE REASON WHY ST. TERESA FOUNDED CARMEL. 

What we have to ask God - in Prayer - is that, in this little castle of ours, inhabited as it is by good christians, none of us may go over to the enemy. We must ask God too, to make the captains in this castle or city - that is the preachers and theologians - highly proficient in the way of the Lord. And as most of these are Religious, we must pray that they may advance in perfection, and in the fulfillment of their vocation, for it is very needful. For it is the ecclesisatical and not the secular arm which must defend us.

As we can do nothing by either of these means to help our King, let us strive to live in such a way that our prayers may be of avail to help these servants of God, who at the cost of so much toil have fortified themselves with learning and virtuous living, and have laboured to help the Lord. I beg you to try to live in such a way as to be worthy to obtain two things from God. First that there may be many of these very learned and religious men who have the qualifications for their task and that the Lord may prepare those who are not completely prepared already, and who lack anything, for a single one who is perfect, will do more than many who are not. Secondly that after they have entered upon this struggle, the Lord may have them in His Hand so that they may be delivered from all dangers that are in the world. 

If we can prevail with God in the smallest degree about this, we shall be fighting His battle even while living a cloistered life and I shall consider as well spent, all the trouble to which I have gone, in founding this retreat. Make no account of any pain which has an end, if by means of it any greater service can be rendered to Him Who bore such pains for us. Always try to find out wherein lies the greatest perfection.

The more favours the Lord grants you in prayer, the more needful is it that your good work and your prayer should have a sure foundation. You already know that the first stone of this foundation must be a good conscience and that you must make every effort to free yourselves from even venial sins and follow the greatest possible perfection. Everything depends on our having true light to keep the law of God perfectly. This is a firm basis for prayer.

There are people whose nature it is to be very much cast down by small things. If you are not like this, do not neglect to have compassion on others. It may be that Our Lord wishes to spare us these sufferings, and will give us sufferings of another kind which may seem heavy to us, though to the person already mentioned, they may seem light. In these matters then, we must not judge others by ourselves, nor think of ourselves as we have been at some time when, perhaps without any effort on our part, the Lord has made us stronger than they; Let us think of  what we were like at the times when we have been weakest.

If we care nothing for any created thing, but embrace the Creator alone, His Majesty will infuse the virtues into us, in such a way that, provided we labour  to the best of our abilities day by day, we shall not have to wage war much longer, for the Lord will take our defense in hand against the devils and against the whole world. Do you suppose daughters, that it is a small benefit to obtain for ourselves this blessing of giving ourselves wholly to Him and keeping nothing for ourselves? How many people do I know who are better than myself who would gladly take this place of mine, yet the Lord has granted it to me, who so ill deserve it.

You know there is no worse thief than one who lives in the house. Unless we take great care and each of us looks well to it that she renounces her self will, which is the most important business of all, there will be many things to deprive us of the holy freedom of spirit which our souls seek in order to soar to their Maker. His majesty will help us to do this. He has granted us the great favour of providing that in this house, most of it is done already; but it remains for us to become detached from our own selves, and it is a hard thing to withdraw from ourselves and oppose ourselves, because we are very close to ourselves and love ourselves very dearly.

Once we begin to work, God too works in our souls and bestows such favours on them that the most we can do in this life seems to us very little...Why then do we shrink from interior mortification, since this is the means by which every other kind of mortification may become much more meritorious and perfect, so that it can thus be practised with greater tranquility and ease? This is acquired by gradual progress and by never indulging our own will and desire , even in small things until we have succeeded in subduing the body to the spirit... If you are very careful about your prayer, you will soon find yourselves gradually reaching the summit of the mountain without knowing how. How harsh it sounds to say that we must take pleasure in nothing, unless we also say what consolations and delights this renunciation brings in its train, and what a great gain it is, even in this life! What security it gives us!

My intent is to suggest a few remedies for a number of small temptations which come from the devil, and which, because they are so slight are apt to pass unnoticed.I shall also write of other things, according as the Lord reveals them to me and as they come to my mind; since i do not know what I am going to say, I cannot set it down in suitable order; and I think it is better for me not to do so, for it is quite unsuitable that i should be writing in this way at all. may the Lord lay His Hand on all that I do, so that it may be in accordance with His holy Will; this is always my desire.

The nun to whom it seems, she is herself the least of all, should consider herself the most blessed of all. Let us imitate in some way the great humility of the Blessed Virgin, Whose Habit we wear. However much it seems to us that we humble ourselves, we fall far short of being the daughters of such a Mother and the brides of such a Spouse. This house is another heaven, if it be possible to have heaven upon earth. Anyone whose sole pleasure lies in pleasing God and who cares nothing for her own pleasure, will find our life a very good one.If she wants anything more she will lose everything, for there is nothing more that she can have. For although we allow time for the attainment of complete detachment and mortification in interior matters, in externals this has to be practiced immediately. I do not say that a nun must be as perfect as the rest, but she must be sure that her soul is gradually growing.  

.......Meditation is the first step to be taken toward the acquisition of the virtues and the very life of all Christians depends upon their beginning it. The Lord does not allow Himself to be taken except by by one who who surrenders wholly to Him. The King of glory will not come to our souls - that is so as to be united with them - unless we strive to gain the greatest virtues. 

Contemplation is a Divine union in which the Lord takes His delight in the soul and the soul takes its delight in Him. 

.....There are many souls whom God tests in this way and few who prepare themselves to enjoy this favour. When the Lord does this and we ourselves leave nothing undone either, I think it is certain that He never ceases from giving until He has brought us to a very high degree of prayer. 

God deliver us Sisters from saying, "we are not angels" or "we are not saints" whenever we commit some imperfection. We mat not be; but what a good thing it is for us to reflect that we can be if we will only try and if God gives us His Hand. Do not be afraid that He will fail to do His part if we do not fail to do our part. and since we have come here for no other reason... let there be nothing we known of, which it would be of service to the Lord for us to do, and which with His help, we would not venture to take in hand.

....Contemplation is something given by God and it is not necessary for our salvation. I myself spent over 14 years without ever being able to meditate except while reading. There must be many people like this, and others who cannot meditate even after reading, but can only recite vocal prayers. Some find their thoughts wandering so much that they cannot concentrate upon the same thing, but are always restless, to such an extent that if they try to fix their thoughts upon God, they are attacked by a thousand foolish ideas and scruples and thoughts concerning their Faith. tears though good, are not invariably signs of perfection; there is always greater safety in humility, mortification, detachment and other virtues. There is no reason for fear, you must not be afraid that you will fail to attain the perfection of the greatest contemplatives.

.....St. Martha was holy, but we are not told that she was a contemplative. What more do you want than to be able like that blessed woman, who was worthy to receive Christ Our Lord so often in her house, and to prepare meals for Him...Now remember that little community is St. Martha's house and that there must be people of all kinds here. True humility consists in being ready for what the Lord desires to do with you and happy that He should do it, and in always considering yourself unworthy to be called His servants.

Practice mental prayer Sisters or if any of you cannot do that, vocal prayer, reading and colloquies with God. Do not neglect the hours of prayer...you never know when the Spouse will call you. Contemplatives have to bear aloft the standard of humility and must suffer all the blows which are aimed at them without striking any themselves. Their duty is to suffer as Christ did, to raise the cross on high, not to allow it to leave their hands, whatever the perils in which they find themselves, and not to let themselves be found backward in suffering. 
Progress has nothing to do with enjoying the greatest number of consolations in prayer, or with raptures, visions or favours given by the Lord, the value of which we cannot estimate until we reach the world to come. It consists in the great virtues of humility, mortification and an obedience so extremely strict that we never go an inch beyond the superior's orders, knowing that these orders come from God since she is in His place. it seems to me that anyone who does not have it, is not a nun at all.

       

16TH JULY

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL.

The Sacred Scriptures speak of the beauty of Mt. Carmel, when the Prophet Elijah defended the faith of Israel in the Living God. There at the beginning of the 13th century, under the title of "St. Mary of Mount Carmel", the Order of Carmelites had its formal beginning. From the 14th century, this title, recalling the countless blessings of its Patroness began to be solemnly celebrated, first in England and then gradually throughout the whole Order. It attained its supreme place from the beginning of the 17th century, when the General Chapter declared it to be the principal Feast of the Order, and Pope Paul V recognized it as the feast of the Scapular Confraternity.

CARMEL AND ITS SAINTS.

13th July

Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, (of Los Andes) 1920

Juanita Fernandes Solar wes born at Santiago Chile on July 13th 1900. From her adolescence she was devoted to Christ. She entered the monastery of the Discalced Nuns at Los Andes on May 7th 1919 where she was given the name of Teresa of Jesus. She died on April 12th of the following year after having made her Religious profession. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 3rd 1987 at Santiago Chile and canonized on March 21st 1993 by the same Pope. She was proposed as a model for young people. She is the first Chilian and first member of the Teresian Carmel in Latin America to be canonized.

17th July

17 Blessed Martyrs of Compiegn. (1794)

Guillotined at the place Du Trone Renberse (now called place de la Nation.), Paris, 17th July, 1794, they are the first sufferers under the French Revolution on whom the Holy See has passed judgement, and were solemnly beatified 27th May, 1906. Before their execution they knelt and chanted "Veni Creator", as at a profession, after whichm they all renewed aloud their Baptismal and Religious Vows. The Novice was executed first and the Prioress last. Absolute silence prevailed the whole time that the executions were proceeding. The heads and bodies of the Martyrs were interred on a deep sand-pit about 30 feet square in a cemetery at Picpus.

       20th July 

Saint Elijah (9th century B.C.)

Scripture presents the Prophet Elijah as a man of God, walking continually in God's presence and fiercely defending the worship of the One true God. He stood up for God's rights in a solemn contest on Mount Carmel. Later on Mount Horeb he was granted an intimate experience of the Living God. St. Elijah is called the Father and founder of the Carmelite Order, a model for contemplatives. "The Lord lives, in whose presence I stand". He worked great wonders in order to bring back the people of Israel to the worship of Yahweh the true God. 

24th. July.

Blessed John Soreth.

John Soreth was born at Caen in Normandy (France) in 1394. He entered Carmel in his youth, and in due course took the degree of Master in Theology at Paris, where he became regent of studies. He later became Provincial. He was Prior General of the Order from 1451 until his death at Angers (France) in 1471. He restored and encouraged religious observance , wrote a well known commentary on the Rule, issued revised Constitutions in 1462, and supported and promoted the foundation of Communities of Nuns in the Order. 

24th July

Blessed Martyrs of Guadalajara (1936)

In 1936, during the Spanish civil war ,communist troops murdered 3 Carmelite Nuns at Guadalajara, Spain. They were: Sr. Maria of the Angels of St. Joseph(Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas), 31 years old. Sr. Maria Pillar of St. Francis Borgia (Jacoba Martinez Garcia) 58 years old. Sr. Teresa of the Child Jesus (Eusebia Garcia Y Garcia) 27 years old.

27th July
Blessed Titus Brandsma, Priest & Martyr.

Born at Bolsward (The Netherlands) in 1881, Titus Brandsma joined the Carmelite Order as a young man. Ordained a priest in 1905, he earned a doctorate in Philosophy in Rome. He then taught in various schools in Holland and was named professor of philosophy and of the history of mysticism in the Catholic University of Nijmegen, where he also served as Rector Magnificus. He was noted for his constant availability to everyone. He was a professional journalist, and in 1935, he was appointed  ecclesiastical adviser to Catholic journalists. Both before and during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands he fought, fathful to the Gospel, against the spread of Nazi ideology and for the freedom of Catholic education and of the Catholic press. For this he was arrested and sent to a succession of prisons and concentration camps where he brought comfort and peace to his fellow prisoners and did good even to his tormentors; in 1942 after much suffering and humiliation, he was killed at Dachau. He was beatified by John Paul II on November 3rd. 1985.

7th August

St. Albert of Trapani - priest

Albert degli Abbati was born at Trapani, Sicily, in the 13th century, and entered the Carmelite Order as a youth. He became renowned as a fervent preacher of the Gospel and a worker of miracles. He was Provincial of Sicily in 1296 and died at Messina, probably in 1307 with a reputation for purity and prayer.

9th August.

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. (Edith Stein) - Martyr.

              (She was beatified by Pope John Paul II at Cologne on May 1st. 1987,
                                            and canonized on October 11th 1998.)

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, She was a German Jewess.

Born eighteen ninety one, Who pursued higher studies

And hard work did not shun

In intellectual circles, She learned to move about

Until the great Teresa, Happened to clear her doubt.

The truth was with the Christians, So Christ became her light

When Hitler rose to power, She was a Carmelite.

Though she moved out to Holland, The Nazis tracked her down

And shifted her to Auschwitz, Where she received her crown.

16th August

Blessed MariaSagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

Maria Sagrario was born at Lillo, Toledo, on 8th January1881. A pharmacist by profession, she was one of the first women in Spain to be admitted to this qualification. In 1915 she entered the carmel of St. Anne and St. Joseph in Madrid. Through her spirit of prayer and her love for the Eucharist, she was a perfect embodiment of the contemplative and ecclesial ideal of the Teresian Carmel. She was prioress of her community when she was martyred on 15th August 1936. It was a grace she longed for and accepted in perfection of faith and ardent love for Christ.

ST. MARY OF JESUS CRUCIFIED 25TH AUGUST

                          

St. Mary of Jesus crucified was born of the Baouardy family, Catholics of the Greek Melchite Rite, at Abellin in Galilee in 1846. In 1867 she entered the Discalced Carmelites at Pau in France and was sent with the founding group to the Carmel of Mangalore i India where in 1870 she made her Profession. She returned to France in 1872. In 1875 she went to the Holy Land where she built a monastery in Bethlehem and began planning for another monastery in Nazareth. Noted for her supernatural gifts, especially for humility, for her devotion to the Holy Spirit, and her great love for the Church and the Pope, she died at Bethlehem in 1878.

 26th August.

St. Teresa of Avila's TRANSVERBERATION.

The chief among St. Teresa's virtues was the love of God, which Our Lord Jesus Christ increased by means of many visions and revelations. He made her His spouse on one occasion. At other times she saw an angel with a flaming dart piercing her heart. Through these heavenly gifts, the flame of divine love in her heart became so strong that inspired by God she made the extremely difficult vow of always doing what seeded to her, most perfect and most conducive to God's glory. ( Pope Gregory XV in the Bull of canonization.)

1st. September

St. Teresa Margaret  Redi of the Sacred Heart.  

Teresa Margaret belonged to the noble family of Redi, and was born in the Tuscan city of Arezzo (Italy) in 1747. She entered the Discalced Carmelite  monastery at Florence on September 1st. 1764. She was granted a special grace of contemplative insight based on St. John's phrase GOD IS LOVE, through which she felt called to a hidden life of love and self sacrifice. She progressed rapidly, fulfilling her vocation through heroic charity towards others. She died in Florence in 1770.

12th September

Blessed Mary of Jesus.

Born in 1560 at Tartanedo (Spain) Mary took the Discalced Carmelite Habit at Toledo in 1577 and made her profession the following year. She spent the rest of her life serving God in that Carmel except for a brief period in 1585 when she helped with a foundation at Cuerva. She died at Toledo on September 13th 1640. St. Teresa of Avila thought extremely highly of her. She was a great contemplative, intensely devoted to Our Lord and often drawing inspiration from the Liturgy.

17th September

St. Albert of Jerusalem...Bishop, and Lawgiver of Carmel.

Albert Avogadro was born about 1150 A.D. at castle Gualtieri (Italy). He entered the Canons regular of the Holy Cross at Mortara and was elected Prior in 1180. He became Bishop of Bobbio in 1184 and of Vercelli the following year, and in 1250 was made Patriarch of Jerusalem. In all these offices he was a model pastor in word and example, and he contributed greatly to the establishment of peace. During his Patriarchate (1205 - 1214) he formed the hermit Brothers of Mount Carmel into a collegium and wrote a rule for them. He was murdered on 14 September 1214 by the Master of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, whom he had rebuked and deposed for immorality. 

1st. October

St. Therese of the Child Jesus.

Therese Martin was born at Alencon (France) in 1873. At the age of fifteen she entered the Carmel at Lisieux. She practised heroic humility, evangelical simplicity and trust in God, and taught the novices these virtues by word and example. She offered her life for the salvaion of souls and the spread of the Faith. She died on 30th September 1897.

Her parents Louis and Zelie Martin are the first couple to be beatified...by Pope Benedict XVI. and canonized by Pope Francis.

15TH OCTOBER
ST. TERESA OF AVILA, OUR MOTHER.
VIRGIN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

Teresa was born at Avila (Spain) in 1515. As a member of the carmelite Order she made great progress in perfection and received mystical revelations. As reformer of her Order she underwent many trials which she intrepidly overcame. She also wrote books of the greatest spiritual value which reflect her own experiences. She died at Alba in 1582. 

19th NOVEMBER St. Raphael Kalinowski.

Raphael Kalinowski was born to Polish parents in the city of Vilnius in 1835. After military service, he was in 1868 condemned to 10 years of forced labour in Siberia. In 1977 he joined the Discalced Carmelite Order and in 1882 was ordained a Priest. He brought about the restoration of the Order in Poland and guided its growth. His life was distinguished for his zeal for Church unity and by his unflagging devotion to his ministry as a confessor and spiritual director. He died in Wadowice in 1907.

29th November Bl. Denis and Redemptus, Martyrs.

Denis of the Nativity, priest, whose secular name was Pierre Berthelot was born at Honfleur (France) in 1600. He was cartographer and naval commander in the service of the Portuguese crowns, but in 1635 became a discalced Carmelite in Goa. It was also at Goa that Thomas Rodriguez da Cunha, born in Portugal in 1598, had been professed as a lay Brother under the name of Redemptus of the Cross in 1615. They were sent together to Sumathra, where they were martyred on November 29th 1638 at Achen. 

Saint Maria Maravillas of Jesus. December 11th.

Maravillas was born at Madrid in 1891. She entered the El Escorial Carmel, Madrid on 12th October 1919. In 1924 she founded a carmel at Cerro de los Angeles, alongside the monument to the sacred Heart of Jesus. From this foundation followed 9 others in Spain and one in India - Kottayam. She always gave first place to prayer and self sacrifice. She had a true, passionate zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Even while living a life of poverty in the cloister, she helped those who were in need, initiating apostolic, social and charitable works. In a particular way she helped those of her own order, Priests and other religious congregations. She died in the monastery of La Aldehuela, Madrid, on 11th December 1974.

ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS. DECEMBER 14th.

John the Yepes was born in 1542, at Fontiveros (Spain) and entered the Carmelite Order in 1563. In 1568 he became, at St. Teresa's suggestion, one of the first 2 friars of the discalced Reform, taking the name of JOHN OF THE CROSS. He was an heroic defender of the reform for the rest of his life. He died at Ubeda in 1591, and from that time he has enjoyed great esteem for sanctity and for the spiritual wisdom to which his writings testify.

BLESSED MARY OF THE ANGELS DECEMBER 16th

She was born in Turin (Italy) in 1661, and died after spending her whole life there, in 1717. In 1675 she entered the Discalced Carmelite Convent of St. Christina, and several times filled the offices of Prioress and Novice mistress. She underwent continual spiritual trials, but was constant nevertheless in her ardent love of God. She was outstandingly faithful to prayer and particularly devoted to St. Joseph, in whose honour a convent was foundedthrough her good offices at Moncalieri.

SAINT KURIAKOSE ELIAS CHAVARA. 3rd. JANUARY

Cyriac Kuriakose Elias Chavara, co-founder and first Prior general of the congregation of the carmelites of Mary Immaculate, was born at Kainakary in Kerala, India, on February 10th 1805. He entered the seminary in 1818 and was ordained a priest in 1829. He made his religious profession in 1855 and was vicar general of the Syro Malabar Church from 1861. He was also the co-founder of the Sisters of the Congregation of the Mother of Carmel in 1866. He defended the ecclesial unity against the schism of Rochos, worked all his life for the spiritual renovation of the church in Malabar. Above all he was a man of prayer, zealous for the Eucharistic Lord and specially devoted to the Bl. Virgin Mary Immaculate. He died at Koonammavu in 1871. His mortal remains were transferred to Mannanam in 1889.

St. Alphonsa an Indian Saint - who was beatified together with Kuriakose Chavara in 1986 - was miraculously cured from a serious illness in 1936 through the intercession of the latter. (She was canonized in 2008.)

Yet another Indian saint, Rosa Eluvathingal, was canonized along with Kuriakose Elias Chavara on 23.11.2014.

ST. PETER THOMAS. 8TH JANUARY.

Born about 1305 in southern Perigord, France, Peter Thomas entered the Carmelite Order at the age of twenty. He was elected Procurator General of the Order to the Papal court at Avignon in 1345. In 1354 he was made Bishop of Patti and Lipari, and thereafter often acted as Papal Legate in the cause of peace and of union with the eastern Churches. He was translated to Corone in the Peleponnesus, and made Papal Legate for the East in 1359; In 1363 he was made Archbishop of Crete; and in 1364 he became Latin Patriarch of Constantinople. In these Offices he distinguished himself as an apostle of Christian unity. He died at Famagosta in Cyprus in 1366.

SAINT ANDREW CORSINI. 9th JANUARY.

Andrew Corsini was born at the beginning of the fourteenth century in Florence, Italy, where he later became a Carmelite. He was elected Provincial of Tuscany at the General Chapter of Metz. On October 13th 1349 he became Bishop of Fiesole, and in governing his diocese he showed outstanding charity, apostolic zeal and prudence, together with great love for the poor. He died on January 6th 1374.

BLESSED MARY OF THE INCARNATION. 18th  APRIL.

Barbe Avrillot was born in Paris in 1566. At the age of sixteen she married Pierre Acarie, by whom she had seven children. In spite of her household duties and many hardships, she attained the heights of mystical life. Under the influence of St. Teresa's writings, and after mystical contacts with the Saint herself, she spared no effort in introducing the Discalced nuns into France. After her husband's death, she asked to be admitted among them as a lay sister, taking the name of Mary of the Incarnation. She was professed at the Carmel of Amiens in 1615. She was esteemed by some of the greatest men of her time, including St. Francis de Sales. She was distinguished by her spirit of prayer and her zeal for the propagation of the Catholic faith. She died at Pontoise on 18th April 1618. 

SAINT SIMON STOCK 16TH MAY.

Simon an Englishman, died at Bordeaux in mid-thirteenth century. He has been venerated in the Carmelite Order for his personal holiness and his devotion to Our Lady. A liturgical celebration in his honour was observed locally in the fifteenth century and later extended to the whole Order.

SAINT JOACHINA DE VERDUNA. 22nd. MAY.

Joachina was born in Barcelona in 1783. In 1799 she married Theodor de Mas, by whom she had nine children. Her husband died in 1816. In 1826 she was moved by the Holy Spirit to found the congregation of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity which spread throughout Catalonia, maintaining many houses for the care of the sick and the education of children, especially the poor. She loved to contemplate the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and this devotion characterized her life life of prayer, mortification, detachment, humility and charity. She died at Vich in 1854.

SAINT MARY MAGDALEN DE' PAZZI. 25th MAY.

She was born in Florence in the year 1566. After a pious upbringing she entered the Carmelite Convent where she led a hidden life of prayer and self denial. She prayed especially for the reform of the church. She was endowed by God  with many spiritual gifts and directed her fellow sisters along the road of perfection.She die in the year 1607.

BLESSED ANNE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW. 7th JUNE.

Ana Garcia was born at Almendral, Castille, in 1549. In 1572 she made her profession as a Carmelite in the hands of St. Teresa at St. Joseph's Avila. The Saint later chose her as her companion and nurse, and she subsequently brought the Teresian spirit to France and Belgium, where she proved herself, like Teresa,  daughter of the church, in her great zeal for the salvation of souls. She died at Antwerp in 1626.